Help - can anyone tell me if work done by Honda may have caused this?

I picked up a 1999 Jap import with 55k miles on the clock in December last year.

I took it in to Honda for a comprehensive service in January where they identified a rattling noise from the top of the engine. They replaced the pulley tensioner and I also had a new clutch fitted at the same time on their advice.

By March the noise was worsening. I went back to Honda and they diagnosed either the tensioner or the cam chain as the issue. They replaced the timing chain tensioner and said that seemed to have done the trick.

Everything seemed ok for a couple of weeks until the noise came back with a vengence. Its a knocking sound at its worst when the car is on tick over and below 2.5k revs... decelorating from above to below 2.5k revs produces a rather scary groan from the engine.

The car is now back with Honda and they have found a broken crank pulley key as the cause of the problem. On top of the vast expense already I've incurred they insist that the work they have done to date has not touched this part of the engine and that I need to cover labour costs.

Part of me thinks that Honda didn't ever diagnose the problem, but I was also wondering if the work they have done to date might have caused the broken pulley key... especially given how much force it takes to break one of those things!

Would the work done by Honda have impacted the crank pulley key in any way?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Wow thats a bit of a git, first thing is they wouldnt have touched the crank pulley to do the other jobs, and second they could have missed diagnosed the second fault so its a bit difficult to give any real opinion, sorry about your problems bud!!

 

Cheers Rislar, appreciate your thoughts - on the up side there's been no damage to the rest of the engine from the busted key... so I guess a few hours labour is not so bad.

 

It could have been a lot worse so lets hope this is the end of your wose!!Keep us posted