Outside of a cutaway motor with an electric drive, I’ve only ever seen one engine with a good portion of the block missing still running: a 200ci straight-six in a purple Ford Granada had a good portion of the block missing, enough that you could watch two cylinders doing their thing as the car ran. I now have a second engine: this 2012 Volkswagen’s turbo four-cylinder. According to Travis Schooter, the lucky mechanic who got this gem of a project, the car had subframe and suspension damage that made him wonder if “they were getting chased or chasing someone.” Honestly, we’re surprised that the rotating assembly is alright, given how open the block really is. Anybody care to guess how badly this one is gonna hurt the old wallet?
Customer states oil light on and rattle noise.
Posted by Travis Schooter on Tuesday, August 4, 2015
(Thanks to Randal Burns for the tip!)
Not a hole in the engine but still kinda funny. Obviously, with all of these recalls for vehicles dating back to the early 2000s, our GM dealership has had some real junkers coming through the door just to get safety recalls. A lot of them, the recalls are the least of their problem.
So a guy comes in with an early 2000s Malibu, Check Engine Light is on and the 2.4L is hammering like a bastard. He says he just bought the car and he wants to see if the recalls will help with the CEL and engine noise. We point out that the recalls he has are just the replacement of the shift cable and jamming the BCM connector with dielectric grease, and that no recall would help with that engine.
How was the oil pressure?
I guess the customer really wanted a diesel.
I was a service advisor for an Acura dealership in the early ’90s. One day a ’90 Integra came in on the hook along with the owner who looked homeless. The complaint was “A loud noise from under the hood and then smoke” After popping the hood we saw a 3 inch diameter hole where a connecting rod tried to escape. I think the car had about 70,000 miles on it and when we asked him how often he changed the oil we just got a blank stare. Then he got pissed when he found out warranty wouldn’t cover it. People are incredible!