The week started with a bang, in the form of a comeback! I had finished installing a brand new GM crate engine in a Park Avenue this past Saturday, which promptly returned misfiring about 3 hours later. GREAT. A few quick scans and some diagnosing later, I found no compression in cylinder #5. This engine has MAYBE 40 miles on it, mind you. So we call GM powertrain Monday, they ask what diagnostics were done (spark, fuel, compression, leakdown etc.) and decided to just send out another engine and pay the bill. Turns out, upon tear down, the #5 intake rocker bolt hadn't been torqued at the factory and had backed out. Very odd, since I swear I saw the intake valve open on my boroscope but oh well. Slammed the new-new engine in and she purrs like a kitten. Just for fun, I looked up the build date on the failed engine. It was built on a Monday...
Project #2 was a 2017 Honda Pilot engine replacement. This one was a fluke, the oil filter came loose (we did the last oil change. Oops) and the customer didn't stop until he ran the engine dry. 24k miles on it. We found a used engine with the exact same mileage on it, and I installed it today. Complete cradle drop to get that bad boy out. However, it was very simple: there's hardly any cables or hoses anymore. There's no shift cable, no power steering hoses, no firewall wiring harness, nothing. It's 4 or 5 plugs, 3 vacuum lines, 5 coolant hoses and 2 A/C lines. The whole thing comes out the bottom with 4 bolts and hardly a fluid mess anywhere.
So anyways, something like 40 hours billed between last Saturday and today, with Sunday and Tuesday off. Not including the other jobs done in between. "Be a mechanic" they said... "It's a great trade" they said...
Sleep will come easy tonight, at least!
Project #2 was a 2017 Honda Pilot engine replacement. This one was a fluke, the oil filter came loose (we did the last oil change. Oops) and the customer didn't stop until he ran the engine dry. 24k miles on it. We found a used engine with the exact same mileage on it, and I installed it today. Complete cradle drop to get that bad boy out. However, it was very simple: there's hardly any cables or hoses anymore. There's no shift cable, no power steering hoses, no firewall wiring harness, nothing. It's 4 or 5 plugs, 3 vacuum lines, 5 coolant hoses and 2 A/C lines. The whole thing comes out the bottom with 4 bolts and hardly a fluid mess anywhere.
So anyways, something like 40 hours billed between last Saturday and today, with Sunday and Tuesday off. Not including the other jobs done in between. "Be a mechanic" they said... "It's a great trade" they said...
Sleep will come easy tonight, at least!