Brag about your car's miles!

I picked up a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan w/a 3.3L V6, for replace spark plugs per customer request last Saturday. This mini van was not a good transport cuz we saw a same customer (real cheap ass) who asked us to check the fluid levels, my deaf tech told me that he poured about 1 1/2 gallon of water into the radiator neck and refill 3 quarts of motor oil into the engine. I asked why water in coolant. He says a customer couldnt afford to buy one gallon coolant , want water and just oils. That was happen last a couple of weeks ago.
I started it and drove it over the service bay, feel bad shaky engine like 5 cylinders and no power brake and MIL on. I think it was vacuum line broken cuz of no power brake.
I pulled DTCs.... one code was MAP (manifold air pressure) sensor, no misfire counters. I know there is heavy misfire that suppose to be create misfire counters but I took my vacuum gauge to check the vacuum in intake manifold, was shunned to see the needle in a vac gauge reveals 2 inch to 6 inch bounces forth and back. That made me exciting, let me guess is valve train problem. I informed my service manager about it. He want me to put new spark plugs cuz he advised a customer to diagnose a rough running but a customer want new spark plugs without diagnose. Then I removed a cowl assy from the firewall to access the rear bank of the spark plugs, I removed all plugs and WOT and performed compression test. Found no compression in cylinder #3 and other cylinders good compression about 175-180 psi. Put new plugs in, same POS. I put a cowl assy back. We informed a customer about it and charged him $205 dollars for new spark plugs and labor. Why should he go with $90 dollars diagnose? Anyway, I suspect the no compression in cylinder#3, causes burnt valve or broken valve spring or broken rocker arm. I didnt perform a leakdown test to pinpoint the problem due to a customer's money hardship.
 
Wirelessly posted (sent from a smartphone. )

My car currently at 118,550, nearing 120k miles! Im due for an oil change and transmission fluid change next month.
 
1984 F-150 with 986,342 miles, it's on it's 3rd engine and 2nd transmission. Dad bought it brand new in 83 motor 1 died at 140,000 oil pump failure, grandpa rebuilt it and drove it till daddy handed it of to me in high school. Then I took it apart 941,645 and added a bigger grumpy cam, ported the heads, headers exhaust, 4barrel carb, 2200 stall torque converter, 3:73 gears, and a Detroit locker. It wasn't fast enough for me when I got it. Dad always changed the oil frequently and never hot rodded it... Till I got ahold of it, I'll never forget the smile on his face, said it scared the he'll outta him. I could go back into the motor and drop a stroker in it just for fun!
 
JBPatton said:
1984 F-150 with 986,342 miles, it's on it's 3rd engine and 2nd transmission. Dad bought it brand new in 83 motor 1 died at 140,000 oil pump failure, grandpa rebuilt it and drove it till daddy handed it of to me in high school. Then I took it apart 941,645 and added a bigger grumpy cam, ported the heads, headers exhaust, 4barrel carb, 2200 stall torque converter, 3:73 gears, and a Detroit locker. It wasn't fast enough for me when I got it. Dad always changed the oil frequently and never hot rodded it... Till I got ahold of it, I'll never forget the smile on his face, said it scared the he'll outta him. I could go back into the motor and drop a stroker in it just for fun!
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986,342 mile!?!?! wow.
 
Glenn said:
But they are supposed to. Cars aren't really meant to go that many miles.
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It's gasoline engine, and it's pretty short life than diesel engine. Like VW TDI can do over 500k miles without problem. It's don't meant all cars are same. It's about engine type. Again, F-150 is big engine and and it last around 300k miles? Not big wow to me.
 
The Highlander said:
It's gasoline engine, and it's pretty short life than diesel engine. Like VW TDI can do over 500k miles without problem. It's don't meant all cars are same. It's about engine type. Again, F-150 is big engine and and it last around 300k miles? Not big wow to me.
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The rest of the car won't last 500K miles.
 
VW TDI engines are known for bad worn camshaft lobes and crankshaft/connection rod bearings failures when use regular oil and aftermarket oil filter to change oil/ filter. Following an owner manual for specific synthetic oil and use OEM oil filter. Worn camshaft lobes causes misfire condition. Worn bearings causes oil warning light flicks and low oil pressure. That stick my head when we see the VW TDI car bring in for oil change service. About $65 bucks for synthetic oil and OEM filter. But we never been working on TDI powered car's oil change service here.
 
Last Saturday, I went to a 76 station to helping my tech to diagnose the errate A/C operation, saw a Nissan Xterra on a lift rack with a hood off where a deafie mechanic stand inside the engine compartment as he put the parts back on the engine. I asked him, what's up? He says the engine was seized in a 2008 Xterra with a manual tranny, and 200k miles on it. He told me he found coolant from the cylinder #2, was throw up with all spark plugs off when he tried to turn a flywheel. His mechanic told him it was hydrolock in the cyl#2, recommend used engine. They found an used engine from salvage yard, this engine has 12k miles on it. He said they has been search the low mileage used engine in month. Hey Jiro, your engine is next. I can't wait to see a seized 4.0L V6 of ur Xterra.
BTW, I found a hearie mechanic charged the A/C system, was undercharge, I told him to add .50oz freon. The A/C works good very cold. He is a happy mechanic, I went back to my station to catch up the works.
 
Based on my experience that it is very important to maintain good maintenace on these Diesel engines. I had VW diesel around 260K miles before everything falls apart, the engine runs strong still. That is because I maintained engine very well. The only issue was that my vw was in accident, and other parts start to fall apart.
Now with my powerstroke, Im still strict with engine maintenace. Not cheap but worth it.
 
deafsmogtech said:
VW TDI engines are known for bad worn camshaft lobes and crankshaft/connection rod bearings failures when use regular oil and aftermarket oil filter to change oil/ filter. Following an owner manual for specific synthetic oil and use OEM oil filter. Worn camshaft lobes causes misfire condition. Worn bearings causes oil warning light flicks and low oil pressure. That stick my head when we see the VW TDI car bring in for oil change service. About $65 bucks for synthetic oil and OEM filter. But we never been working on TDI powered car's oil change service here.
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Yes, VW is very picky for oil. That's why I keeps double check on bottle of oil and make sure VW-approved oil.
 
deafsmogtech said:
Last Saturday, I went to a 76 station to helping my tech to diagnose the errate A/C operation, saw a Nissan Xterra on a lift rack with a hood off where a deafie mechanic stand inside the engine compartment as he put the parts back on the engine. I asked him, what's up? He says the engine was seized in a 2008 Xterra with a manual tranny, and 200k miles on it. He told me he found coolant from the cylinder #2, was throw up with all spark plugs off when he tried to turn a flywheel. His mechanic told him it was hydrolock in the cyl#2, recommend used engine. They found an used engine from salvage yard, this engine has 12k miles on it. He said they has been search the low mileage used engine in month. Hey Jiro, your engine is next. I can't wait to see a seized 4.0L V6 of ur Xterra.
BTW, I found a hearie mechanic charged the A/C system, was undercharge, I told him to add .50oz freon. The A/C works good very cold. He is a happy mechanic, I went back to my station to catch up the works.
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sounds like he offroaded improperly... something that I would never do.... poor bastard :aw:
 
Jiro said:
sounds like he offroaded improperly... something that I would never do.... poor bastard :aw:
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More like a blown head gasket.

How would off-roading improperly cause coolant to be in the combustion chamber?
 
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