Metal Detecting discussions and finds

Ugh, sorry to hear that! Tough break. How many miles did you have on it for a valve job?

 

Approx 175k

Only put about 10k-15k more and mysteriously the bottom end goes?

I heard a very distinct metal type sound like someone dropping a fairly heavy metal object into a metal trash can type sound. At that very same moment, it felt as if I had tapped my brakes HARD and then there was a kind of "whine" type sound? About 10sec later it felt as if I had tapped my brakes again and everything seemed to go back to normal.

I'm already contemplating on turning around and at each stop light, the idle was starting to get "rough" and I had to step on the gas to above "normal idle" and the rough idle would go away.

I'm coming back home and I'm at a stop light and I take my foot off the gas to see how it would react and the engine idle was buffeting and eventually "cut out".

Anyways, I was limping back home at that point. No ECL, fluids checked out good... even after the engine has cooled.

But yeah, so much to tell on what had gone on this post would be HUGE!!!

 

Spun a crank bearing

 

Btw, they did:
- resurfaced the head
- "lapped the valves"
- timing chain
- timing chain guide
and I don't remember if they did the water pump or not... at this point I don't care I just need to get my truck back up on its "feet"

Finally, all they did was check the oil pressure and it came back "below spec" (i.e. low oil pressure) and then they drained the oil and found significant metal particles and just basically said, "well, you need a new engine...". That was it. They didn't drop the pan, pull the valve cover, etc. They just checked the oil pressure and drained the oil... <--- literally all they did!!!

I want to name the shop and I know it isn't a "vendor" or anything like that for TW, but I still am unsure if the mods would appreciate me saying who the shop was?

All I know is, from my experiences, I'm never going back and I couldn't be anymore "civil" about the whole thing. Never "blew up" once and I was trying to be as nice as anyone could possibly be. I even told the guy to take apart whatever they did and if it ended up being my "truck's fault" then so be it. But if it was something that they did that caused the issue, then some compensation should be given to help fix it... but they, more or less, refused to look into the matter is what it all comes down to.

 

One of the reasons I want to drop the pan as well. I heard a VERY distinct metal dropping type sound.

 

That stinks, was the low oil pressure after the fix?

 

Prob broke a connecting rod

 

Seriously, I would have done the whole job myself, minus resurfacing the head and would have taken that to a machine shop, of course.

But yeah, if I hadn't lived in apartments, I would have done that work myself.

 

Yeah.

Also, never had an issue at all other than low compression due to the exhaust valve. I knew it had low compression because I did a compression test. I was getting ready to do a leak down test, but just ended taking it to a shop instead and it just went all down hill from there.

I have to say, if I had any engine issues other than the low compression, I should have experienced what I had experienced before I took it in. I only had the issues after they worked on it. And a "upper end job" is a fairly significant job.

I'm hoping that the metal particles they found isn't all that much to do with the "lower end"? Although I will say that if they did indeed find that the engine had low oil pressure, that that is NOT a good sign in either case.

 

The engine does crank over and seems to run fine. But it eventually starts to "rough idle".

It seeming to run fine for even a little bit gives me some HOPE that all is not completely lost. The reason I'm doing as much as I can to not turn ON the engine, if you will.

The first thing I want to do is a compression test again, just to get some bearings... again, if you will.

And then simply go from there... dropping the oil pan being one of the second things to do after I get a compression reading on each cylinder.

 

I also want to pull the valve cover off, just to see what is going on in that area.

Now, the front engine cover... yeah...

For now, I simply want to do the basics and then progressively get deeper into the engine... or as much as possible at least given the apt thing I have to deal with...

 

Oh, and IF "I" was to provide a short block replacement, they were going to charge me $4,000.00 just to install the engine??? Even the tow truck driver was telling me that it should only be around $2,000 max and that is what I'm being told by others as well. Mind you, just to INSTALL the engine is $4,000!!!???

I so want to name the shop because people need to know or, at the very LEAST, be aware of this shop. I couldn't be any more civil about the whole ordeal. One would think I would lose my mind, which admittedly I was getting to that point, but what would that have solved?

 

Thats crap...id name them.

 

Just towed back home last Friday and currently sitting for now. Well, it got "flipped around" after this picture, but it is in the same spot.

 

Okay, I just hope the mods don't get angry...

The shop is "Gustafson's Automotive" here in Huntington Beach, CA.

The guy I've been dealing with the whole time is "nice", but still... Again, I'm trying to be as civil as one could possibly be as well.

 

When I first met her, my wife came with the ‘85 pickup and I had the junky Bronco II. She always had better sense than me! What year is your truck?

 

1998

I'm clinging on to the hope that the engine is not too badly damaged. But that heavy piece sounding metal "clank" has me worried.

The engine does actually run, but after idling for a bit it starts to rough idle.

I was at my storage unit today starting to gather my tools and other things.

The "other things" were:


I plan on hitting the sand again next weekend so I was gathering my gear together.

HAHAHAHAHA, that'd be suicide using the sniper coil at the beach as it'd take 1000x lifetimes to cover 100' x 100' grid!!!

Pulled out the GTI as well.

 

GTI? Nice! Impressive coil collection you’ve got there!

 

Found a SDC for $2k if anyone wants a inexpensive PI. I tried one out for a little while but didn’t like how it swings, even with a bungie and hip stick. VLF’s only for me now.

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/spo/d/redondo-beach-minelab-sdc2300/7310943480.html

 

GTI-2500

Thanks. I use the 13" quite a bit as it is pretty light and covers a fairly wide area at the same time.

I use the smaller ones mostly in "tot lots", but I haven't hit one of those in a while.