Hey all of you guys and gals that own a mopar product with a 3.3L or a 3.8L (sales codes EGA, EGB,EGH,EGM,EGP)
1993-2003, Intrepid, Concorde,Vision, Town & Country, Caravan, Voyager
If your camshaft breaks in half (YES THIS REALLY DOES HAPPEN) and it has to be replaced, they are supposed to inspect the bearings for wear or damage. Problem is that if the cam breaks, the bearings already have what????? ANYBODY?????
THATS RIGHT, they have wear. PERIOD.
What is the proper fix for worn or damaged bearings in these engines???? ANYBODY????
REPLACE THE SHORT BLOCK.
Every dealership I have talked to and every ASE certified mechanic that has had to deal with one of these has told me the same thing, replace the short block!
EXCEPT FOR MUSCATEL Dodge JEEP, in Moorhead Mn.
www.muscatell.com for any one who would like to send them bash mail for their crappy service to their customers.
Took my van to them last Sept. would chug and sputter and ran like ****. I knew walking in the door what the problem was (anybody read some of my other posts knows I DO RESEARCH FIRST when dealing with large chunks of cash.) They take it and say ok we will look at your van that made noise and dosn't run well. Whatever. Call me latter that day, Mister K, your van has a broken cam shaft (DUHHHHH!), we'll have to replace that and it will be a few days. I say "Replace it? You mean the engine short block as is stated IN THE TSB, right?" Oh no, are mechanic has looked it over and it will be fine with a new cam and lifters." "I say BULL ****!" I inform their service rep that they WILL install a new engine or they will be in deep cow dung! I talk to Ward Muscatel on the phone personaly (he be the owner of course really has NO clue what really goes on with the vehicles)I state to him how would he feel if someone said they wernt going to repair your vehicle the WAY THE MANUFACTURER SAY'S IT MUST BE DONE, and that my wife and kids could become stranded and their lives placed in danger with this band aided vehicle (It gets down to 45 to 55 degrees below zero in the winter up here, if you in the boonies when your stuff breaks YOU CAN DIE), I talk to all the service REPS, they all insist that their mech knows his crap blah blah blah, I point out it say's REPLACE THE SHORT BLOCK if ANY cam wear. Now my main reason for getting heated and hot with these jerk offs is because I know what their game is, "we'll do a band aid fix that should get him by till his warranty is expired, we'll bilk the warranty company and this guy {you realize purchased extended warranties are like insurance, you have to pay a deductible} doing a half assed repair, and then we'll kill him with a huge engine replacement bill when he has to come back again because IT WILL FAIL."
So I argue with them, and argue with them and finally (I need my fk'n van back) say ok, I wanted a SEPERATE written statement stating that if this fails again it aint costing me a dime, they give me a signed paper says that they warranty the fix from the repair date for 1 year or 12,000 miles. They make their bandaid fix.
Fast forward to today. My wife leaves to take my daughter to camp, about an hour and 15 minute drive from here, and then was going to return home. I am on the PC doing my typical pc stuff, posting here and at other sites and bookwork for my biz, etc, when my phone rings. GUESS WHAT. YUP, wife calling "The van is chugging and running like crap and can hardly move." I tell her I'll be there shortly. She only made it 30 miles or so.
There is 5000 plus miles yet on their written statement to me regarding their warranty and yet another half month to go, IT JUST BIT THEM IN THE A$$ BIG TIME! Although, they should be glad, had it happened after their little time distance period within a 3 or 4 month period or 10000 miles, I might have ended up going to jail because I would have gone in and beat the ever luvin snot out of the sob's, all of them. As it stands, I WILL BE GETTING A NEW ENGINE. I will contact my attorney, and all the mechs I talked to about this last fall and the manufacturer, and if I can have my way I will get the dealership license pulled, and they are paying for it IN FULL. I AM PISSED! :cussing: :cussing:
Something the dealerships won't tell you about as they are trying to dig every last penny out of your pocket is technical service bulletin's. The TSB number is 09-007-02 Dated Oct. 21, 2002 for anyone who needs it or just wants to read it for themselves, as they copyrighted it or something and claim your not supposed to retransmit copy blah blah blah. SO if you wanna read it in their words get a copy from your local stealership (they will give you copies if you ask, but with a shocked/dumb look on their face because you know about it). It states replace the short block if the cam breaks PERIOD. So don't ever let any dealership jerk you off or cheese out on you, stick it to them theives if at all possible. Don't let them BS you, and research research research a problem before you spend dough to fix it.
