Chevy Colorado 5-cyl Grenaded

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

ArrestMeRedZ

Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
2,173
Location
Las Vegas
Second son in Apple Valley, CA had a very low mileage 2005 Colorado pickup that had sat for a while. He had bought it new. He took it to be smogged, and said he heard them revving the engine until it screamed (he couldn't visually observe it). It passed smog, but on the way home it started running rough, and quit. He got it to his house where it died and wouldn't start again.
He asked me to buy it from him as is, and I did and trailered it to my house in Vegas. I pulled the plugs and #2 was severely damaged. I knew there was major damage from something floating in the cylinder, so I bought a new factory-dressed crate motor to install.
Finally pulled the original motor last weekend, and found most of a valve in the intake manifold. The plastic in the #2 guide had major deformations from the burning gasses that exited the cylinder through the missing intake valve hole.
I've never heard of this happening with this engine. I suspect the smog shop was trying to clear the carbon (or trying to clear a bad reading from bad gas), and over revved the engine with no load, floated a valve which struck a piston.
I've ordered a new intake manifold and clutch disk along with injector seals to put in the new engine next weekend.
I wonder if #2 son might have some recourse from the shop that trashed his 22k mile motor? If anybody has experience with negligence of this order (especially in California), please let me know.
 
Plastic valve guides?? Thought they were bronze? It is a little late now, also would've been difficult to prove they caused the problem, strange that even bouncing off the rev limiter would have broken off a valve that easily.
 
Thats too bad sounds you and your son need to learn a lesson, the hard way.

Sounds like the kid is pampered...
Why buy a grenaded engine? He should give it to you for free if anything.

At some point you will need to stop fixing all of his mistakes or he will never learn.
 
Last edited:
They can rev it all day long, That would not happen to a healthy engine, The PCM has a rev limiter, You speak as if a 10 year old car with 22K is a good thing....It is probably what was wrong in the first place....Sticky valves.
 
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
They can rev it all day long, That would not happen to a healthy engine, The PCM has a rev limiter, You speak as if a 10 year old car with 22K is a good thing....It is probably what was wrong in the first place....Sticky valves.
G.M. quality.
 
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Plastic valve guides?? Thought they were bronze? It is a little late now, also would've been difficult to prove they caused the problem, strange that even bouncing off the rev limiter would have broken off a valve that easily.


The intake manifold itself is the plastic that was burned and deformed, not the valve guides. The valve was actually broken into pieces, and pieces of the valve itself (not the stem) fell out when the manifold was pulled.
I am in agreement it would be difficult to prove they were the cause of the problem.
 
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
They can rev it all day long, That would not happen to a healthy engine, The PCM has a rev limiter, You speak as if a 10 year old car with 22K is a good thing....It is probably what was wrong in the first place....Sticky valves.

It happened about three years short of the 10 year point and the parts of the engine I've seen are clean, but bad gas may have had an impact.
I'm not sure I agree with you about revving the engine. Bouncing a GM engine off the rev limiter with no load can't be beneficial. If it's a Honda, it probably doesn't matter.
 
Originally Posted By: Brybo86
Thats too bad sounds you and your son need to learn a lesson, the hard way.

Sounds like the kid is pampered...
Why buy a grenaded engine? He should give it to you for free if anything.

At some point you will need to stop fixing all of his mistakes or he will never learn.


I checked the book value of the truck and subtracted the cost of an engine before I determined his requested price was reasonable. He got cash he needed at the time, and I got a truck I didn't really need, and a project I didn't want, but it's working out well now. Now I've got people fighting to buy it, but I'm thinking I want to keep it.

He's made way too many mistakes for me to fix. I'm not sure how much he's learned, but he has paid the price for them.

What exactly is the lesson I need to learn?
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
They can rev it all day long, That would not happen to a healthy engine, The PCM has a rev limiter, You speak as if a 10 year old car with 22K is a good thing....It is probably what was wrong in the first place....Sticky valves.
G.M. quality.


LOL
 
Originally Posted By: ArrestMeRedZ


I checked the book value of the truck and subtracted the cost of an engine before I determined his requested price was reasonable.

He's made way too many mistakes for me to fix. I'm not sure how much he's learned, but he has paid the price for them.

What exactly is the lesson I need to learn?

To stop bailing him out every time he messes up.
How much did local shops offer him for the truck? Truck with grenaded engine minus Sure the cost of a new engine but how much labor would be involved to replace it? Insurance company would have totaled it for sure.
I'm sure your offer was more and that's why he didn't sell it to someone else for more.
Maybe your offer to buy was the only offer he had because really who wants a neglected truck with a blown engine.

"He asked me to buy it from him as is, and I did and trailered it to my house in Vegas. "
Sounds like he knows you will bail him out and plans on using it to his advantage at every turn.

What ever happened to tough love? How old is the guy, 35?
Think long term.
 
Last edited:
Way too many assumptions on your part, very few of them accurate. Since none of this conversation relates to my original post, I don't choose to continue it.
 
Originally Posted By: ArrestMeRedZ
Way too many assumptions on your part, very few of them accurate. Since none of this conversation relates to my original post, I don't choose to continue it.


Welcome to BITOG "old school" philosophy of child rearing.

Don't take it personally as most folks here really do want to help you and your son, even if some of the comments come off as
rough edged they are well intended.
 
It sounds like the engine had a problem, and they found it during the smog test. Can't blame the shop for a faulty part.
 
I'm not upset about it. If he made those assumptions about the way #1 son was treated (after becoming an adult), he'd be 100% correct. The situation with #2 son is a lot different. I just don't want to get too personal in my responses.

I'm pretty old school myself.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

FastLane
Valve cover replacement Chevy 4.8. Always synthetic oil…
Replies
9
Views
2K
Graham Piccinini
2
R/R PCV valve in 2011 Toyota Camry 2ARFE.
Replies
9
Views
2K
medunko
D
Impossible to find vacuum Leak gm 3.1/High idle
2
Replies
22
Views
2K
Junk
B
Need a Toyota guru 1MZFE Hesitation
2
Replies
26
Views
985
GMBoy
F
Pulled intake and found carboned up valves.
Replies
6
Views
2K
Cujet
Back
Top