Mikelly Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 So today I went to the local AutoX about TWO HOURS from my home, mainly so I could pick up a 4 point roll bar that someone brought north from Mark Icard's place. I had casually mentioned it to my oldest stepson who has the Acura powered civic. He, his girlfriend, and her dad decided to go and they met me there about 9:30... I guilted him into running in his car, since I was in the Vette... And we did... Had a very good fatherly/ stepson sort of day. He learned the value of traction and the limits of a basic stock chassis, and I learned that it had been 7 years since I had last autoX'ed and I was rusty... Not slow, but rusty! At the end of the day we packed up, He headed for gas and me for home... until the cell phone rang... Seems he heard a knocking just as he was getting on the interstate... and he pulled over and cut it off. When I got back to his location, the car wouldn't crank... I checked it for oil and there was NONE. Seems he FORGOT to check the oil level AFTER he fixed a leak in a faulty gasket that hadn't fit right since the initial build. It was towed to a lot and I'll go get it tomorrow, but I'm guessing it will be the whoe bottom end just trashed... which makes me mad at him, and sad for the level of effort I put in the motor, only to have him not do his part and keep it up to spec with the general maintenance of it. I'll go get it with my car trailer tomorrow and I suspect I'll know what it is as soon as I drop the oil pan... No California trip for me... This is gonna hit the budget since he is broke and there is no chance in hell his father will assist in his financial aid/ college fund... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 Wow that sucks! Sometimes I think you are too nice to your stepson! LOL I would go nuts if my son(if I had one) didnt check something basic like that and it fried the bottom end of a fresh motor! Oh well, I hope he learned something Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 I say get the kid a STOCK 87 Volvo 240. You can't kill them, and he would have a tough time killing himself in one. It sounds like the kid needs to mature a little bit before you build something else for him. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Thurem Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 Mikelly It seems to me like you have the worst of luck, fried clutch, house run into, totalled MR2 . Keep it up and there will be no bad luck left for the rest of us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moridin Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 I know my dad would be really pissed if I did that to my new motor in my Honda. I'd be walking until I could pay for another. I actually have a loan for mine. Dad fronted the money and then the a loan from the credit union to pay him. Sorry to hear about this stroke of bad luck. Always has to get worse before its gets better for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 15, 2004 Author Share Posted March 15, 2004 Well unfortunatly he is in college (This is the oldest) and he has a job in order to pay for his portion of his loans for school. If it were solely my decision, yea it would be the easy thing to do to say "Have fun and good luck." But I can't do that since my wife's name is co-signer on his college loans. We'll probably look for a cheap $1000 beater car for him to get back and forth to school in, let him pay us for it, and he can fix his car over time, as he can afford it. Mike 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nic-Rebel450CA Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 Buy him an old prelude. I have run that thing so low on oil that I have seen the idiot light about 3 or 4 times I'm normally really good about maintenance, but I think a part of me just wants that car to die. If it isnt one leak it is another. Exactly how much work did he put in to that car? I cant believe that someone who would put any kind of work or money into their car could make such a mistake. I built my truck almost from the ground up, and I can even tell when it doesnt like the taste of the gas that I put in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 15, 2004 Author Share Posted March 15, 2004 He has a LOT of work put into this car... He swapped out a valve cover gasket that was leaking oil and simply got side tracked with a phone call and forgot... Honest mistake that happens... But it will cost him... Mike 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 I did nearly the same thing when I was 17. Swapped a 425 into my 65 Olds and on the initial run I fixed a leak near the oil filter by loosening it a 1/4 turn (the mount was bent from the engine laying on it's side). In the excitement of my first engine swap I didn't keep an eye on the oil level and turned the engine into a mosquito fogger within 2 weeks. You are doing the right thing by not giving up on the kid. Don't know where any of us would be if our parents had given up on us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baddriver Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 Don't be too hard on the kid, I mean, I can't count the number of motors I destroyed in various ways between the ages of 16 and 19. (well, ok, I could count them, but I couldn't post them, I have my pride.) This is a dumb mistake and I'm sure the kid knows it, and probably feels alot worse than you do. Just don't bend over backwards helping him get it straightened out. Let him feel the pain of having to explain to all his friends what happened to his car, and let it go. I guarantee he has learned a lot about cars from this experience, and he'll never make that mistake again. Oh, they'll be others, but never that mistake! OK, so I might as well fess up... Pontiac Firebird 350 - spun a bearing - rebuilt - had a lower engine knock within the year Chevy 400 SB in a 72 nova - Didn't re-torque head gasket after break-in- blew gasket and damaged head and block Same chevy 400 - rebuild with flat-tops, put in pump gas - destroyed a piston within 2000 miles Ford Tempo- no mods, Still running fine 120,000 miles later. I learned my lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 There must be something about not checking oil with this generation. 2 friends of my son have done the same thing recently. I'm in the process of rebuilding a GA16DE from a 92 Sentra right now. The kid ran it dry of oil and it spun a rod bearing. Another kid has a late 80's early 90's Dodge Sunbeam, I think, that he siezed on the freeway. My son has seen this happen and learned his lesson. He checks the oil in his car regularly now. We're planning to rebuild it this summer but he is still keeping an eye on it, he understands that the more it's damaged now the more it costs him later. Those GA16DE's are really built. This thing has the main bearing caps for 1-2 and 4-5 ganged together as single pieces. They certainly aren't going to move. Unfortunately this thing really chewed the rod bearings and there was bearing material everywhere. It's at the machine shop right now being checked out and I'm having them clean the head real good. Anyway the parents of the kid with the Sentra aren't even making the him pay for it!!!??? Well at least I'm making some $$$ on the deal. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 15, 2004 Author Share Posted March 15, 2004 Well it is official. The motor either spun a rod bearing or mazin bearing. I can get it to rotate about 1/2 turn before contact is made with something solid.... And it doesn't seem to be interference with the head/ valves.... Also the Timing belt has tension and seems intact. I suspect the rod bearing spun. I'm towing it to his house later this week or on the weekend. He was just approved for a car loan for $3500, so he's gonna go buy something to get back and forth in. My wife and I have decided to let him dig himself out of this one. I'll let his father decide what to do with the car. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moridin Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 I'm glad to hear that he'll have a car and a way to get around. I hope this isn't in bad taste, but are you still going to try and make it out to NorCal with Pete? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zguy95135 Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 My dad got called out to a car sitting on the side of the highway. It was a mechanic (a young guy) and his boss test driving a customer's new Jaguar XK coupe. It turned out that the mechanic was servicing the car and in the hurry he forgot to put oil back in! Dont be too hard on him, but Im glad I havent destroyed any engines yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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