If interested, see previous thread concerning starting this car after engine swap. Turned out to be pin on intake camshaft sheared allowing gear to rotate without turning the camshaft. For now, I would appreciate opinions on the following (quickly if possible).

Long story, but after dealer having car (97 RS 5sp)for weeks to replace cylinder head, timing belt, water pump, etc. finally got a call that it was running well, no smoke, no knocks. Was told the oil pressure light was on and needed a new sensor. I let them keep the car another day to replace the sensor and told them I wanted to make sure everything was good and safe before picking up the car. Next day, was told the sensor fixed the problem. Picked up the car and as my son drove it home the oil light was flickering and the car overheated and stalled. He pulled over and waited for it to cool down before driving the remaining 2-3 highway miles home. When I got home to look at the car, fluids were good, belts seem okay, but car has a knock like a spun bearing. Could the overheating cause the bearing failure? Could a case be made for the dealer being liable for the engine damages? Need some advice since dealer had car towed back to check it out and they will be calling me back today. Thanks for any info you can provide.

They're supposed to warranty their parts and labor for some amount of time, right? If you can show that the dealer work directly contributed to the engine failure, they should cover it.

Originally posted by DarkOne
They're supposed to warranty their parts and labor for some amount of time, right? If you can show that the dealer work directly contributed to the engine failure, they should cover it.

Thanks for the reply. Absolutely true. However, the messy part is that the dealer used parts that I supplied. When we talked about the work up front, he asked what I could get the parts for and then just told me it would be less expensive than if he provided parts. They will stand behind the labor, but if the parts themselves are found to defective, I may be SOL. Any guesses on what may have gone wrong? It seems like a chicken and egg thing. Did the overheating cause the possible spun bearing, or did the spun bearing cause the overheating? Maybe it was something else entirely? If timing was far enough off to cause serious overheating, would the car still start without too much trouble? I'm really taking a beating on this car. Any ideas/advice on what happened or where to go from here?

Check the thermostat first, they can stick when they sit too long.

Beyond that, if you supplied a used water pump, it may have been defective or have failed.

if, even on a new sensor, the oil light flickered I'd say you actually had low oil pressure. Unless there was a bad leak or the car was low on oil, the bearing wear was either already done, the oil pump was worn beyond spec, or the pickup tube is loose. My humble opinion would be that the two are unrelated.

Have you listened with a mechanic's stethoscope, or a couple of ratchet extensions or something, to determine exactly where the noise is coming from and if it is indeed a spun bearing?

Originally posted by DarkOne
Check the thermostat first, they can stick when they sit too long. Beyond that, if you supplied a used water pump, it may have been defective or have failed. if, even on a new sensor, the oil light flickered I'd say you actually had low oil pressure. Unless there was a bad leak or the car was low on oil, the bearing wear was either already done, the oil pump was worn beyond spec, or the pickup tube is loose. My humble opinion would be that the two are unrelated. Have you listened with a mechanic's stethoscope, or a couple of ratchet extensions or something, to determine exactly where the noise is coming from and if it is indeed a spun bearing?

All parts I supplied were new aftermarket parts (full gasket set with all seals, new head bolts, new timing belt kit w/pulleys, new water pump). Head was rebuilt at local shop (basic hot tank, resurface, valve job, etc). Car went straight back to dealer, so haven't had a chance to check things out myself. While I agree the damage may have been present at startup, I am concerned that the dealer threw a sensor on and told me everything was fine, then allowed my son to drive the car and cause additional damage to the engine. Just hoping that they might take pity on us and share some responsibility for the damages (and repairs). May not get anywhere, but worth trying.

I would go with I just gave you a shit load of money to fix my car and now look at it. you can fix this or my lawyer can make you fix this, whats it gonna be.

once I had a ground go out on my car It should of been covered under warranty they charged me 2 hours of labor to fix it. After about a week of getting knowhere with satan. I made a picket sign and stood on the corner by the dealership service dept. After about 15 min I was told to leave the area so I called the local paper in front of the svc manager to tell my story. 5 min later I had my money back and a year of free oil changes.

total cost to me 6 bucks for the sign.

all I can say is fight them, fight them, fight them.

Thanks for the replies. Still waiting for the dealer to call me back and tell me what they found and more importantly, what they plan to do to make things right. They said that before we took the car home, they had test driven it and allowed it to run in the shop at least 4 times and the engine sounded good, with no knocks or other issues. Could just be bad luck that the knocking began on the drive home from the dealer, but I still don't know the cause of the overheating and am concerned this may have directly contributed to the lack of sufficient lubrication to the bearings and thus the rod knock. Has anyone else had a knock develop shortly after overheating?

After waiting over two weeks, finally called dealer. Basically was told "too bad" but we didn't work on the bottom end and the work we did is right, so it's not our problem. They offered a few options from a $5,000 new engine to a used shortblock with 90 day warranty installed for $1150. Can't afford the $5K so will probably go with the shortblock. I know the warranty is not very useful since it won't include labor, but if I go this route, what would be a reasonable mileage to accept on the shortblock? 50K, 75K, more?

Camshaft pin shear. Man, I hate hearing about that. They are right, though, it's pretty much not their fault. That's one of those things that just seems to happen to people. Some of the most meticulous builders on this board have experienced that failure.

Originally posted by 2G_Dad
a used shortblock with 90 day warranty installed for $1150.

Assuming the dealership charges a modest $80/hr for labor and only bills 6 hours flat-rate on the job, only about $700 of this amount would be for the engine. For that price, if you get an engine with less miles on it than you're odometer reads today, consider yourself lucky. It might also be worth inquiring as to whether or not you get the old engine back as a core.

Before you commit to this plan, be sure you get some information from the service adviser in writing with regards to compression test and leak down results on this engine, as well as whether or not they will be installing a new timing belt on it. Mention that you feel this information, documented in advance, can potentially eliminate drama down the road, as both parties will *know* the engine is sound. The timing belt has a 60k service interval and is a critical piece of maintenance, so if you spin that one that you would like to know when it will need repaired so you can bring it back for service, you appeal to their desire for repeat business.

Now, on the other hand, if the cam pin sheared, I suspect the other cam still operated the valves in-time and did not necessarily damage the head or engine internals otherwise. (NOTE: This is an assumption. Could someone back me up on this? Dino?) If this is the case, you wouldn't need a completely new engine, rather you would just need another set of stock cams and maybe some cam gears. Even if you buy aftermarket cams and gears, you're looking at less than a grand in parts and you can install this all yourself.

I'd advise sourcing replacement cams and cam gears from our BST section or Ebay. (Parts Dinosaur is another great option.) Pick up a Chilton's manual if you don't have one already, remove the damaged cam and gear, and you're left with little more than a timing belt job.

You can do this sort of thing in a single day with little more than a basic ratchet set and a couple box wrenches, however, you must remember the contractor's triangle.

You can have it fast, right, or cheap, but you can only pick two.

Dealership = fast and right.
DIY = cheap and right.

Originally posted by DR1665
Camshaft pin shear. Man, I hate hearing about that. They are right, though, it's pretty much not their fault. That's one of those things that just seems to happen to people. Some of the most meticulous builders on this board have experienced that failure.

Originally posted by 2G_Dad a used shortblock with 90 day warranty installed for $1150.

Wow! Thanks for the detailed reply. To address some of the points you brought up; once the sheared cam pin was found we had a spare head rebuilt and the dealer installed it along with new timing belt & tensioner, water pump, main seals, head gasket and bolts, etc. so the only thing lacking was the bottom end, which apparently crapped out right after all of the top end repairs were completed (just my luck). I assume all of the new parts can be reused on the replacement block. The dealer promised no more than $1150 out the door for swapping blocks, which I think is VERY reasonable. I appreciate the tips on getting the details in writing regarding the replacement block. Hope the replacment is solid. It's been a long journey and it ain't over yet...

a dealership would do that how lame