davesanrn
08-22-2006, 10:52 PM
:banghead I'd been looking forward to running the BlueBronc at the 06 All-4-Fun since I was in Iraq. Last winter put the axles under her. In june, lost oil pressure in the 302. I'd wanted to put a 460 in next winter, but was limited on time as the Mile Hi Jeep Club even started on the 29th of July. So I ordered a reman long block from my local parts store, which is affiliated with Car Quest. The builder was ATK. I googled ATK and they looked big and legit. I considered Jasper, but the ATK price was much better.
Well, that was as grandma used to say, penny wise and pound foolish.
Engine looked decent when I got it. Put the accessories and intake on it (it came with oil pan and valve covers installed and said it had been run for 10 minutes of testing. ) and got her installed. Fired it up and it started spewing oil. At this point it is the 15th of July. Look underneath, it is coming from the rear of the engine dripping down the bellhousing cover. Obvious to me a rear main seal.
I go to the parts store, they offer to sell me a rear main seal. But I have no time. So I buy a case of oil, load it on the trailer, and head off to Colorado. I was afraid to take it on any tough runs because I didn't want to get stuck somewhere where it couldn't be recovered.
Ran a 2nd easy run, but the oil was spewing onto the exhaust headpipe so badly that we were all nauseated. Used up the case of oil and had to send another guy into town to buy 5 quarts of expensive store brand oil.
So, we didn't run it the rest of the week. Pretty sad when I was wanting to show the jeepers what a FSB could do.
Get her home, don't have time to mess with it. Cal ATK, get the warranty claim started. Take it to the Ford Dealer (only reputable mechanic in this 3000 population town) and they confirm it is a rear main seal and give me a 10 work hour quote to fix it. Now I agree that 10 hours is excessive, but ATK of course will only reimburse and only at a $50/hr rate, and only if they get the dinged up parts (and I suspect either the seal was installed backward or there is a groove on the crank) and is calling it a 4 1/2 to 6 hour fix.
So I can toss away the $1500 I've got in the engine with my own labor on the install and just park the damn thing, or I can give the dealer a grand and see what pittance ATK might give me at some unknown time (and I don't have a grand to give the dealer) or I can park the damn thing, and next winter try to drop the pan and crank and install a new seal myself, which is what I'll likely do)
Most annoying is the warranty guys at ATK refuse to call me back. I called 10 times today and finally got a call on the last one when I told them I wanted the supervisor to call. He of course, did not call, the original guy did. And that guy gives me this bogus bS about oil leaking through dry flywheel bolts, and that in order to examine the engine I need to separate the transmission from the engine. Evidently I must be quite an idjit if I can't figure out that I can't see oil leaking from the rear main with tranny and bellhousing in place.
Bottom line, ATK sucks. 20/20 hindsight should have built the engine myself, or maybe wheeled the cummins instead.
Well, that was as grandma used to say, penny wise and pound foolish.
Engine looked decent when I got it. Put the accessories and intake on it (it came with oil pan and valve covers installed and said it had been run for 10 minutes of testing. ) and got her installed. Fired it up and it started spewing oil. At this point it is the 15th of July. Look underneath, it is coming from the rear of the engine dripping down the bellhousing cover. Obvious to me a rear main seal.
I go to the parts store, they offer to sell me a rear main seal. But I have no time. So I buy a case of oil, load it on the trailer, and head off to Colorado. I was afraid to take it on any tough runs because I didn't want to get stuck somewhere where it couldn't be recovered.
Ran a 2nd easy run, but the oil was spewing onto the exhaust headpipe so badly that we were all nauseated. Used up the case of oil and had to send another guy into town to buy 5 quarts of expensive store brand oil.
So, we didn't run it the rest of the week. Pretty sad when I was wanting to show the jeepers what a FSB could do.
Get her home, don't have time to mess with it. Cal ATK, get the warranty claim started. Take it to the Ford Dealer (only reputable mechanic in this 3000 population town) and they confirm it is a rear main seal and give me a 10 work hour quote to fix it. Now I agree that 10 hours is excessive, but ATK of course will only reimburse and only at a $50/hr rate, and only if they get the dinged up parts (and I suspect either the seal was installed backward or there is a groove on the crank) and is calling it a 4 1/2 to 6 hour fix.
So I can toss away the $1500 I've got in the engine with my own labor on the install and just park the damn thing, or I can give the dealer a grand and see what pittance ATK might give me at some unknown time (and I don't have a grand to give the dealer) or I can park the damn thing, and next winter try to drop the pan and crank and install a new seal myself, which is what I'll likely do)
Most annoying is the warranty guys at ATK refuse to call me back. I called 10 times today and finally got a call on the last one when I told them I wanted the supervisor to call. He of course, did not call, the original guy did. And that guy gives me this bogus bS about oil leaking through dry flywheel bolts, and that in order to examine the engine I need to separate the transmission from the engine. Evidently I must be quite an idjit if I can't figure out that I can't see oil leaking from the rear main with tranny and bellhousing in place.
Bottom line, ATK sucks. 20/20 hindsight should have built the engine myself, or maybe wheeled the cummins instead.