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a sorry tale of when good intent get shat upon
by
one_tinted_tail
on 03 Jun, 2010 21:37
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Below is a cut & paste I sent to an audifans related e-mail list. some of you may subscribe there as well. havent been around here in a while and didnt think to share until just now and dont feel like retyping and still needing deep breaths so i dont get angry, so be angry for me :]
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Soo, my best friends brother had a transmission failure,, while I had id rebuilt, I let him borrow my veggie car ('85 Jetta with P/S and working A/C!) thinking it would be a week to ten days max.. It turned into over a month due to sourcing parts for more extensive damage than anticipated, and other tasks as well..
Besides him snapping a V-belt -questionable already- he said he hasnt driven such a care free volkswagen.. Well, I do pride myself on the work i just finished the week before I loaned it to him; including, but not limited to, hydraulik lifter head mated to the solid lifter block, mk4 MLS head gasket, ARP studs, new_to_me_turbo, air filter, glow plugs, Giles' special injectors&pump, etc.
One caveat i mentioned to him: the turbo was interim till i got another rebuilt, and the block still had 300k plus on it so oil consumption was somewhere about 1/2 quart for about 500 miles..
Gave it to him with the appropriate mid-hash mark oil level and one week later while replacing the mentioned V belt, found the level just above the bottom of the hash marks, no worries I thought, good example of how he should be looking after it.
Well, that was probably the last time it was checked.. got the car back 3 plus weeks later and at first thought I developed an exhaust leak. forgot to mention the TT downpipe(to straight 2.5" pipe) I bought/installed and ported the Int.&Exh. runners a bit.. new EM studs/nuts as well.
As i started to look at the Exh. hardware, everythink looked tight, then I had that OH SH!T moment, pulled the dipstick out, wiped, cycled, and found a dry dipstick.. added 2 quarts, barely got wet, nearly emptied the Rotella jug to the tune of about 3&1/2 angry quarts to get mid hash mark.. ...Remembering him saying how it didnt leak a drop.. true, but thats because whats consumed leaves the tailpipe not the engine bay!
Then burned about a quart every subsequent drive and decided to use a AAA tow to save the motor at least, as the turbo was clearly(um, smoke'ly) shot. Off the rollback into my garage for the night.. Next morning figured I'd start it just to park next to my driveway and make space for customer cars in my garage. Cranked over twice then locked up. overly optimistic the starter stuck open, cranked it by hand to find a few degrees of counter clockwise rotation and clockwise lockup...
So right now I plan on going back to the solid lifter head I still have that needs more machine work than the hydraulik head cost me, but the power was way better with the SL head and the added noise is worth it.
I can rebuild my block but would experience less downtime in my garage if I could get going on rebuilding a short block if I could find one within a couple hours drive of the Poconos. if anybody has a lead on one, please let me know.
theres more I could elaborate on but im pissed just typing and remembering so i'll leave it at that for now.
-brian
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#1
by
Mark(The Miser)UK
on 04 Jun, 2010 03:35
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I take it you've gone round, with a sledge hammer, to visit the chap, and "Hobbled" him 
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#2
by
anto
on 07 Jun, 2010 00:31
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The guy obviously has no respect for other peoples possessions.
If someone lent me their car to get me out of a mess and told me about the oil, id be checking it everyt ime i drove it!
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#3
by
klang
on 07 Jun, 2010 01:18
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Now I'm pissed...
I hate it when people have no respect for other peoples things..
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#4
by
macka
on 07 Jun, 2010 13:08
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Make sure you charge him for the cost of rebuild as obviously this sh!tbird only learns when his wallet is emptied.
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#5
by
wolf_walker
on 07 Jun, 2010 15:30
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Never give anyone your car you wouldn't give your woman too.
And at least slash his tires for this, or put a rock in his new trans.
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#6
by
RabbitJockey
on 07 Jun, 2010 16:05
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everybody plays the fool... it sucks i've been there. you should tell him exactly how you feel tho but don't seem like an ass about it, just be real. people often respond better than what you would think when you politely tell them they're an ass hole.
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#7
by
one_tinted_tail
on 07 Jun, 2010 23:02
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Its funny, when I first saw him face to face, after being very real with him, he looked like he was gonna cry.
Mind you, a little background, he is my best friends brother and I have spent much quality time with him, enough to know it was lame-ass ignorance on his behalf and over confidence on mine.
Now, he knows me too, being quite amicable and principled, but I also exercise my right to carry daily and do practice a martial art, so who knows what he thought.. OH, Luagh! but im not a big guy at 6'1" 170, have not been in a brawl in years and have not ever had to reveal said armament even when confronted with a scenario that would have been appropriate (rights have great responsibility you know..)
but anyway, yeah i'd like to play, um, black-jack with him if you get the drift, but im over that stage in life and will be happy enough living that out in a daydream.. & glad to know Id have a small angry mob in thought :]
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#8
by
anto
on 08 Jun, 2010 00:23
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If you want to unleash the mob im a black belt in origami so im your man
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#9
by
Baron VonZeppelin
on 08 Jun, 2010 11:41
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He should trust you, the same way as you trusted him.
Go borrow his car.
.... maybe you drive it and the oil is 3.5 quarts low for awhile -
if you know what i mean.
Fair is Fair
and that would Be Fair.
That origami is some mean stuff, i'd try to hold that back as a last resort. Be hard to sleep at night knowing some guy was waiting to fold bend and crease you into the likeness of a sailboat.
You've got my respect Anto.
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#10
by
mstephenson
on 08 Jun, 2010 15:27
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Wow! I believe dubbers think of their cars as their women.
Sorry for that.
Maybe it's just me, but Rusty's condition was so sketchy anyway no one was allowed to drive it except the bro. Between checkin oil, priming, pumping brakes, double clutching, and over heating it wouldn't make it round the block with someone raised on an automatic transmission and pwr windows/locks.
The same goes for my dodge diesel. Watch this gauge, watch that one, don't turn it off before you do this that and the other. The list goes on and on.
When Rudy hits the road again. That policy will surely be at securty level orange or higher.
Unfortunately, No one cares more for your stuff than you.
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#11
by
Dr. Diesel
on 09 Jun, 2010 19:17
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That's a sad situation! I'm just a little curious about one thing though... Mating a hydraulic head to a solid lifter bottom. What did that involve?
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#12
by
8v-of-fury
on 09 Jun, 2010 20:19
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That's a sad situation! I'm just a little curious about one thing though... Mating a hydraulic head to a solid lifter bottom. What did that involve?
I believe the blocking of one Oil Drain? i could be mistaken however..
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#13
by
theman53
on 09 Jun, 2010 20:27
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#14
by
Dr. Diesel
on 10 Jun, 2010 06:37
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Yes, but is that how this engine was done? I'm just wondering if it was a hydaulic head bolted onto a mechanical bottom.