When I was leaving the bank today, some lady pulled up in her 3rd gen van and she must have been almost out of oil! The engine was clicking so loudly, I almost said something but I figured i'd let it go. She left it running when she went into the bank too. Truely sad....
donald7150
12-23-2005, 05:08 AM
yeah my '98 was ticking pretty bad when i bought it a year and a half ago, I have switched to full synthetic and changed the oil every 5000 or so kms and believe it or not it now only ticks very lightly for a couple minutes after a cold startup, only problem is now i think my valve seals are getting bad, I get a little puff of blue smoke from the exhaust when i leave the driveway in the morning after it has sat overnight, but dont see any throughout the rest of the day
Chet42
12-24-2005, 11:02 AM
Maybe thats why she was at the bank, to get money for a new van so she could ruin that one to. Nothing worse than seeing and hearing neglect.
donald7150
12-24-2005, 02:20 PM
speaking of neglect, we had a girl bring her 2001 intrepid in with a very heavy knocking sound in the engine, when one of our mechanics put the car on the ramp to drain the oil the black oil filter that was installed at the assembly plant was still installed on the car at 92,000 kms, apparently the girl bought the car new and didnt know the engine oil was supposed to be changed
gas28man
12-25-2005, 10:23 PM
If it weren't so humiliating for her, you could ask her to do testimonials. I'm amazed an engine would last that long with the original filter. And the dealership really fell down on the job in not contacting her after the sale for reminders on service. You'd think they'd want to make some money.
Rick
donald7150
12-26-2005, 05:19 AM
yeah i was really suprised as well, the car was purchased from another dealer she just happened to be in clarenville when she decided to get it checked out, I wish i had a camera when the valve covers were removed, what a mess of black sludge it was amazing the thing lasted as long as it did, she ended up selling the car as-is
These 2.7L engines I have seen quite a few of these replaced, there is usually one at our dealer ready to go when the next one comes in
Another case was with Canadian tire, a guy brought his '02 in late in the evening to get a tie-rod end replaced and an oil change, they drained the oil that evening and installed the tie-rod end, the next morning a wheel alignment and a road test, forgot to add the oil. canadian tire ended up sending the car to us to replace the engine
MqtMatt
12-26-2005, 11:35 AM
the next morning a wheel alignment and a road test, forgot to add the oil. canadian tire ended up sending the car to us to replace the engine
That is nasty, what a bunch of idiots!
gas28man
12-27-2005, 12:53 PM
Donald,
I have heard that the 2.7-liter engine is notorious for sludge buildup. I dismiss many of the stories as being like the one you related -- outright owner neglect, or at the very least, failure to maintain according to manufacturer guidelines (I attribute many 41TE transmission failures to the same issue). But some folks say they have followed all the manufacturer service recommendations and their 2.7 has suffered a catastrophic failure due to sludge buildup. Any opinion? Just curious.
Rick
donald7150
12-27-2005, 02:54 PM
well the way I see it, these 2.7L engines seem to be a little more picky when it comes to maintenance, seems to me those who follow the manufacturers reccommended service intervals dont seem to have any problems whatsoever.
