I made a mistake now by letting my brother-in-law drive it and he over revved it and blew the motor and doesn't want to pay for the damage he caused he was driving it 120 mph and let off of it and then got back on it at that speed and thinks the motor shouldn't have let go with that kind of abuse. because they can't find an engine with around the same miles on it(45,000) so they have to go with a long block. I live in Indiana and wonder what recoarse I have I hope it doesn't come to that but need to know my options thanks.
I just bought a '01 lightning
- Thread starter rsliger98
- Start date
quick35th
Registered User
rsliger98 said:
Thats why you dont let anyone drive your car. Stuff happens and when they screw up they dont want to pay for it.
I always would tell me friends that if they wanted to drive my SC and if they blew it up or popped the head gaskets that they would have to pay to replace them or dont drive.
Shane
my engine has a hole in the block.
it's about the size of a dollar bill. and at 120 it was at redline and he let off and pushed the gas all the way to the floor again. these are high torque engines even more then our SC's they are not made for high rpm's and we all know that I think.
it's about the size of a dollar bill. and at 120 it was at redline and he let off and pushed the gas all the way to the floor again. these are high torque engines even more then our SC's they are not made for high rpm's and we all know that I think.
bubbaflaat
Registered User
rsliger98 said:
that still doesn't make sense. Letting off the gas then mashing it again isn't gonna blow the engine. I think he is giving you a BS story maybe... So there is a hole in the block or what?
rsliger98 said:
If it took damage while in his use/possession you for sure can sue him. Call a lawyer since none of us are attorneys.
Have fun at Holidays though!!!!
Edit: Redline in top gear is 120mph for that truck? Seems way to low. There is a whole lot of info not being told, either to you or to us. Hopefully you get to the bottom of it. Also, what is the warranty on your truck?
From - http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/10738/
"The extra ponies and gear drop gives the Lightning a mite more scoot. The SVT crew says the Lightning will run and gun to 60 mph in about 5.8 seconds, and charge to a top speed of 142 mph. Quarter-mile falls 0.7 seconds to 13.9 seconds at 100 mph--nothing to bet the title on, unless you’re dragging a stock Ram or Silverado."
Top speed of 142mph, so 120 shouldn't hurt? Are you SURE you bought it with a solid engine in the first place?
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darkstar_one
Registered User
well he was driving it and it blew.... so sue him... sue him and get it over with.... let us know what happens... everyone is rightl... dont ever especially family members drive your car... family is the worst people to deal with... thats why you never lend money to them either... so what was it? a 5.4 DOHC? right?
yeah it's a 5.4
The engine was very strong I got right next to the engine and listened during start up and when it was ideling and during a revup and underlight load if there was a problem it would have shown up unter those conditions. It just comes down to abuse of my property. maybe it shouldn't have let go at that speed but he shouldn't have been driving that fast with it anyways. Does anyone know where to get one fairly cheap i know Ford Lightning and cheap don't go together but you never know thanks for the help guys
The engine was very strong I got right next to the engine and listened during start up and when it was ideling and during a revup and underlight load if there was a problem it would have shown up unter those conditions. It just comes down to abuse of my property. maybe it shouldn't have let go at that speed but he shouldn't have been driving that fast with it anyways. Does anyone know where to get one fairly cheap i know Ford Lightning and cheap don't go together but you never know thanks for the help guys
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bubbaflaat
Registered User
Why would you buy cheap?? There was a factory for 5.4 DOHC supercharged engine in there before you let the guy drive it. Thats what he needs to put back in there. And get the full story from the guy. There is something fishy about that story. Also he should NOT have been driving your truck that fast.
V8Supercoupe
Registered User
I could be wrong but,
If you didn't give him permission to drive it and something happenened then he is liable.
If you gave him permission to drive it and something happened, I don't think he is liable.
They key I believe is if YOU gave him permission or not.
Those eninges take some pretty good abuse, makes me wonder if something was going wrong before he even took it.
You shouldn't have to worry about, "getting on it or off it, or on it again with any engine". That doesn't sound like a very bright excuse.
Never know.
If you didn't give him permission to drive it and something happenened then he is liable.
If you gave him permission to drive it and something happened, I don't think he is liable.
They key I believe is if YOU gave him permission or not.
Those eninges take some pretty good abuse, makes me wonder if something was going wrong before he even took it.
You shouldn't have to worry about, "getting on it or off it, or on it again with any engine". That doesn't sound like a very bright excuse.
Never know.
1956Wildcat
Registered User
Sorry about your luck.
I've read on nloc.net that some of the motors around 2001-02 range had weaker rods than the early and later model 5.4 L's. I bought a '03 engine and trans that I'm putting into a 56 F-100. You might check nloc and see if anyone has any parts for sale on the 01. Having a 94 L, I don't check the gen 2 stuff very much. Hope you get it back going.
I've read on nloc.net that some of the motors around 2001-02 range had weaker rods than the early and later model 5.4 L's. I bought a '03 engine and trans that I'm putting into a 56 F-100. You might check nloc and see if anyone has any parts for sale on the 01. Having a 94 L, I don't check the gen 2 stuff very much. Hope you get it back going.
quick35th
Registered User
bubbaflaat said:
Not to bust your chops here but the Lightnings didn't come with DOHC, they are only SOHC.
Next, if all you need is a new short block then those can be had really easily. For $1800 you can get a new reman Lightning specific short block from karkraft.com. Thats the route I would go.
Shane
95pearlbird
Registered User
Fish Story?
Man, that really sucks. No one really knows but him, exactly what happened, and how, but I too, think that something sounds fishy here......
In any case, he needs to step up to the plate and be responsible for the damage he caused to your Lightning.
Not all of the time is this true, but heres my two-cents worth... find out exactly where he was when it happened, and you can fill in more of the missing pieces to this "mystery story."
Call the tow company to find out where he was picked up at. A lot of the time, thrown rods and the resulting hole in the block are the result of an in-neutral (or between shifts) over-rev. And even a rev limiter cannot stop that.
The engine screams, revs go thru the roof, and BAM! Dead in the water.
Was the oil stain long and faint or all in one spot? If it's all in one spot, and at a stop or a light, theres your answer. Leadfoot Block Wrecker....bad brother in law.... dig deep into your wallet and pay up....
And don't let anyone use your vehicle, even if its just "going up to the store".
Hoping you get it back on the road soon......
Man, that really sucks. No one really knows but him, exactly what happened, and how, but I too, think that something sounds fishy here......
In any case, he needs to step up to the plate and be responsible for the damage he caused to your Lightning.
Not all of the time is this true, but heres my two-cents worth... find out exactly where he was when it happened, and you can fill in more of the missing pieces to this "mystery story."
Call the tow company to find out where he was picked up at. A lot of the time, thrown rods and the resulting hole in the block are the result of an in-neutral (or between shifts) over-rev. And even a rev limiter cannot stop that.
The engine screams, revs go thru the roof, and BAM! Dead in the water.
Was the oil stain long and faint or all in one spot? If it's all in one spot, and at a stop or a light, theres your answer. Leadfoot Block Wrecker....bad brother in law.... dig deep into your wallet and pay up....
And don't let anyone use your vehicle, even if its just "going up to the store".
Hoping you get it back on the road soon......
he's going to pay half of the bill.
I know what some are thinking and yes i agree. (needs to pay the whole thing. But to keep the peace in the family I agreed. I'm about half way through getting the engine out. I looked at the block and found not one but two holes in it. (It might have been from the rod dancing around in the cylinder. but there was alot of oil all down the road where it blew. my thoughts on this was that it was redlined and let go. I've never seen an engine just throw a rod for no reason. they either blow from mechanical failure or from driver error. and since the vehicle showed no signs prior that anything was wrong then I'll have to say he was the cause. anyways Has anyone dealt with KarKraft I see they have a special on my engine right now but I want to know are they reputable? I saw on their site that it's prepaid before it's send out but I'm damn sure not handing over 3000 to someone I don't know. I'm going to have to inspect it first before I buy it. you'd think they'd do C.O.D . I guess I'll just have to take a three hour tour up there since they are fairly close to me.
I know what some are thinking and yes i agree. (needs to pay the whole thing. But to keep the peace in the family I agreed. I'm about half way through getting the engine out. I looked at the block and found not one but two holes in it. (It might have been from the rod dancing around in the cylinder. but there was alot of oil all down the road where it blew. my thoughts on this was that it was redlined and let go. I've never seen an engine just throw a rod for no reason. they either blow from mechanical failure or from driver error. and since the vehicle showed no signs prior that anything was wrong then I'll have to say he was the cause. anyways Has anyone dealt with KarKraft I see they have a special on my engine right now but I want to know are they reputable? I saw on their site that it's prepaid before it's send out but I'm damn sure not handing over 3000 to someone I don't know. I'm going to have to inspect it first before I buy it. you'd think they'd do C.O.D . I guess I'll just have to take a three hour tour up there since they are fairly close to me.
twoblownfords
Registered User
blown motor
If the engine is shot just get a motor from johnny lightning good motors and they are not alot of money.
If the engine is shot just get a motor from johnny lightning good motors and they are not alot of money.
Rooster Booster
Registered User
Wasen't there a problem with the Lightnings and their sparkplugs? My parents have a 01 and I remember about my dad talking about that when you let off the gas at high speeds and get on it again there is so much sucktion from the boost that it throws the sparkplugs.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
quick35th
Registered User
Rooster Booster said:
The regular non SVT Triton motors did that too. In the Lightning's case boost pressures might contribute to ejecting spark plugs but its not the soul cause of it. The real reason for the cause is that on early Triton motors Ford only put about 3 threads on the heads for the spark plugs to thread into. So what happens is over time or if the spark plugs are ever changed inproperly or in some cases the plugs are never touched but still eject out of the head. There is an adapter kit that some company sells to correct the problem. Ford didn't start to fix the Triton heads until late '02 when they added more threads to the heads for the spark plugs.
Shane