Hey, guys. I took the car to a local dealer, and guess what? It turns out that this dealership is owned by the same people as the dealership in the boonies that apparently didn't fix my car right.

I told the service manager all the problems: ticking, oil guzzling, and black soot on the pipes. I mentioned to him the #4 cylinder problem as you guys described, and he said since mine was an updated engine block, there should be no problem.

The service dept only checked for leaks, and they didn't seem to believe that the car could consume so much oil. I was told to drive the car around and bring it back when it was a quart empty.

As for the ticking, they said I need a valve adjustment, but I would have to come back and leave the car for at least four hours, so that the engine would be cool enough to make the adjustment.

Does the above sound right? I'm a little wary b/c these are basically the same people that did the repair in the first place, and they may have an incentive to cover up mistakes or try not to cover any more repairs. I would really appreciate some opinions.

Also, does anyone else have squeaky brakes? The service dept told me that it's normal b/c of metal contact and there's nothing I can do about it.

 

This is very simple, really.

1) Using 1 quart of oil in 100 miles is extremely excessive. I would not even drive the car if it consumes oil at this rate.
2) The brakes should not squeak. This is not normal and can be fixed with a little attention to detail.
3) Find yet another dealer .

 

If there are any other Honda dealerships within a reasonable distance I think I might be inclined to get a second opinion.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by s2000bkny
[B]
As for the ticking, they said I need a valve adjustment, but I would have to come back and leave the car for at least four hours, so that the engine would be cool enough to make the adjustment.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by s2000bkny
[B]As for the ticking, they said I need a valve adjustment, but I would have to come back and leave the car for at least four hours, so that the engine would be cool enough to make the adjustment.

 

Thanks everyone. Why do I get the feeling I'm getting shafted? I love my car to death, but sometimes it seems cursed. I'm so glad I found this forum. Again, thanks.

 

I felt the same after my #4 cylinder, short block replacement, bubble in the cooling system, loose steering wheel episode in January, 2001. Since then, mine has been flawless -- except for the couple of scratches I've managed to place in the paint.

These are the tough times, but it if fixable, warrantied, and will be great again soon.

Just be sure you do find a dealer with a good service shop.

 

Thanks a lot Barry. You've been great. Just wondering - what probs does an air bubble in the cooling system cause?

 

Laughing out loud!!!!!!!!!! Well, I picked it up on 25 January after not driving it since 4 January. Five miles from the dealer, there was an eruption of steam from under the hood and four bars on the temp gauge---this on a sunny, 20 deg F Wyoming day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The dealer at first thought it was just overfilling of the coolant and splattering in the engine compartment. Then it did it again, four bars in just two miles (no steam this time) after being cold.

It turns out that filling the F20C with coolant is a bit tricky unless you do it exactly by the book. You have to bleed out air from the bleed points on hosing above the engine. If the cooling system is not properly filled and air bubbles bled off, then the coolant can't circulate and the block overheats.

I kind of wonder if your ticking and burning oil might be from the rebuilt engine having not been properly filled with coolant and then overheating and causing cylinder damage. If that is true then the liability for replacing it is on the dealer that did the first rebuild, not on American Honda. In any case, it is about ANOTHER $11,000 job and it is THEIR tab, not yours.'

That's why you don't want to ever let the engine get low on oil and you don't ever want AHM to suspect that you did.

 

Barry,

My questions never seem to end. I think there may be some coolant issue, too. It seems constantly to be at the low mark. The service manager of the first dealership did mention that he bled out the air bubbles. I have never had the temperature gauge go beyond 3 bars, though.

Can I just forget this second dealership and go to a dealership not associated with the one that did the original repairs? How does that work in terms of Honda warranty and the dealer warranty on the rebuilt engine?