splatterbug
New Member
- Joined
- November 10, 2018
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2005 Ford Explorer
2005 Explorer. ~175k miles. Single owner family member before me when I got it about 5k miles ago who pampered it to a dealership so much one mechanic said it was the cleanest engine they ever saw when they replaced the valve cover gaskets.
Took it 3 months ago to a mechanic to replace the valve cover gaskets and while they had it open I had them replace the spark plug wiring and spark plugs.
Last week, the whole engine started shaking, burning smells from exhaust, and massive power loss. Had it towed to shop fearing the dread timing chain replacement, but they said it's not getting compression on 1 cylinder and low on the rest and it needs a new motor or motor rebuild. I've researched it since then and need to investigate if they've done a compression test, etc...
Other than the recent spark plug wiring and plug replacement (he said they were OEM, forgot the exact kind), there was an electrical oddity with the locks only working when I turned off the cabin light dimmer and whenever the dimmer was flipped on fully the inside lights stayed on. They said it was likely the GEM (computer/electronics part) that cost 800$+ and was expensive to debug so it wasn't worth looking into.
I'm willing to drop a re-manufactured motor in there as I trust the family member that owned it previously for the transmission wear and accept the fact I might sink more into a transmission later in life. I would likely drop the cash, unless advised against it, into replacing the timing chain for good measure while the engine was out (and anything else worth it).
Questions:
1. The electric/GEM issues could possibly have caused engine damage? Address them as part of this work, if so? I'd have to investigate the new motor warranty in regards to this topic.
2. Could the spark plug/wiring work by the previous shop ( I took it to a new one) could have resulted in this damage if not done properly?
3. Any other advice on the sanity of replacing the motor vs getting rid of the vehicle? Things(tm) to ask the new mechanic to investigate to ensure the viability of that investment?
I'm sorry to lay so much on the people of this forum, but I am having no luck in this new town I moved to with mechanics. On my last vehicle, a shop installed a defective tire rod that my other mechanic out of town said was definitely defective at the time of installation. It could have killed me on the highway. Additionally, I find this spark plus/wiring shop very suspect as they are highly overloaded and took 2 weeks to get to the work as they held onto the truck.. still are overloaded.. and I got a weird vibe from them as they recognized me from my GF who was rather rude and ordered a computer from them to fix her car but never had them install it (against my advice, but what can I do. Wish I thought about it sooner and went elsewhere.)
My paranoia is high regarding both people and luck; just assessing how much of that paranoia is warranted as I decide to double down on this truck (as I truly love it) or move on. It was "free" until now so the money in it if it has the life left is worth it over similar cash in any used vehicle even if I had to add a grand or two over the motor to the electronics.
Took it 3 months ago to a mechanic to replace the valve cover gaskets and while they had it open I had them replace the spark plug wiring and spark plugs.
Last week, the whole engine started shaking, burning smells from exhaust, and massive power loss. Had it towed to shop fearing the dread timing chain replacement, but they said it's not getting compression on 1 cylinder and low on the rest and it needs a new motor or motor rebuild. I've researched it since then and need to investigate if they've done a compression test, etc...
Other than the recent spark plug wiring and plug replacement (he said they were OEM, forgot the exact kind), there was an electrical oddity with the locks only working when I turned off the cabin light dimmer and whenever the dimmer was flipped on fully the inside lights stayed on. They said it was likely the GEM (computer/electronics part) that cost 800$+ and was expensive to debug so it wasn't worth looking into.
I'm willing to drop a re-manufactured motor in there as I trust the family member that owned it previously for the transmission wear and accept the fact I might sink more into a transmission later in life. I would likely drop the cash, unless advised against it, into replacing the timing chain for good measure while the engine was out (and anything else worth it).
Questions:
1. The electric/GEM issues could possibly have caused engine damage? Address them as part of this work, if so? I'd have to investigate the new motor warranty in regards to this topic.
2. Could the spark plug/wiring work by the previous shop ( I took it to a new one) could have resulted in this damage if not done properly?
3. Any other advice on the sanity of replacing the motor vs getting rid of the vehicle? Things(tm) to ask the new mechanic to investigate to ensure the viability of that investment?
I'm sorry to lay so much on the people of this forum, but I am having no luck in this new town I moved to with mechanics. On my last vehicle, a shop installed a defective tire rod that my other mechanic out of town said was definitely defective at the time of installation. It could have killed me on the highway. Additionally, I find this spark plus/wiring shop very suspect as they are highly overloaded and took 2 weeks to get to the work as they held onto the truck.. still are overloaded.. and I got a weird vibe from them as they recognized me from my GF who was rather rude and ordered a computer from them to fix her car but never had them install it (against my advice, but what can I do. Wish I thought about it sooner and went elsewhere.)
My paranoia is high regarding both people and luck; just assessing how much of that paranoia is warranted as I decide to double down on this truck (as I truly love it) or move on. It was "free" until now so the money in it if it has the life left is worth it over similar cash in any used vehicle even if I had to add a grand or two over the motor to the electronics.
