The new engine

[David Williamson]

David,
I'm so sorry to hear about the mishap with this engine. Were you given instructions on how to drive the car during the break-in
period?
I would think this guy has got to stand behind his work. Any kind of engine builder worth his salt would have gone over everything to check for noises, leaks, etc. If I were doing the work on this car/engine, I would have certainly driven it around myself to give it a shake down drive. I understand many shops don't operate that way, but how could you return a car to a customer without everything working properly? Especially transmission linkage not connected, not shifting properly...etc.
You also should have checked the fluids yourself... and checked for it running hot. Normally a new engine will run a bit on the hot side due to close tolerances in the bearings, rings, etc.
If you felt that you've done everything right...then by all means take him to small claims court. Also check his reputation with the BBB.

Thanks so much, I just cant believe I am going through this all over again.
I don't know why they would give me all this warranty and good guy routine then all of a sudden when it went wrong, everything changed we're not liable cussing me out telling me to get my lawyer it was unbelievable.
But that's what I am going to do tomorrow if I can get a ride up there to check everything on them and report them.

 

[David Williamson]

Why was I under the impression that this was a "NEW" engine? :?

So was I until they said junk yard and then I was like I thought this was new, Nah we get a good discount on used engines.
But we check em and run em before we buy em.

 

[David Williamson]

Dont quit, Adapt. These cars generally cost you a little blood sweat and tears, that is what made and makes them so great.

Yeah i have been through so much with this car.
I will never give up on these cars, I love the look the ride and just the history of these cars.
Thanks.

 

[David Williamson]

just watched the video again, the motor isnt seized, it made a full turn on starter, but very fast power drain, you can check the starter with booster cables, ground starter to ground cable, hold starter tight on floor, use red cable end touch center bolt an the small selinoid if starter bad it will just pop bendix out an not spin, if it pops out an spins freely with no noise except usual starter noise then you have other issues, do a tdc check, bring number 1 cylinder up, take dizzy cap off an see if rotor points to number 1 if not you jumped timing an may have a bad chain.. did you get any odd pinging before the motor shut down???????did you lose any anti freeze???? is tail pipes having a whitish film on them on the inside right at tips????????

Thank you for this I knew you could test it some other way just didn't know how.
Also I will try all other ideas here to see for sure.
Thanks again.

 

[David Williamson]

check the bendix in that starter, it sounds like the starter is draining all battery power while turning or trying to turn, can you turn motor over by hand???????????? pull the plugs an see if it turns over bu hand, that will eliminate or point you in right direction

How can you start it by hands?

 

[Evan11]

Why was I under the impression that this was a "NEW" engine? :?

So was I until they said junk yard and then I was like I thought this was new, Nah we get a good discount on used engines.
But we check em and run em before we buy em.

damn man, I knew it wasnt a brand new engine by how u stated it before, but I was thinking a "low milage" engine. also, on your 1st video that the pipes were hanging down, the engine seemed to smoke more than a decent, low milege engine would. did anyone else notice this??? I hope the best 4 you and that these crooks have to make it right or pay out..Louisville has always seemed as a good and decent city to me, but ppl will screw you over anywhere, it doesn't matter.

 

[David Williamson]

Why was I under the impression that this was a "NEW" engine? :?

So was I until they said junk yard and then I was like I thought this was new, Nah we get a good discount on used engines.
But we check em and run em before we buy em.

damn man, I knew it wasnt a brand new engine by how u stated it before, but I was thinking a "low milage" engine. also, on your 1st video that the pipes were hanging down, the engine seemed to smoke more than a decent, low milege engine would. did anyone else notice this??? I hope the best 4 you and that these crooks have to make it right or pay out..Louisville has always seemed as a good and decent city to me, but ppl will screw you over anywhere, it doesn't matter.

Yeah I hope I get some type of settlement back but honestly even them getting shutdown and everything taken away from them so they can no longer do this to anyone is good enough for me.
But Yeah there are bad people everywhere.
sometimes its hard to detect them sometimes very easy.

 

[RITTER]

Just catching up on the news here, read through the first 3 full pages here. Sounds like a pretty shady place that did the motor. For a shop to charge $1100 to get a junk yard motor and install it, that is dirt cheap :!:

You said the fluids were full when you left that day ... were they still full after the incident :?: I will also state that the engine is definitely not seized ... you can see the alternator fan spinning when you try to start the car in your video. Start with some of the basic things to check:
-check for spark
-compression test (each cylinder)

Possibly a broken timing chain :idea: Too kind of touch on what "CAPERKEV" said, bump the engine over with the key, like normal, and see if the rotor (under the distributor cap) even moves :idea: A timing chain breaking would definitely make a nasty noise and would continue to make excessive noise because the crank gear would still be catching it and pushing it around.

 

[pmoore4321]

I would buy a decent, gas efficient daily driver and put the Cutlass on hold or sell it. You have a small child that needs your attention and resources right now. I'm not 100% sure you engine is "blown" anyway. Your videos certainly don't confirm it. Where are you located?

 

[Longroof79]

Is there anyone nearby that can look at this car (engine) first hand and do a simple diagnosis on it? If I was nearby I would swing by and check it out.
From what I've ascertained from the video, as a few of you guys mentioned, that the motor does crank over..so it's not seized, which is a good thing. It could very well be a broken timing chain.
$1100. for a used motor in questionable condition is highway robbery. Granted there's labor involved. But how can a shop sell something and not back it up. They sound like a bunch of f**king shiesters.
It isn't fair how this young man was treated...I'm sorry. I hate to see people victimized by unscrupulous douchbags. :x

David, before you decided to buy this motor and "services" from this shop, why didn't you mention it to us on the forum?
We could have helped steer you one way or another. I was surprised when you mentioned getting a "new" motor. I thought you actually had a new crate or reman'ed motor installed.