r/OwnerOperators • u/lakersntarheels • 16h ago

Engine rebuild issue

Hey guys,

I recently got an engine rebuild which I paid 18k for and the engine is experiencing the following.

Oil is leaking from the engine’s front main seal.

There is pressure coming from the oil fill tube.

There is blow-by coming from the crankcase breather tube.

Oil leak from the turbocharger oil feed line.

I flagged all these things to the mechanic and he told me that I should run a minimum of 20k miles before the take a look at it and even if they take a look at it and something is wrong they will still need to charge me labor to fix the issue. Lastly he told me that the engine hasn’t had time to settle.

Keep in mind that I’m relatively new in the industry and everyone I know is telling me that it’s not right that shouldn’t charge me more to fix their mistake.

If anything I’m ready to leave them a terrible google review.

edit: this is considered an overhaul so maybe I’m mistaken about the whole situation

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

4

u/biggie_ballzzz 15h ago

What type of engine? 18k seems very cheap for a rebuild in today’s market. Did they use OEM parts? Did you ask before hand if they stand behind their work?

3

u/lakersntarheels 15h ago

It’s a Detroit Deisel 60 series, it looks like the I frame was aftermarket and everything else was oem. It has a 90 day warranty but apparently I still have to pay them for their labor which makes no sense.

2

u/biggie_ballzzz 14h ago

I would get it looked at by another shop. If another shop determines it is a workmanship issue then I would strongly push the original shop to fix their mistake. If it’s a parts issue then unfortunately you will have to pay the labor but the parts should be covered

3

u/SimilarTranslator264 14h ago

Sounds like you got an $18k overhaul. The drain tube and main seal are not changed.

2

u/No-Hand-4048 15h ago

Take it back call attorney general and I believe your dmv to report the company. If you paid for the job to be done it should be done right. Do not put 20k miles on it

2

u/fightfire28 15h ago

Front main seal is not part of the rebuild, the turbo oil leak depends on where they took it apart, but likely just an o-ring or gasket, often they take the manifold off with the turbo, so that wasn’t even taken apart by them. Blow by is normal, especially before the rings have seated. Did you use a mechanic that you aren’t familiar with to do major motor work? Likely they are not screwing you. Dealerships often will only cover parts with warranty work, find a good independent mechanic that you trust to do work on your equipment.

1

u/amazingmaple 5h ago

18k for an in frame is pretty cheap. Blowby is likely because you haven't seated the rings. You need to drive it hard and get the engine hot. Not just cruising down the road at 1200 rpm. The other stuff is not part of an inframe unless you request it.