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The Shop OVERHEATED my engine!

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Old 11-28-07, 07:19 PM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by 1QWIK7
Thats a whole different ballgame.

Shop owners/employees know its their FULL responsibility to make sure nothing happens to a customers car while its on their property/in their possession during test drives or moving it across the street etc etc.

Im sure when they say they left it running in the parking lot for 15 min, doesnt necessarily mean literally LEFT it in the parking lot. That person who idled the car could have gone to a car a couple spaces from it and attended that, or could have watched the car from afar.

This goes on all day everyday from shops all over the world and honestly, when is the last time you have heard someone's car getting stolen out of a person's shop WHILE the shop was open?
Yeah, I agree with what your saying here. But again, this is part of why I'm saying that I don't feel very comfortable leaving my car at a shop. Even if they did cover theft or damage, I really don't want the hassle.
Old 11-28-07, 07:31 PM
  #27  
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i had over heating problems with my fd,
the gauge went to tops but the engine is absolutely fine after that,

it depends on what condition was your engine because mine was brand new from the factory

but be prepared for the worst
and its def not their fault
Old 11-28-07, 10:37 PM
  #28  
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ok go with it being my fault...im not absolutely sure the fuse was pulled however thats why i brought into account that it could have been a hose that was damaged during the wreck or something of the such

i had been pulling the fuse because the fans would run when the car was shut off...so that was the only thing i could think of why the car would overheat


anyhow

idling at 250F no boil over 50/50 antifreeze....246 is boiling point for pure water at 13psi

engine is reman with 49k on it or so...whats the general idea here?
Old 11-28-07, 10:54 PM
  #29  
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From what i hear the coolant seals snap at 255 degrees.
Old 11-28-07, 11:11 PM
  #30  
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I agree that you really need to warn a shop if you bring them anything they might need to watch out for. When you hand them the keys, that's sort of like saying "here, drive my car but be nice to it." I've worked with a few shops I trust, and they would always take the car around the block to make sure it was working well before they gave it back to me. I was glad that they took the extra time to make sure everything was in good shape before signing off on it.


Then again, idling isn't really the best way to charge a battery. My trickle charger cost about $30 and it does a much better job. How many miles did the car have before they worked on it? How many does it have now?


-s-
Old 11-28-07, 11:30 PM
  #31  
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When I dropped my car off to be inspected, I left a note with directions on how to operate the car on the seat.
Old 11-28-07, 11:53 PM
  #32  
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so i should pretty much consider a rebuild now..even if it passes the hydrocarbon test
Old 11-29-07, 12:05 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by bzwigart
When I dropped my car off to be inspected, I left a note with directions on how to operate the car on the seat.
Do you really think a mechanic will even consider reading it or will he take that as an insult on all his 'experience' or intelligence?
Old 11-29-07, 12:22 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by bzwigart
When I dropped my car off to be inspected, I left a note with directions on how to operate the car on the seat.
Wow - nice way to **** off a mechanic!
Old 11-29-07, 01:19 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by moconnor
Wow - nice way to **** off a mechanic!
No wonder they over heated it! :P
Old 11-29-07, 02:12 AM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by YOUWSH
Do you really think a mechanic will even consider reading it or will he take that as an insult on all his 'experience' or intelligence?
odds are he won't read it, but either way, it's security for the owner if the car gets broken while at the shop.
Old 11-29-07, 02:26 AM
  #37  
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i wouldve read it, i think its funny when people leave me notes like that.
Old 11-29-07, 06:47 AM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by Monsterbox
so i should pretty much consider a rebuild now..even if it passes the hydrocarbon test
As I said in my previous post - the engine MAY not have been damaged, but only time will tell.

I think it's overkill to rebuild if it is not losing water and runs OK.

If it were me, I'd drive it a while and see how it goes. Coolant seals do not usually fail catastrophically, but give minor symptoms first. If you see a problem, then fix it.
Old 11-29-07, 07:21 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by bryant
DaveW

Do you work with an formula 1 team or something?


Nah...

I race my own F2000 (aka Formula Continental) in SCCA. I have a full-time job to support my racing "habit."
Old 11-29-07, 07:31 AM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by DaveW


Nah...

I race my own F2000 (aka Formula Continental) in SCCA. I have a full-time job to support my racing "habit."

cool.. how could a guy like me get into something like that?
besides licences and Money.
Old 11-29-07, 07:38 AM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by bryant
cool.. how could a guy like me get into something like that?
besides licences and Money.
Join SCCA, meet some of the members, and go to races as a crew member or guest. Then you can start to figure out what you can afford, and what you want to do.

Here is a link to the SCCA "Club Racing" web site:

http://www.scca.com/hub.aspx?hub=1
Old 11-29-07, 08:14 AM
  #42  
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thanks
Old 11-29-07, 08:40 AM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by tragic00
when you have an rx man, you always have to make sure to take your **** to a legit shop that knows its stuff.

but since it was all suspension work im sure you assumed you wouldn't have to worry about the engine, i'd think the same if it was me.

i overheated a while back, kinda bad, the cap on my ast was bent up, and my car would start overheating because it wouldn't fit tight, temp got up to 250 i think, shut it off as soon as i saw it rise though.

i think 250 degrees would be right before the red.. somewhere around there maybe 260 or so.

i think you're fine but you gotta worry about if the shop is telling the truth, because if he let it overheat for a while without noticing that would suck, and i'm sure he wouldn't tell you if he did in fact leave it.

so its a toss up.

but even without the fan what made your car heatup, do you have all stock cooling components? **** with a radiator and intake and some other stuff, my car rarely ever gets hot enough to turn on the fans and i live in FL.
true, ive seen peoples car fucked up because they take it to the dealer, firestone, or some other cheap place! find a good shop and stick with them!
Old 11-29-07, 04:49 PM
  #44  
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Spoke to the guy that actually overheated the car....told me that there was pool of coolant on top of my radiator and fans and he didn't know how it got there. Trying to tell me that it was probably a busted hose or something. He then told me when he knew the car was overheating he went and looked at the gauge. This means that the car had boiled over and thats why there was coolant on top of the radiator. I then asked for a block test.

I still don't think I should take the blame for this. I dropped the car off at their shop by tow truck. It cannot be driven because of the wheel broken off in the rear end. Theres no reason I should have HAD to tell them about the fuse...i mean it was sitting in its fuse holder just not pushed in all the way but regardless, - theres NO reason that car should have ran from cold start in 60 degree weather to 260F boiling over at a mechanics shop.

This guy has owned plenty of rx7's so im blown away by this

I mean seriously, all that needed to be done was jump start the car and slowly drive it into the garage and shut it off. I didn't ASK to have my battery recharged by letting the car idle for 30mins. I have my own trickle charger and you can't charge a battery in a parking lot anyhow.
Old 11-29-07, 04:57 PM
  #45  
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Unless you explicitly told them that you had disabled a crucial component on the car that prevents overheating when idling (i.e., the fans) and that they should thus not drive the car, then your are 100% at fault. After they had fixed the car, it could easily have been left idling for several minutes also.

If a bunch of FD owners do not think you have a leg to stand on, what chance to you think you have with a judge or jury if you decide to sue?



Originally Posted by Monsterbox
Spoke to the guy that actually overheated the car....told me that there was pool of coolant on top of my radiator and fans and he didn't know how it got there. Trying to tell me that it was probably a busted hose or something. He then told me when he knew the car was overheating he went and looked at the gauge. This means that the car had boiled over and thats why there was coolant on top of the radiator. I then asked for a block test.

I still don't think I should take the blame for this. I dropped the car off at their shop by tow truck. It cannot be driven because of the wheel broken off in the rear end. Theres no reason I should have HAD to tell them about the fuse...i mean it was sitting in its fuse holder just not pushed in all the way but regardless, - theres NO reason that car should have ran from cold start in 60 degree weather to 260F boiling over at a mechanics shop.

I mean seriously, all that needed to be done was jump start the car and slowly drive it into the garage and shut it off. I didn't ASK to have my battery recharged by letting the car idle for 30mins. I have my own trickle charger and you can't charge a battery in a parking lot anyhow.
Old 11-29-07, 04:58 PM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by Monsterbox
I didn't ASK to have my battery recharged by letting the car idle for 30mins.
funny how the time doubled from the first post
Old 11-29-07, 05:16 PM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by dubulup
funny how the time doubled from the first post
well do you honestly believe that "10-15" minutes is a enough time for an FD in perfect running condition to hit 250-60F in 60F weather from a cold start w/ out fans running? I think it would take longer than 10-15 mins to hit operating temperatures that high at idle...personally, ive never see nthe stock gauage move, fans or no fans
Old 11-29-07, 05:18 PM
  #48  
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Angry

Originally Posted by moconnor
Unless you explicitly told them that you had disabled a crucial component on the car that prevents overheating when idling (i.e., the fans) and that they should thus not drive the car, then your are 100% at fault. After they had fixed the car, it could easily have been left idling for several minutes also.

If a bunch of FD owners do not think you have a leg to stand on, what chance to you think you have with a judge or jury if you decide to sue?
i requeste that they inform me on everything they decide to do with the car...parts than need to be ordered, what should be installed, etc...I still can't think of a reason to idle the car for 20+ minutes in attempt to charge a battery on an inmobile car


Im actually beginning to think its NOT even related to the fans Honestly lets take a poll....according to them they had just cranked the car and let it run for "10-15" minutes by itself in the parking lot to let the battery charge up a bit"............HOW THE **** DOES IT HIT 255F fans or no fans


ok im going to add to this SAGA

- I wrecked the car and had it towed to a trusty rotary guy in birmingham who happens to be an ******* as well. I knew I had to take it to him because he was one of the only true rotary guys that knows what hes doing and KNOWS my car. However he jerked around my insurance compay and way overpriced the labor and parts and wouldn't allow me to use any used equipment...we are talking stuff like tie rods and **** thats 700 from mazda when you can get it perfectly for 300. So i told him politely to get the car ready to tow-away

- had a tow-truck pick it up and take it to this other shop. It just now crossed my mind that he could have been pissed off and slashed a coolant hose or something (although it is irrelavant as I couldn't pin him for this). As if the new shop is correct in that it ran for 10-15 minutes...it seems EXTREMELY unlikely that it would hit temperatures of boiling point at 13psi. This would rule out that fact that its my mistake with the 60amp fan fuse and it could possibly be something else in the cooling system.

- today on the phone he said they had to add a gallon of water to the coolant system. GOD DAMN! You can't tell me that from simply not having a fan fuse plugged in for 15mins on a cold car that you boil over a GALLON of water.

- seems to me that there is some other variable here.....such as some serious negligence of the car like they turned it on and forgot it was running and didn't even check to see if it was ovrheating or not which they should considering they are competent shop and my engine was in perfect condition when it arrived

- if a hose had been busted...how could this possibly be my problem?

Last edited by Monsterbox; 11-29-07 at 05:28 PM.
Old 11-29-07, 05:28 PM
  #49  
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Sorry about what happened. Unfortunately this is a situation where everyone loses.

In order for the court to award you damages you would have to prove that shop was negligent. Unfortunately for you the negligence was on your part and not the shop. The shop did nothing wrong as you towed the car in for a broken wheel and not a coolant problem that was never mentioned. Whether the owner was an rx-7 owner or not is not irrelevant as even Rx-7s should be able to idle for 20+ minutes without overheating.

Sorry bro but I don’t think you can win this one. I seriously hope your engine is ok.
Old 11-29-07, 05:31 PM
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this is like asking to have your tire plugged and finding out one of your apex seals accidentally gave way during a test drive


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