scammed by mechanics, please help

**DSMissed** · 05-07-2011

This is my first post, but I'm helping a friend with her car and need a bit of help. Its an 02 GTP. Kinda long but PLEASE READ!!!

She is car illiterate.. just letting you all know. Now, the story...

She saw smoke out the vent holes and it was oil on the manifold, so she took it to the dealer to have it fixed (recall). Alls well... months later she sees the smoke again and takes it to a corner shop mechanic. He tells her headgasket is blown (I asked and she said it never overheated, no white smoke out the exhaust, no sweet smell) Anyways, she pays him $700 to fix the "blown headgasket". He is also trying to convince her to trade her car into his lot for a newer car.

But she gets the car back. Sees the CEL is on, takes it back. They say oops and clear it. But it comes right back on. She leaves anyways, doesn't even make it 50 miles and she hears squealing, then the car begins to lose power and feel gutless. She slows down, it stalls out. She has it towed back to the mechanic and tells him she paid him to fix her car, and he tells her he can't help that something else went wrong.

So here's the kicker. He takes it a few days, calls her and lets her know that her rods are broken (thats the most legit lie he could come up with???). Also that there is coolant in the oil, because the oil 'glimmers like a rainbow'. He says she needs a new engine. She tows the car home.

I look at it, and the supercharger belt is half off, and part of the wiring harness has been disconnected (injectors, maf, etc.)

What the hell happened???? My guess is that he wanted the car for his lot OR just wanted a poor girls money, so he loosened the tensioner so the belt would slip off halfway home.

But was the squealing, power loss, and stalling symptoms of a slipped belt? Cause it is possible he just removed the belt afterwards.

Any suggestions for what happened are appreciated, I'd like to help her get her car running again, and I know her engine is not blown. But I do not know anything about these cars, I've never been around them or worked on them.

Thank you all!!

**Scottydoggs** · 05-07-2011

take the car to another mechanic and get estimate for whats wrong and what he thinks was done wrong, then call judge Judy, she'll get to the bottom of it!

**dpzelenak** · 05-07-2011

have you hooked everything back up and see if it works?

**TheOtherNick** · 05-07-2011

Sounds like the intake gaskets where leaking and they said it was the head gasket leaking oil. Then they but it back together and it didnt seal and got coolant in the oil and it spun a bearing.

**Slick2500** · 05-07-2011

I would have to agree with Nick on this, you have to be carefull with these corner shop mechanics, never just take your car to a random mechanic, take it to a mechanic that is known to be reliable and not a thief.

**DSMissed** · 05-07-2011

I think she has learned her lesson on taking her vehicles to reputable people, and getting second opinions.

According to her the only sound she heard was a squeal. Where do you get spun bearings from that? She said she didn't hear anything that sounded metal on metal, and when I looked at her oil yesterday, it did not look like it had coolant in it, and it didn't smell like it had coolant in it. There is nothing wrong with her engine, I am 100% sure. I just am trying to figure out how they sabotaged the car so it won't run.

So if the supercharger belt did slip off, that would obviously cause a power loss, but would it cause the stall out?

I had her buy a new belt, and when that comes in I'm going to put it on and hook up all the wiring they unhooked, and see what happens.

**matt5112** · 05-07-2011

its very easy to screw up these motors.

ignore a leaking LIM gasket for too long... chucks rod bearings, new motor time. etc.

**Slick2500** · 05-07-2011

These cars will run without the supercharge belt on the car it might kinda wanna stall out when it first pops off but it will stay running, I was doing about 65-70 when my idler pulley exploded and the engine kinda sputtered a bit.
You know now that I think about it I don't know of to many people with a stock 3800 that have just up and thrown a rod.
Drain the oil and check for metal shavings, I wouldn't jump right to the engine is bad.

**KeithGTP03** · 05-07-2011

So what happened when you plugged the unplugged harnesses back in?

**FordMan77** · 05-08-2011

I look at it, and the supercharger belt is half off, and part of the wiring harness has been disconnected (injectors, maf, etc.)

This will make it run like sh*t. Not having the MAF connected will make it run off of pre-programmed tables in the ECM, not to mention the disconnected injectors. Reconnect all this stuff and see what you get.

**Deviq** · 05-08-2011

If its not too late, take a picture of how they left it. You never know if you'll need it.

**DSMissed** · 05-09-2011

Well, its been sitting now for 2 years because she's been trying to find a motor. I really don't think her motor is the problem. She said there was never any metal on metal sounds.

She didn't ignore the leak at all. She saw the smoke and took it to the dealership, when she saw it the second time she took it right to the corner shop. It really hasn't been driven many miles since the initial smoke. When I saw the car 2 days ago, I did see oil puddles on the top of the engine.

**BillBoost37** · 05-09-2011

Oil puddles on top of the engine only mean the LIM bolts weren't sealed when they were put in or the valve covers are leaking badly after the head gasket job. Not a huge issue either way.

Sitting two years huh? Toss a battery in it and try to fire it up. Get a video of it when you do. Then post that up. We can tell you a lot from a little info, but as it sits now..it's mostly guessing.

There is no way to loosen a tensioner to have the belt slip off. So rule that out and put the belt back on. If you have questions of where connectors go..get pics and we'll tell you what needs to be done.

One note.. do not rev the engine high or take it out and beat on it at all. Two year old gas will probably fire up the motor, but super unleaded is an absolute must in a supercharged 3800. Also ask her what fuel she was running....before you tell her super is required.

**DSMissed** · 05-10-2011

Well the fuel thing could be a problem. I own a turbo car that requires premium fuel. I never drive it because this little town we live in has 89 as the best gas. So I know for a fact she is not/has not ran premium fuel, and she probably never new she needed to. But I also know she never beat on it and drove it hard.

I just don't think a blown motor would cause a squeal before it blew, you know? She heard a squeal, and lost power.

I will probably get the car at my place in the next few days. I'm putting on a new belt and changing the oil. Before I actually start it though, I'm going to do a compression test to rule out most engine problems. What is normal compression for these motors?

**BillBoost37** · 05-10-2011

I sold a car I DD'd for 6 months to a local kid. 10 minutes later he calls saying it's making noises. Went over and it was squealing, knocking etc. Bad motor... I have still not figured out how he blew it on the way home, it's six miles. Doesn't have to be blow, but maybe.

As for the fuel.. it's written in the owners manual, usually a sticker on the gas tank door and it...might be on the cluster. Just saying.. I know most people look right past all that stuff. Especially when you can't buy that fuel in town.

**rynoman03** · 05-11-2011

Originally Posted by BillBoost37

As for the fuel.. it's written in the owners manual, usually a sticker on the gas tank door and it...might be on the cluster. Just saying.. I know most people look right past all that stuff. Especially when you can't buy that fuel in town.

YUP it says it right on the fuel door. Don't know how you could miss it.

**Bio248** · 05-10-2011

when i spun a bearing on the bottom end it made a horrific squealing sound for about a minute and then it wouldnt run. it would die randomly just cruising down the street. i had to pick it up and trailer it home because it would have never made it.

**02 35thLE** · 05-10-2011

A bearing that's starting to spin can make a squeal noise. I've heard them a couple times.

**BillBoost37** · 05-11-2011

By choice...that's how ya miss it

**DSMissed** · 05-12-2011

I've heard and had spun bearings before on my cars (dsm's mostly) and they would knock like crazy but still run. Never heard of them squealing??? Just out of curiousity, how would a spun bearing make the car not run. All its doing is eating up the crank, the little metal shavings will start to scar the crank and cylinder walls, but I don't see it making the car not run.