Mike Brichta Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 Update: Since having the problem on 07/21 the car has been sitting for some direction from GM as to how they want to handle the situation. I have not touched the car or engine since I had the problem. So far I have spoken to several Parts Managers and Service Managers from (2) different GM dealers and am still waiting for them to decide what they are going to do. The good news is that I finally convinced one of the Service Managers to argue with the GM "decision makers" to allow me to pull the engine and deliver it to him for the next steps. I don't want him to store the car and he doesn't want it in his way either. Once they have the engine they will decide whether to fix it or replace it. The bad news is that it has now been around 4 weeks and nothing has been decided by GM. I checked back with the Service Manager (nice guys who agrees with me on all issues) yesterday and he has not gotten the OK to proceed. So I can just keep politely pushing the issue with him so we can move forward. Lesson #1: This is not a quick process and GM is not prepared or anxious to help with anyone in my situation. I will keep the group posted on my progress. Thanks!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam (Bones) Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 that sucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipper Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 [you said a naughty!]..Its been a month and you are dealing with a engine still under warranty. This is the way a customer is treated by the "new" GM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72 LS5 Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Sounds like your warranty papers must go up the entire chain at Government Motors. They're probably sitting on a desk in the Oval Office awaiting a signature, but that office has been vacant all year. Seriously, I hope and pray you get a resolution soon!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Brichta Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 Update: 08/23/12 After 4 weeks, I managed to get the GM dealer to allow me to pull the motor from the car and deliver it to them to look at. They will then examine it (probably try to fix it) and see where we go from there. Before they will touch it they requested: - copy of engine receipt - copy of distributor receipt - pics of car (to show it isn't being raced) - pics of engine in the car - pics of the VIN - pics of the dash showing the mileage - pics of the missing distributor gear - anything else I can think of I will keep the group posted on the progress just in case any of you need help with a GM engine warranty. My pain, your gain!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montemedic Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Mike, Good luck with trying to correct this issue. I hope it will be hassel free the rest of the way. Please keep us updated. I saw Greg the other day and finally gave him the hitch. He was very happy with it. CK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared Richey Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 EXACTLY the reason why I would not buy a crate engine. I hate you are going through this Mike, this sucks big time. A fellow I know here had trouble with GM on his 454 he had in his 70 chevelle, turned out to be something simple but still, they gave him the runaround. All the $$$ those crates cost for less HP than a built engine and all this mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7tonemonte Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 I hate hearing stories like this Mike, you get a GM motor and all the corresponding parts partly due to the warranty included, and now an entire driving season is wasted fighting your way through red tape. That all being said, its hard to beat the price and ease of a crate engine for a driver car. There are tons of people out there with a whole lot of trouble free miles on crate motors, I guess Mike is just the unlucky one here. Good luck Mike, and thanks for all the updates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrunkMatt Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 EXACTLY the reason why I would not buy a crate engine. I hate you are going through this Mike, this sucks big time. A fellow I know here had trouble with GM on his 454 he had in his 70 chevelle, turned out to be something simple but still, they gave him the runaround. All the $$$ those crates cost for less HP than a built engine and all this mess. Jared -- I couldn't agree more. Every new motor will have its issues, and there are so many GREAT local engine builders who have bene doing this for 20+ years & know the ins and outs. Factory built crates of the old style motors are just sold in too small of number for the big guys to give it "personal attention / process" WIth the 383 I have had built, I had some minor issues etc and the engine builder even came out to my house once to check in. Even to swap in a new flywheel from a different manufacturer because "he really didn't like the old ones he was using, and these new ones are stronger" Go local. It may be a few hundred more -- but man, the warranty service you'll get is tied to the person's name... and they want a good name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Haze Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 It's progress, I guess. Did you pick the dealer or did they send you to one they wanted to use? Sounds frustrating. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam (Bones) Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 and GM wonders why they have such a bad reputation.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Brichta Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Update: 08/27/12 I pulled the engine on Sunday and have it sitting in the original crate ready for the GM dealer to tell me to drop it off. Since I had to remove the oil filter to put the engine back into the crate I poured the oil from the filter into a clean container and stuck a clean magnet into the oil. I swirled it around and few times and took it out to see what it would find. The magnet is covered with what I would call powdered metal. This is what I expected to find since the teeth on the distributor gear were worn down over time till they just broke. I still could not figure out what actually caused the problem. After seeing the metal on the magnet I will definitely be asking for a new motor. We will see what the dealer has to say. I will be calling him today to arrange an engine drop off date/time. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monte7071 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I really hope they do what is right and get you a new engine. I hate reading stuff like this seeing how I work for a Chevrolet dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Brichta Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 Update: 09/01/12 I dropped the engine off at the dealer on Wed (08/29). He also wanted everything that would make the engine run just in case they wanted to start it. I'm not sure why they would need to do that but I gave him the carb, fuel pump, starter, dist with wires, etc. I showed both the Service Manager and the Parts Manager the magnet I had that was full of metal fragments I got from the oil filter oil and I showed him the dist. with the stripped gears. He said they would let me know what the next step was. I hope to hear something in the next week since it shouldn't take long to see it can't be repaired with all of that ground up metal in there. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Brichta Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 Update: Friday 09/07/12 The GM Service Manager called today to tell me that the engine was ready for pickup or delivery. Their engine technician pulled the entire engine apart piece by piece and said the reason for the failure was because the wrong gear was used on the distributor. They determined that by comparing the distributor gear with the cam and they did not mesh correctly. They then decided that the engine could be repaired rather than replaced. It was taken completely apart and the following pieces were replaced: main bearings, rod bearings, cam and cam bearings, oil pump and distributor gear, seals, gaskets. Everything else was cleaned and inspected for wear and tolerances before it was put back together. The engine would still be covered under the original factory warranty. They will deliver it to my house for free on Monday (about 45 minutes away). What should I be looking for when it is dropped of? =================================================== - I asked them for a complete work order so I can prove what was done and what was replaced. - I asked them to tell me what "break-in" process I should use so I do not void the warranty. Any other suggestions/comments? I have to say that I thought GM handled this pretty well. It started out slowly but they completely rebuilt the engine in about 1 week and all was covered under the GM warranty. What are your thoughts? Was the warranty worth it? What should I have done differently? Thanks!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71 MONTE 4 YA Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Mike I don't have any answers for you, but all I can say is that I am glad it all worked out for you in the long run. Congrats!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGD72Monte Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Congrats, glad it is working out for you even though it has been a bit of a frustratingly long process. I would be asking them how is it possible that the wrong gear got in there. I thought the recommend dist was used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stangeba Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Glad to hear. I discussed your problem with my brother in-law (Retired GM power train engineer) and he thought first that it was the fault of a bad dist gear. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom's Car Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Glad to hear they made good on it. Good Luck on the reassembly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam (Bones) Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 great news! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gprimm Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 In the end I would rather have an engine that was inspected piece-by-piece and hand assembled engine by an experienced factory mechanic. The factory mechanics I know take pride in doing something like as it is their work and everyone in the shop knows who did it. Worked out extremely well. Now once it is back in go show him the engine in the car!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Brichta Posted September 9, 2012 Author Share Posted September 9, 2012 I thought the same thing. I would rather have a good engine mechanic go through the entire engine piece by piece and check everything out rather than another engine from an assembly line. The service manager actually told me that the mechanic really enjoyed himself working on a big block engine rather than a northstar engine. If all works out ok I was thinking of contacting the owner of the dealership and letting him know how happy I was with the end result of the entire process but driving to the dealership with the car is a great idea. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssmonte70 Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I agree with taking the car in and letting the manager and mechanic know how much you appreciate the work that was done. Not only are you happy as a customer and they do appreciate that feedback, but it motivates the dealership, mechanic, manager, and everyone involved to continue that hard work and seeing it pay off. Troy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam (Bones) Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 how about some pictures of your car for them to display too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Haze Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I'm glad they did the right thing. Did they figure out why the dist gear wasn't correct on the 'recommended' distributor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.