Important! My engine is being overhauled....as if the.key fob issue was not enough....

[XLR-V Lover]

I think going for an XLR-V is a terrific idea!!!

 

[Stella]

Im sorry to hear that it's one thing after another with this dealer maybe time to look for a new place? Doesn't seem like a grade A shop, which these cars deserve. I don't know of any problems with oil pumps but from seeing your pics. the pump is higher than the pan " being sumerged ". Your motor was sitting " dry" for awhile. Probably not even covered over there. . Then whoever had to clean the block and motor to get resealed. Of course all the oil in the pump would drain out or be cleaned. What didn't happen is anyone knows who has built motors is priming the pump. Two ways spin the pump shaft till you get pressure or pull the plugs and the coil wires and spin the motor till you see oil pressure. If theirs no oil between the oil pumps gears it ain't gonna pump. Doesn't sound like a bad idea driving the car from that dealer to a dealer that has the car of your liking. Good luck!

 

[XFireXLR]

Well she is back together and purring like a kitten (so far), they just have to do a front end alignment and address the damaged rocker panel issue. She should be back home and in her garage by tomorrow afternoon, at least that is the plan.

@Busaman I have already requested a detailed list of parts and and an explanation of all work performed. If the service manager does not supply it the tech will.

@Stella.....like I stated previously they have been a "stand up" dealership thus far, , and the tech had a steep learning curve due to the fact that they do not work on a lot of Northstar engines.

 

[XFireXLR]

Well she is back home to the safety of her garage, and I have to say she is running better than when she went in. She will go to the body shop on Tuesday to have a new rocker panel installed and painted. This is the same shopthat did the top last year. I will keep a very close eye on her over the next few hundred miles or so.

 

[BusaMan]

You know we all wish you the best on this tragic situation. From the sound of it, they got 'er back together right. I'll be looking for the details of everything they did and all that they replaced. We can all learn from this awful experience.

Tim

Well she is back home to the safety of her garage, and I have to say she is running better than when she went in. She will go to the body shop on Tuesday to have a new rocker panel installed and painted. This is the same shopthat did the top last year. I will keep a very close eye on her over the next few hundred miles or so.

 

[XFireXLR]

You know we all wish you the best on this tragic situation. From the sound of it, they got 'er back together right. I'll be looking for the details of everything they did and all that they replaced. We can all learn from this awful experience.

Tim

Here is a list of all parts that were changed/installed, I also received a written 4yr/75,000 mile warranty on thier work outside of my existing GMPP warranty and any future warranties.

New cylinder heads on both sides.
8 new pistons and internals.
New valves on each side.
4 new cams.
All new valves on both sides.
New timing chains.
New water pump.
New oil pump.
New spark plugs & wires.
New fuel rails.

Services preformed;
Mobil1 oil change and new filter.
Cooling system flush and refill.
Full transmission flush and fluid change.
Full chasis lube.
Full front & rear alignment.
AC purge and recharge.

 

[airmike]

I have to say they seem like they are trying to take care of you with that warranty. I hope you never have to use it. Sounds like the best of a bad situation, glad to hear the good report.

 

[cubby558]

Glad to hear you got your baby back and seems to be doing well. Hopefully everthing is well now and ready to enjoy the summer!! It seems as though they are stepping up and showing some great customer service by standing by their work with the added warranty. As airmike stated, hopefully you won't have to use it.

 

[Stella]

Great to hear you got your baby home safe and still have the summer to enjoy. Good to hear the dealer is warranting all the work too. With situations like the motor you really never know until it fails. Did they flush the motor after starting and breaking in? Good luck hope she treats you good.

 

[Crimson Pearl]

So glad to read that she is back on the road!

The warranty that they are giving you shows their commitment to you and should provide you peace of mind for the future.

Your dealer appears to have come through for you and really stepped up to the plate!

This has been an informative and somewhat frighteniing thread that has a great outcome! Congratulations and best wishes for a million miles of enjoyable driving!

 

[BusaMan]

Baby's Back Home...

Thanks for the description. They did a LOT! I was looking for some more down lower in the engine; e.g., pistons, rings, cylinder inspection/honing, wrist pins, rods, crank inspection/mic'ing, crank bearings, flushing the oil passages, etc. Great news on the new top ends for BOTH sides! No wonder it seems to run better; it's all fresh.

I never had a NEW XLR, so I have no idea of how GM wants you to break in an all-new engine. As a dealer of high-performance motorcycles, I always had to cope with the non-engineer "experts" who ignored the metallurgy aspects, and blithely proclaimed, "Drive it like you stole it". Our manufacturers' engineers specified a defined break-in regimen, with an ascending RPM and throttle protocol, that optimized the ring/cylinder and cam/valve "mating" and delivered all the potential of the engine. The Northstar engine seems to have a lot in common with our motorcycle engines (other than size, number of cylinders, RPM, HP/cc, compression, etc.), so I was wondering what GM recommended.

Did you keep any of the old parts, or is the dealer going to eBay the good head, cams, etc., to get back some of his expenses? It'd be interesting to really look at the old cams and rings, to see how the Mobil 1 oil had protected them. I'd be tempted to ask Royal Purple and/or AMSOil to inspect them, just to see what they say.

The effort of your dealer is commendable, and the extra warranty protection is exemplary. I hope everything works out well from now on.

Tim

Here is a list of all parts that were changed/installed, I also received a written 4yr/75,000 mile warranty on thier work outside of my existing GMPP warranty and any future warranties.

New cylinder heads on both sides.
New valves on each side.
4 new cams.
All new valves on both sides.
New timing chains.
New water pump.
New oil pump.
New spark plugs & wires.
New fuel rails.

Services preformed;
Mobil1 oil change and new filter.
Full transmission flush and fluid change.
Full chasis lube.
Full front & rear alignment.

 

[XFireXLR]

@Busaman.....rereading my post there were a few things that I omitted. The engine was torn down to the block the crank was removed and inspected. All 8 pistons and internals were completely replaced. The engine was rebuilt by a reputable engine builder and not by the dealership. Break in oil was used and then it was flushed and replaced with Mobile1. The engine buildet and the tech suggested taking it easy fot the 500 miles or so, and the dealer will change the oil at 3000 miles on the rebuild at thier expense. I do not know what they are going to do with the surplus parts.

 

[BusaMan]

Here's to doin' it right!!!

That sounds wonderful. My hat's off to the dealer for pulling it out of the fire. It's impressive that they didn't try to scrape by, but they did it as well as they could have. Enjoy!!!



Tim

@Busaman.....rereading my post there were a few things that I omitted. The engine was torn down to the block the crank was removed and inspected. All 8 pistons and internals were completely replaced. The engine was rebuilt by a reputable engine builder and not by the dealership. Break in oil was used and then it was flushed and replaced with Mobile1. The engine buildet and the tech suggested taking it easy fot the 500 miles or so, and the dealer will change the oil at 3000 miles on the rebuild at thier expense. I do not know what they are going to do with the surplus parts.

 

[mtrocket]

Glad everything turned out so well!!! Now you can enjoy her once again!!!

 

[XFireXLR]

Well.........I have about 300 miles on the rebuild and so far so good, she is running like a top. The oil pressure was manually checked and reads a steady 20psi when at idle and at temperature, but it seems that the oil pressure gauge is off by 1 - 2psi. More investigating will be done to find the reason for the discrepancy. The service manager commented that a new gauge cluster may be in order, we will see whst happens.

 

[BusaMan]

This sounds super. After "babying" it for 500 miles, may I suggest that you start to work it up to its limits by 2,500 miles; i.e., gradually increase both the RPM and the throttle, up and then down, speed up/slow down, until you can run it wide open at full RPM and full throttle by 2,500 miles. Try NOT to keep it at the same RPM for long, during this time; shift gears if you have to just to give the engine the difference in RPM and internal engine pressures it needs. We have seen engines that were "babyed" develop ridges in the cylinders, corresponding to the RPM range. This can and should be avoided by continually increasing the RPM range AND the rate of acceleration, during the break-in. When the RPM increases, there actually is a small increase in the stroke and (therefore) the compression of the engine; i.e., the connecting rod actually stretches and compresses slightly. Using more throttle increases the internal operating pressures, which forces the rings to seat better; the rapid deceleration (coasting, not braking) allows oil to wash the cylinders and keeps dry spots from forming. Following this regimen will complete the break-in just in time for the oil change they promised you at 3,000 miles, which you'll need. In our experience, following this regimen will result in an engine that gives optimal performance, reliability and efficiency. Every so often, it should be repeated, just to keep those ridges from forming. Besides, the "Italian Tuneup" is a lot of fun.

I'm really pleased that your dealer is staying with you during all this. If someone else has another approach to breaking in DOHC 4-valve/cylinder engines, I'd love to hear it. This protocol is what my manufacturers recommended for our high-performance motorcycles (Hayabusas, GSX-Rs, ZX-10/12/14Rs, etc.), and we have had great success following it. I've done it on my XLR, even though it had 35K miles on it when I got it. Runs better now than it did when I got it.

Thanks for the update! I believe I'm speaking for all of us out here when I say we're thrilled that it's working out well for you.

Tim

Well.........I have about 300 miles on the rebuild and so far so good, she is running like a top. The oil pressure was manually checked and reads a steady 20psi when at idle and at temperature, but it seems that the oil pressure gauge is off by 1 - 2psi. More investigating will be done to find the reason for the discrepancy. The service manager commented that a new gauge cluster may be in order, we will see whst happens.