Main IndexAuto Repair Home Search Posts SEARCH
POSTS
Who's Online WHO'S
ONLINE
Log in LOG
IN









Search Auto Parts

Chevy V6 4.3 Cylinder four washed down


  Email This Post



dcjaws66
Novice

Apr 20, 2021, 9:53 AM

Post #1 of 13 (1694 views)
  post locked   Chevy V6 4.3 Cylinder four washed down  

I took my 2002 Chevy Silverado 4.3 to be serviced in 2015. I picked up my truck and headed north. I only got about twenty miles and realized it was not running right, I could not go over 55 MPH and returned to the garage. It was late Friday so I left it there over the weekend. Monday I picked it up and had to pay for distributor cap and wirers which I did not need! I asked Jeff the mechanic what the hell happened! He told me the boss was training a new kid on how to be a mechanic. Needless to say, I was pissed, paid the bill, and again headed north. 80 miles an hour was not a problem even towing a trailer full of furniture. 11 months later I was checking fluid levels and discovered number four spark plug was wedged between the head and the heat shield above the exhaust manifold. I had to free it and I put it back on the sparkplug. That made me very mad! I stormed down to the garage and told them what I had found. I now knew why my gas milage had suffered drastically. Number four-piston was washed down with straight gas for 6 to 8 thousand miles with no spark! It ran on all 6 cylinders for another 2 to 4 thousand miles until the number four cylinder failed altogether. I took it back told them about the bad cylinder and they said it needed a new injection rack. I told them that I would not pay for any repairs that would not fix the problem. That's when I reminded them about the sparkplug wire being off for 11 months! I told them to tell the head mechanic he may want to change his diagnosis. They did the repair without heeding my words. The repair failed needlessly that's when they told me I needed a new motor. I took them to small claims court for 6 thousand of dollars. That's what they quoted me $5500.00 for a junkyard motor or 6500.00 for a new short block! The judge denied my claim saying to much time had transpired. How do I explain to the judge that the motors dying health was caused by the missing spark plug wire and continued driving which destroyed the cylinder, piston, and rings There was no way anything could have been done for that motor, it was going to fail! How do I win in court?


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Apr 20, 2021, 11:38 AM

Post #2 of 13 (1692 views)
  post locked   Re: Chevy V6 4.3 Cylinder four washed down  

I'd say you don't. You don't have a leg to stand on.

You had to be ignoring a check engine light for that entire time. This is why computers are programmed to tell you when you have a misfire and if it is as bad as you describe, the check engine light will flash at you the entire time. You have no one to blame but yourself for damage incurred by driving it that long in that condition.

PS, you can also plan on the Catalytic Converter being completely trashed also.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



(This post was edited by Hammer Time on Apr 20, 2021, 11:38 AM)


dcjaws66
Novice

Apr 20, 2021, 2:37 PM

Post #3 of 13 (1677 views)
  post locked   Re: Chevy V6 4.3 Cylinder four washed down  

Not true! No engine light did not come on, nor flickered! There was no miss either, it was a running five-cylinder. Like I said the only thing I noticed was the gas milage decline.


dcjaws66
Novice

Apr 20, 2021, 2:42 PM

Post #4 of 13 (1675 views)
  post locked   Re: Chevy V6 4.3 Cylinder four washed down  

There was no misfire, there was a missing cylinder and no engine light! I would have gone straight back to the garage if it had come on! I am not an idiot.


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Apr 20, 2021, 2:49 PM

Post #5 of 13 (1672 views)
  post locked   Re: Chevy V6 4.3 Cylinder four washed down  

Then you had better get the light fixed because the ECM is programmed to detect misfire. That is Federal law. The light is required to come on and it is required to flash if it is dumping fuel.

Either way you drove the vehicle on 5 cylinders for all that time and that's on you.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



dcjaws66
Novice

Apr 20, 2021, 2:59 PM

Post #6 of 13 (1669 views)
  post locked   Re: Chevy V6 4.3 Cylinder four washed down  

The light did come on after I hooked up the spark plug wire again. it came on after 2 or 3 thousand miles after being reconnected. I went to Advanced Auto Parts and they plugged into the computer and said that I have an alternating miss in the number four-cylinder that's when I knew the eleven months had taken their toll. I do remember the engine light coming on briefly when I was fully loaded and hauling a fully loaded trailer. It came on around eighty miles an hour and went off when I slowed down and stayed off until I again reached 80 miles an hour. Without a load, it did not come on and stayed off.


dcjaws66
Novice

Apr 20, 2021, 3:10 PM

Post #7 of 13 (1667 views)
  post locked   Re: Chevy V6 4.3 Cylinder four washed down  

I just remembered something else! It passed inspection in DE after I put the sparkplug wire back on. Which meant it was still making compression and firing. Which did not last long. As a matter of fact, it passed inspection twice, until the cylinder was getting so bad it had an alternating miss. Caused by the original wash down in 6 to 8 thousand miles, the following 2 to 4 thousand miles the damage continued but with spark and oil.


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Apr 20, 2021, 3:18 PM

Post #8 of 13 (1657 views)
  post locked   Re: Chevy V6 4.3 Cylinder four washed down  

I'm sorry. Your story just doesn't hold water.

If you pull a plug wire off any US vehicle built after 96, the light will be on in seconds.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



dcjaws66
Novice

Apr 20, 2021, 3:22 PM

Post #9 of 13 (1655 views)
  post locked   Re: Chevy V6 4.3 Cylinder four washed down  

How does it detect a misfire if it's not on a sparkplug? It ran fine as a five-cylinder. The mechanics drove it before they released it. They found nothing wrong and let me take it! How was I supposed to know the kid left a sparkplug wire off? It had no miss! No shake, no stumble.


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Apr 20, 2021, 3:25 PM

Post #10 of 13 (1653 views)
  post locked   Re: Chevy V6 4.3 Cylinder four washed down  

Huh? Already said you DROVE it like that a lot of miles. As for a court - forget that YOU ignored it.
If somehow otherwise nice and can find another whole truck now 19 years old check your area what's available and give up on this one,


T



dcjaws66
Novice

Apr 20, 2021, 3:26 PM

Post #11 of 13 (1653 views)
  post locked   Re: Chevy V6 4.3 Cylinder four washed down  

That not happen and the light did not burn out! It never failed inspection either! Explain that! Emissions have to pass!


dcjaws66
Novice

Apr 20, 2021, 3:30 PM

Post #12 of 13 (1647 views)
  post locked   Re: Chevy V6 4.3 Cylinder four washed down  

I did not cause the cylinder to wash down, some no mechanic kid did. My truck has been on synthetic since it was new. I could have gotten many many more miles out of it!


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Apr 20, 2021, 3:32 PM

Post #13 of 13 (1647 views)
  post locked   Re: Chevy V6 4.3 Cylinder four washed down  


Quote
It had no miss! No shake, no stumble.


Are you kidding me. Running on 5 cylinders is the very definition of a misfire and if you think it ran smooth of 5 cylinders you need to turn your license in.

I'm not going to waste a bunch of time explaining things to someone that thinks he knows it all but knows nothing.

The computer detects a misfire by measuring the speed of the crankshaft through the Crankshaft Position sensor.

This thread is going nowhere and I'm not wasting any more time with this so I'm closing it now.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.







  Email This Post
 
 


Feed Button




Search for (options) Privacy Sitemap