Forgot one, the drain plug fell out of my old motorcycle and dumped all its oil on the freeway. Didn't notice until it lost power and by then it was locked up. I was the last one to change the oil so I can't blame anyone but myself 
Ever had a engine or Transmission failure?
- Thread starter ZZman
- Start date
Ah yes. In the cruiser world. In a 2000ish crown vic went through 7. The overdrive band would go. 75,000 mile fleet warranty though so they were all fixed by Ford. Bent frame on the car from a previous wreck didn't help... Next crown vic was new and did that in at around 40,000. Eventually moved on to Chevy Impalas. Had two new ones. Did first cars transmission in at around 93,000. Strangely enough the the second cars tranny failed with 600 miles of the first ones mileage. Those cars did not hold up well, cracked exhaust manifolds, doors randomly not opening, suspensions wore out. Wife had a 2004 Explorer we bought new. Tranny failed at 35,600. Warranty fixed but started acting up again. 2015 Ford Police Explorer cracked manifold, smelled like a two stoke in the cabin. That's OK Ford put angled tailpipes on it all better.
My only engine failure goes back to 1975. A Rootes 1725 engine welded the big end shells to one of the crank journals breaking the shell location tabs such that the bearing was now operating between the outside of the shells and the conrod or It might have been that the location tabs broke first allowing the shells to rotate and block off the oil feed hole. Not surprisingly it manifested as a big end knock.. It didn't knock if I kept the revs real low so I was able to drive it a few miles home and repair it. Cost was £25 for a reground crank and new shells plus having the con rod reconditioned. That £25 translates to only £317 today after allowing for inflation which seems incredible. Those were the days of cheap DIY repairs.
Between myself and family with vehicles I drove maintained and stared helping dad in mid 70's. License since '85.
'83 Malibu Wagon needed tranny rebuilt, due to slipping at about 130k. Had regular changes prior but towed also. Intake gasket needed replacement around 200k. Sold it with about 300k.
'94 Ford Explorer at like 100k iirc - Tranny started leaking oil like crazy, broke down in front of AAMCO and needed rebuild. Had to go back 2x for Torque Converter and issues. Factory rebuilt would have been cheaper, faster, better warranty. Started having a lot more other maintenance needs that shouldn't have been. Lost confidence in it for DD for wife/kids.
'07 Sonata at 220k motor started vibrating a lot, I think balance shaft module chain slipped. Shop checked and said internal issue that would need a lot more digging to determine. Motor started spraying from somewhere timing chain area like next day, basically on way home from shop. Potential investment to repair far outweighed book value of car that was starting to rust underneath.
'04 CRV (father-in-laws) neglected trans fluid for way to long. Started having many shifting issues around 220k. Replaced fluid a couple times with factory and got much better. Also replaced Main crankshaft seal. At about 260k, 2nd gear didn't work anymore. Tried replacing all the solenoids, fluid a couple more times, external filter etc. It lived a hard life for many years. I nursed it for a good bit since he gave it to my kids but sometimes old/tired just happens.
'85 Chevy Astro - rear differential needed replacing under warranty.
Many other "maintenance/repair/replace" between all vehicles but not what I would consider major engine/tranny besides above. Inexpensive fixes not always but when you regularly take vehicles past 200k, that is what it is.
'83 Malibu Wagon needed tranny rebuilt, due to slipping at about 130k. Had regular changes prior but towed also. Intake gasket needed replacement around 200k. Sold it with about 300k.
'94 Ford Explorer at like 100k iirc - Tranny started leaking oil like crazy, broke down in front of AAMCO and needed rebuild. Had to go back 2x for Torque Converter and issues. Factory rebuilt would have been cheaper, faster, better warranty. Started having a lot more other maintenance needs that shouldn't have been. Lost confidence in it for DD for wife/kids.
'07 Sonata at 220k motor started vibrating a lot, I think balance shaft module chain slipped. Shop checked and said internal issue that would need a lot more digging to determine. Motor started spraying from somewhere timing chain area like next day, basically on way home from shop. Potential investment to repair far outweighed book value of car that was starting to rust underneath.
'04 CRV (father-in-laws) neglected trans fluid for way to long. Started having many shifting issues around 220k. Replaced fluid a couple times with factory and got much better. Also replaced Main crankshaft seal. At about 260k, 2nd gear didn't work anymore. Tried replacing all the solenoids, fluid a couple more times, external filter etc. It lived a hard life for many years. I nursed it for a good bit since he gave it to my kids but sometimes old/tired just happens.
'85 Chevy Astro - rear differential needed replacing under warranty.
Many other "maintenance/repair/replace" between all vehicles but not what I would consider major engine/tranny besides above. Inexpensive fixes not always but when you regularly take vehicles past 200k, that is what it is.
3-spd transmission failed on my '65 Mustang due to water ingress. This was back in 1990 so no cellphones or pay phones in rural WNC. I was trying to get my date home after a late night movie and the river had flooded. Apparently the water was too deep for the 20-30 yd drive to the other side. For the next week I couldn't figure out why my transmission would puke ATF every time I drove to/from school.
I'll run down the list:
Transmissions:
1. 1979 Ford LTD: Went out at 60K. Repaired it. Kept about another 18 months. It was using about 2 qts of oil to a tank of gas when I got rid of it. However, it did get me through college.
2. 1993 Chrysler Fifth Avenue: The wonderful, infamous ultradrive transmission went at 66K. (car had 7/70 warranty.) It at least had the decency to drop dead in front of the Chrysler dealership so that it could be limped in. After three attempts to repair, I unloaded it.
3. 1994 Chrysler Lebaron Convertible: The aforementioned ultradrive woofed at 81K. I found someone to put a boneyard transmission in it, then unloaded it.
Engines:
1. 1998 Mercury Villager van: The replacement for #2 above. Engine replaced under warranty @ 23K. Two weeks later, rear seal blew out on the highway at 55 MPH. Vehicle disposed of via Lemon Law. Van spent between 54-56 days in shop during first year ownership for a variety of malfunctions.
Transmissions:
1. 1979 Ford LTD: Went out at 60K. Repaired it. Kept about another 18 months. It was using about 2 qts of oil to a tank of gas when I got rid of it. However, it did get me through college.
2. 1993 Chrysler Fifth Avenue: The wonderful, infamous ultradrive transmission went at 66K. (car had 7/70 warranty.) It at least had the decency to drop dead in front of the Chrysler dealership so that it could be limped in. After three attempts to repair, I unloaded it.
3. 1994 Chrysler Lebaron Convertible: The aforementioned ultradrive woofed at 81K. I found someone to put a boneyard transmission in it, then unloaded it.
Engines:
1. 1998 Mercury Villager van: The replacement for #2 above. Engine replaced under warranty @ 23K. Two weeks later, rear seal blew out on the highway at 55 MPH. Vehicle disposed of via Lemon Law. Van spent between 54-56 days in shop during first year ownership for a variety of malfunctions.
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