VR Calais nightmare

[scvs6]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to share something with you. This week at work, a customer brought in a VR Calais V6. They had let it run out of oil and kept driving it and the engine ended up seizing up. The customer went to a wreckers and got a replacement engine and wanted us to fit it.

My boss asked me to do the job and I was more than happy to do the swap. Anyway, it was all pretty straight forward, it took longer because it was on LPG and had more things to disconnect. Also the engine was covered in oil so it was a dirty job. There was a few things that gave me a hard time, like the transmission lines for example.

So once the old engine was out, I put the replacement engine next to it so I could swap a few things. I noticed that there was alot of corrosion around the inlet manifold, exhaust manifolds and spark plugs. I swapped things like the engine mounts, injectors, injector rails, spark plugs, exhaust manifolds and anfew other little things.

After all that, I put the replacement engine in the car, bolted everything back up, connected all the hoses and wiring, put fresh engine oil in and changed the oil filter, fresh coolant, topped up the power steering and transmission oil, refitted the gas converter and all the gas lines and everything.

Got to the point where the car was ready to start.
So I turned over the engine and it fired up straight away and was running perfect, so I let the engine idle for about 5 minutes and was having a look over everything and checked for leaks, everything looked sweet. Then I decided to give the engine a small rev. It reved up really good but as it decelerated, the engine stalled. I went to restart it and it was turning over very tight and wouldn't start up again. So I let it sit for about a hour or so and tried to turn it over with a breaker bar and socket, but the engine has completely locked up and seized.

I went and told my boss and he came over to have a look, then he started having a go at me which was unfair because I was doing everything he told me to do.

I pulled out the dip stick and the oil has gone milky so water has definitely gone into the oil.

Anyway, my boss is going to call up the owner and tell them but now it's going to have to all be removed again.

The replacement engine looked like it wasn't very good to begin with but my boss didn't care, he wanted me to fit it still. I'm pretty annoyed myself because I finished and it was ready to road test but then that happened.

So anyway, I'm sick of getting blamed for things that are clearly not my fault so I plan on leaving that c*** of a place once I finish my apprenticeship.

I was supposed to finish on the 11-07-2011 but because a law got changed on the 1st of July, I can finish until January 2012.

Also, beware of dodgy second hand engines.

[Alf Stewart]

That does sound like a nightmare, for the most part do you enjoy being a mechanic? im thinking of getting into it

[Munz]

all wreckers offer warranty,they have to replace it and they cannot sell anything with out warranty

[scvs6]

That does sound like a nightmare, for the most part do you enjoy being a mechanic? im thinking of getting into it

Yeah I do like being a mechanic, some of the guys at work piss me off sometimes but other then that, it's a good trade.

[scvs6]

all wreckers offer warranty,they have to replace it and they cannot sell anything with out warranty

Yeah, the owner went back to the wreckers and they gave them another engine, this time they heard it running before they pulled it out of the car. I started pulling the seized engine out Friday afternoon, they dropped off the next engine Monday morning. I fitted the engine today, still have to fit the radiator, hoses, gas converter and a few other things and I should be able to start it up tomorrow. Then once I have checked everything, ill put the bonnet back on and go for a road test. Lets hope this engine is alright.

I drained the oil out of the seized engine and the oil came out almost white, didn't look like oil at all, so there must be a fair bit of water in the oil.

[jayperformance]

don't worry bout it, shit happens, i've had brand new parts fail so its not suprising a second hand motor had problems. as for your boss, smile do as he askes and the day your qualified hand in your resignation and watch his face as we all know good mechanics are hard to come by so replacing you is going to take some time and effort.

[scvs6]

don't worry bout it, shit happens, i've had brand new parts fail so its not suprising a second hand motor had problems. as for your boss, smile do as he askes and the day your qualified hand in your resignation and watch his face as we all know good mechanics are hard to come by so replacing you is going to take some time and effort.

Yeah I know, it's not my fault the engine seized so I don't know what his problem is. He complains when I take 1 week holiday (4 times a year), I just think to myself, why do you book so much work in then if you know i'm going to be on holidays. But like you said, once i'm fully qualified, I can leave and go somewhere else.

[Krisp]

come to wa, easy as piss to get a good paying job. what checks did you do on the motor before you put it in? i was once asked about what to look for in a wreckers engine. i told the bloke to ask the wrecker if they could remove an engine cover for inspection since they were quoted as a low km engine. about 200 more than normal they wanted. he asked them and te wrecker told him to get stuffed. The side loader at work just blew a head gasket and my boss had the nerve to tell me its just condensation at the top of the rocker cover. Had a laugh when i showed him the green coolant in the oil.

[Hangman]

So basically the customer bought a 2nd hand engine with ####ed head gaskets(by the sound of it) and it's your fault somehow?

[scvs6]

come to wa, easy as piss to get a good paying job. what checks did you do on the motor before you put it in? i was once asked about what to look for in a wreckers engine. i told the bloke to ask the wrecker if they could remove an engine cover for inspection since they were quoted as a low km engine. about 200 more than normal they wanted. he asked them and te wrecker told him to get stuffed. The side loader at work just blew a head gasket and my boss had the nerve to tell me its just condensation at the top of the rocker cover. Had a laugh when i showed him the green coolant in the oil.

I knew as soon as I seen the motor that it wasn't very good. I showed my boss the oil leaking out of the rear main seal, sump, valley cover gasket, rocker covers, etc and he said, "stuff it, just tighten the rocker cover bolts and that will do". That kind of pissed me off because if the owner complains about an oil leak, then its going to make my job harder to fix those problems with the engine in the car. I also noticed that the inlet manifold had corrosion in some places, and the outside of the spark plugs had corrosion. Once the engine was in the car and I pressure tested the cooling system, water was leaking from the timing cover gasket, I told my boss and he said "oh yeah, just put a bottle of stop leak in and that should be alright". So now, if the this engine has an oil leak and it comes back, the customer has to pay for extra labor because it didn't get done at the same time as the engine was out. By the way, this second replacement engine doesn't look very good either, front is covered in oil.

I want everyone to know, that I HATE doing dodgy things to customers cars (and my own) and if it was up to me, I would ring the customer and let them know straight away. If I took my car to a mechanic and found out they where doing **** like that to my car, they wouldn't hear the end of it from me.

Its a VR Calais, and it looks like the owner looks after it really good. He got the second hand engine probably because he can't afford a reconditioned motor.

[scvs6]

So basically the customer bought a 2nd hand engine with ####ed head gaskets(by the sound of it) and it's your fault somehow?

Yeah thats basically right. Not very encouraging is it.... towards the end of fitting it, he started rushing me to get it done because he wanted to get it out of the workshop. That ****ed him up because it ended up staying an extra week.

[Krisp]

yeah, sounds like your boss is a #### stain. least his ways arent rubbing off on you

[scvs6]

yeah, sounds like your boss is a #### stain. least his ways arent rubbing off on you

To be honest, I have no idea how I have lasted almost 4 years at that place. I travel 1 hour 20 mins to work then 1 hour 20 mins home each day just to put up with that ****. It's been very stressful, but at least I have plans for when I leave. I have gotten a few customers of my own, I bought a hoist, and a few other things, and plan to work from home (because the nearest town is 30mins away), people wont have to travel so far to get there cars fixed. Been working home on Saturdays to get it going, so far its been good.

[Krisp]

To be honest, I have no idea how I have lasted almost 4 years at that place. I travel 1 hour 20 mins to work then 1 hour 20 mins home each day just to put up with that ****. It's been very stressful, but at least I have plans for when I leave. I have gotten a few customers of my own, I bought a hoist, and a few other things, and plan to work from home (because the nearest town is 30mins away), people wont have to travel so far to get there cars fixed. Been working home on Saturdays to get it going, so far its been good.

careful of council regulations, if they find out when you havent cleared it with them first, shit gets messy

[scvs6]

careful of council regulations, if they find out when you havent cleared it with them first, shit gets messy

Yeah I know about that, thats the only thing i've got to be careful of. They can't see the garage where the hoist is from the road, so thats a good thing I guess. The only thing that would make them come looking is if someone in the area dobs me in to the council. If I don't get enough work, ill go looking around Ballarat (Melbourne is too far to travel everyday).

[Krisp]

im lucky im in a secluded area, i have cars coming in and out on a daily occurance

[scvs6]

im lucky im in a secluded area, i have cars coming in and out on a daily occurance

Yeah, I live on a farm in the middle of no-where, theres no houses next door or anything, just a couple of places here and there. Theres also lots of trees around my property so no-one can really see whats going on.

[Krisp]

the biggest problem is getting enough work to actually live on. consider going as a contractor and get experience in other areas

[scvs6]

the biggest problem is getting enough work to actually live on. consider going as a contractor and get experience in other areas

Thats true, if theres not enough work then I wont be able to afford rego and insurance on both cars, plus other expenses. But when the time comes, ill see what happens and decide what i'm going to do.

[Krisp]

there is a chance you could get fly in and fly out from where you are around the country for mine work. im considering it as i can earn up to 55 an hour on a mine. just waiting to see what happens atm as we have alot of over seas work coming up

[scvs6]

**** 55 an hour would be awesome, thats heaps more then i'm getting now. One of my mates went up to Queensland to work at the mines, but I haven't seen or spoken to him since. I have heard that you can fly around the country to work at the mines, one of my cousins did that when he used to live in Darwin, I think he stopped doing that now, not sure, but now he lives in Ballarat now.

[Jacko84]

yeah mate sounds suss, i hate dealing with second hand stuff we deal with transmissions and would much rather the customer rbuild it rather than secondhand, most wreckers give 3months warranty but 90% of the time my old man ends up getting the job as a rebuild, its just pot luck really might get 10good and 2 or 3 bad, i know what you mean about oil leaks putting an engine in with a leaky rear main, heck its only 5mins work when the engines out or a couple of hr job if you have to pull the trans out to repair it.

[VR38]

don't worry bout it, shit happens, i've had brand new parts fail so its not suprising a second hand motor had problems. as for your boss, smile do as he askes and the day your qualified hand in your resignation and watch his face as we all know good mechanics are hard to come by so replacing you is going to take some time and effort.

Sad to hear you have a shit boss but there are alot out there, just remember you are getting paid by the hour wether you are getting your hands dirty or standing there listening to his shit, maybe remind him of that lol.
Don't resign, go around and find new jobs, apply for as many as you can and when you have a good offer have a mate ring your boss for a reference and state along the lines of "we pay top dollar for employees like this" works even better if you are on holidays when it happens, further more if he sacks you it is worth more to you than just walking out with no notice.

[stuntmanmike]

Hi superchargedvs6,
You sound switched on from your posts and it looks like you have aptitude and are self motivated with some good developing skills. These are very good qualities that should be nurtured by an employer.
Have you considered working for the Mining industry or the Oil and Gas industry? The pay is great and the opportunities are fantastic for someone like you. Who knows, you could move up the ladder if you find yourself liking the industry and the culture and stick it out for a number of years.

I once had a boss like yours and he begged me to stay when I resigned at the end of my apprenticeship. When I declined the pay rise and promotion he just told me that I'd never succeed at anything. What a SOB.
The thing was: I liked the job and the people I worked with. It all went sour when my boss accused me unfairly of someone elses stuff up. I didn't even get an apology afterwards when it was found out that another employee made the mistake and I hated the pri*k ever since. This boss would guilt me for taking annual leave and treated me like the dirt under his shoe. It's just not worth it to put up with that cr@p and it's hard to learn from someone that takes shortcuts instead of doing things once and properly.
Good on ya for your positive/keen attitude and keep up the quality work.

[scvs6]

Thanks guys, I didn't think anyone would actually about what I wrote in the first post, so i'm surprised with the responses.

I didn't get to work on the car at all today. I had to service a Holden Rodeo, then a VS Commodore came in on a tow truck and it had a really bad miss in it, I found that one of the coils was faulty, then I had to check a BF Falcon for a really bad noise underneath the car (also service and tune up), turned out to be the owner has run over something and bent a link pin and a bracket that holds the sway bar and I also found that some ****head put the sway bar on upside down so the rack is rubbing on the sway bar.

Anyway, hopefully ill get to finish the VR Calais tomorrow and ill let everyone know how it comes up.

As for looking for another job, I wont be able to now until I pay back the company for the engine i just bought and all the parts for it I need, plus of course I need to finish my apprenticeship.