Help! Dealer blew the engine! Now what?

[95Raptor]

Hi, all: Here's the sad story . . . I have a '95 SC, purchased new, one owner/driver, 61k miles. I'm a "thoughtful" driver, meaning I enjoy the car's capabilities, but I'm not a jerk. 10 years or so ago I had some surging or lurching under aggressive acceleration (on ramps, etc.) The problem, I think, was diagnosed as an air sensor of some type, and the problem was resolved. The car recently had a recurrence of the problem - just an occasional surge or lurch, but no engine noise, smoke, fluid loss, etc. I took it to the dealer, explained the issue, and left it with them. Three hours later they called to say the car died while being test driven - belt squealed, engine knocked, car dead. After pulling the oil pan they found two spun bearings and a disintegrated #8 bearing. The options seem to be: sue the dealer (but hard to prove it wasn't coincidence or their mishandling of the car), send it to the junkyard (not a ding or scratch in it - a flawless car) and replace the car, or replace the engine. The engine replacement - a "long block" - was estimated at $6,500. I don't want to engage in a lawsuit to recover the market value of the car (maybe, what, $5k?) and still be stuck with a blown engine. I don't want a new car or the payments that go along with them. I don't need to buy a used car and face unknown problems, so I've opted to replace the engine. I got the cost down to $5k for a remanufactured Ford engine w/a three year warranty, and told them to do the replacement. I'm sure it's obvious to you guys I'm not a mechanic, but I also don't want to be a patsy. I live in a city, and don't have a garage or repair site. So, here's the questions and the help I need: what the H*ll happened to my car? Was this just a weird coincidence, or was the surging the signal of some catastrophic failure? And given the significant investment I'm about to make, what else should I be wary of, or look for, as the new engine is installed? Any advice is welcomed and needed. Although I only learned about this site because of this issue, I'm glad to know about the SCCofA, and will be eager to share happier stories and images if and when I get my black bird back on the tarmac. Thanks!

[Miller]

where are you, outa curiousity ?

[95Raptor]

San Francisco

[trav91sc]

If it was my car I would sue. You took to the dealer with a miner problem and they call & tell you the motor blew while they were test driving. Thats what I would do.

[TIdyno]

What about getting someone to rebuild what you have? Where are you from?
Kevin

[Want2LearnTBIRD]

Originally Posted by TIdyno

What about getting someone to rebuild what you have? Where are you from?
Kevin

Originally Posted by 95Raptor

San Francisco

jhgkjhgjkgjgkjgjkgkj

[95Raptor]

I checked with my local garage about a non-dealer rebuild. The garage owner had a supercharged Cougar, so he knows and likes my car, but felt $5k with a Ford warranty was a good deal (despite his concerns, like mine, that the dealer's "test drive" is the source of the engine failure). I also checked with a recommended mechanic in Santa Rosa - specializes in high performance Mustangs - and a rough quote was $7k.

[Toms-SC]

http://supercoupeperformance.com/par...spx?partId=407

Your being ripped off.

[95Raptor]

Could you be more specific - ripped off on the cost of the replacement engine? the cost of a rebuild? the need for either? I'm hoping to get advice that I can take back to the dealer, or a mechanic.

[Want2LearnTBIRD]

I can't see how labor is going to cost you $4,500.... did you look at the link he posted?

[95Raptor]

Missed the link - thanks for pointing that out. First night navigating this site and haven't picked up on it yet, but I'll check out the link. The cost, btw, for parts/labor/tax is $5k.

[dwayne]

the mechanic who test drove your sc blew your engine ,comes back in and told shop forman that engine is gone .i used to work for a dealership in shop,they ask no question to mech., they take his word at face value. pay nothing,you know what you have ,take them to court.

[XR7 Dave]

It is possible that the drivability problems were related to detonation or a lean condition that may have caused damage to the bearings prior to taking the car to the dealer. It is also possible that you were experiencing early signs of head gasket failure such as a clogged cat (due to antifreeze), excessive cylinder pressure, and ultimately a blown engine. Because these cars are known for that kind of engine failure it is not going to be easy to prove anything at this point.

Yes, that kind of thing does happen and yes, I do speak from fairly reliable experience when I say this.

As for the engine replacement, a remanufactured long block should run about $2000 +/- so install is costing you a lot but the price quoted is typical for a dealer.

I will also point out that there is a big difference between a properly rebuilt engine from a reputable engine shop and a reman engine from Ford or any other supplier. For example, a rebuilt (by this I mean top quality parts, blueprinted clearances and due attention to detail) engine will run a little more than a reman but my experience with reman engines has been dismal. If a local shop is willing to rebuild the engine in house applying basic high performance engine building techniques to the motor you will get a much better motor than one that is built on a reman assembly line, however; finding a shop you can trust to do that might be another story altogether.

Keep in mind that your drivability problem may not be related to the engine at all and once the new motor is installed you will have to rely on the dealer to fix any other pre-existing problems (if any).

[XxSlowpokexX]

It sounds like you may of been talking about the idle air bypass valve. If you tend to drive your car easy and all of a sudden some stranger takes it for a ride he may of really taken it for a ride. Even so however that shouldnt of happened. So chances are something was on its way out.

Everything Dave said is true. There are a few people here from California that may be able to help you finding someone local. I cant imagine paying 5,000 for labor and a remanned engine though. But I guess it comes down to..How much do you like the car?

[95Raptor]

Thanks, Dave - that was helpful. The hard decision was whether or not to keep the car at all, but I think these are special vehicles and the input from you and others tonight reminded me of why I pushed myself to buy this way back in '95. Any particular weak points or other issues I should be aware of re: a reman engine? You said your experience has been dismal. Thanks, too, for offering up some potential causes for the failure. I still think some bonehead pushed it till it blew - does the air sensor (mass air sensor?) factor into this at all? The last thing I need to deal with is to get the car back with the same problem it went in with (next stop: lawsuit). I wish I had the time and $ to deal with the issue more thoughtfully, but it was a "tow it away or fix it" scenario last week. My hope is to get the car back, rely on the warranty to buy me the time to find better resources (like this club) to keep the car going into the future.