Tuner blew up my engine on the dyno.. now what?

[jkimes]

Well, my never ending battle with this car continues. After dropping an obscene amount of money on parts and labor at a "reputable shop" trying to finally get everything right with this car, I'm practically back to square one. I thought I had everything ready for the dyno when I first took my car to this tuner but I've wound up replacing practially everything. First I had to upgrade the fuel system again when my low impedence FIC 1650's wouldn't play nice (so I dropped a grand on new ID 2000 injectors). Then they claimed the head was causing oil to puddle on cylinder 2 so they pulled it and replaced the valve stem seals and reinstalled(I also had them throw in some L19 studs and an MLS gasket). After that they said the turbo wouldn't make boost pressure (it was a newly rebuilt HX40 that made 450 on pump a few years ago) so I sold it and bought a new PTE 6266. After that the car made 533whp and 483ft lbs at 27psi but the clutch refused to hold any more power. My goal for the car on this new setup was 700whp and I'd already invested an insane amount of money so I figured I'd better just "do it right" and upgrade the trans and clutch at the same time. So, I had them drop the trans and clutch and ship it to TMZ for a full stage 3 rebuild w cryo treated Evo gears and shotpeening and also had Tim put together a nice custom gear drive QM twin-disk clutch package. He shipped everything back to the shop a few weeks ago and they threw the clutch and trans back on the car. I'd been waiting to hear back from the shop for a couple weeks about dyno results with the new drivetrain parts. He kept delaying and took forever to get back to me (as usual) and finally called back and said the car wouldn't make more than 530whp even on the new setup and that he was "afraid to turn the boost any higher than 30psi because something might let go". He said the car seemed to have excess crankcase pressure and that the plug on cylinder 2 shows some moisture but when I asked him if the car was smoking he said no. I was disappointed that my car didn't reach my goal, but I was at least happy to hear that it was done so I loaded up my trailer and drove 4 hours to KC to pick up the car thinking I simply had a little blow by past the rings on one cylinder (it's been at their shop for about a year). When I got to the shop (this weekend) and fired up the car I immediately noticed smoke billowing out the back. The tuner just looked at me funny as if he didn't know what was wrong. I tried to take the car around the block and immediately noticed a complete lack of power and some of the most gawd aful rod knock and exhaust noise I've ever heard. Apparently they completely grenaded my engine (which was built to handle the power by a reputable machinist) on the dyno and didn't want to tell me. I'm not sure what to do from here but I'm so angry about the whole situation I can't even think straight. Any advice on how to proceed from those of you who might have been in a similar situation would be greatly appreciated.

 

[1998dsm]

Never been in your situation, and sorry for your loss that sucks man, but if I were you I would leave the car at that shop and contact your lawyer so maybe you can get it rebuilt by them.

 

[Technoklipz]

You could always take them to small claims court and battle it out there. You will need some evidence that all was ok with the motor when you took it in. Without it you won't get very far. Good luck!

This is why I am learning how to do everything on my own. Don't want something like this happening to my car. Sorry it happened to yours.

 

[TWOpointFORliter]

Thats sucks. Most tuners/shops will make you sign something that releases them from any liability should something happen to your car on the dyno. Is this a reputable DSM shop or more of a "we work on all imports but only really know anything about Hondas" kind of shop?

Do they still have your car? Or did you pay them and bring it home? Since they replaced the HG is it possible they did something wrong and blew it?

 

[richard33]

Well what did they say when you told them about the rod knock and the lack of power? Did you ask them if something went wrong on the dyno? Ask for logs of the dyno tuning. Sometimes motors blow when being tuned cause thats when they start making power. If the tuner messed something up however to cause it to blow then they should fix it.

 

[MistrMackey]

woah woah woah woah i'm from KC what shop did you take it to?

I really really hope you didn't take it to modified by kc btw

 

[H@xtGSX]

I am willing to bet this will exceed small claims court. I would get a lawyer and threaten to sue for damages, time, and all legal costs. If the shop was doing this work under the premise of returning a working vehicle back over to you, and you weren't present for the damage occurring because they were doing whatever they thought they needed to without consultation, you'll likely win that court case even if they had a waiver pertaining to the use of the dyno. That applies to the dyno only, and usually, for you to assume the responsibility of that action, you have to be present in order to approve/disapprove their actions. You need to find a lawyer that would take payment on successful court litigation, that way he/she will work harder for the win and go for the highest payout possible, because they have incentive to do so.

Work with he shop first, but if they tell you that they aren't going to fix damages they caused, I would have that lawyer on their ass immediately.

 

[jtmcinder]

Small claims limit in Missouri is $5000.

 

[jtmcinder]

I really really hope you didn't take it to modified by kc btw

MKC, House of Boost, and Overkill are what I know of. But this isn't relevant to the OP's question and would turn this into a review thread, so let's not go there. That's what PMs are for.

/Mod-wanna-be-mode

 

[MistrMackey]

I wasn't trying to make this into a review just making a statement but thanks for your input i'll keep that in mind when I'm censoring myself

 

[YZFR1]

I had something similar happen with my '91 rx7 when i was about 20 years old. Had my engine blow up twice with the same speed shop, first time they installed a 50 shot wet kit with an inline fuel pump, blew the engine up while leaving the shop. Had them rebuild the whole motor and install 60-1 TO4, they blew that up while trying to tune it. At that point they just said that they will cover the labor but not the parts, so i still had to pay $300. After that i just sold the car and started doing all the work to my cars myself from then on. I figure even if i break something, at least i learn something while doing it

It's going to depend greatly on the shop and if they admit to messing up. But at the end of the day, for the most part, with racing/off-road stuff most shops are not going to hold themselves liable for cars breaking even if it's their fault.

 

[spyderdrifter]

Talk to a lawyer to get all your money back. I wouldn't try to have that shop rebuild it though. If I owned a shop that destroyed someones invested engine, I wouldn't want to be rebuilding it for free. Not to mention if you wound up with that happening, there's no telling what kind of sabotage they might do out of spite. Hope things get better for you.

This is the reason why I do all my own maintenance unless I simply don't have the resources, such as the machining.

 

[95talongirl]

This is the problem with "high performance" engines. It really is a gamble. You can spend a bazillion dollars on parts to still have it let go. As mentioned, most shops have you sign a waiver that due to the nature of performance engines, they are not held liable if it breaks. Heck, most high performance parts do not even carry a warranty. It sucks, but it's part of the game... you gotta pay to play.

On that note.. yes I was also a nervous wreck when I took my car in to get tuned... and I'm only looking for about 400HP. !

Best of luck to you, but I don't think anything will come of it other than maybe getting some money back.

 

[vingasoline]

The tuner didn't want to turn the boost up cause something might let go. Hahahha. Was he tuning for fuel economy? Fortunately for you they worked on your engine before the dyno so any waiver you signed should be void.

 

[crazytsiawd]

not sure you why you wouldn't have been present when they were tuning.

 

[garrettgoines]

This is the problem with "high performance" engines. It really is a gamble. You can spend a bazillion dollars on parts to still have it let go. As mentioned, most shops have you sign a waiver that due to the nature of performance engines, they are not held liable if it breaks. Heck, most high performance parts do not even carry a warranty. It sucks, but it's part of the game... you gotta pay to play.

On that note.. yes I was also a nervous wreck when I took my car in to get tuned... and I'm only looking for about 400HP. !

Best of luck to you, but I don't think anything will come of it other than maybe getting some money back.

EXACTLY what I was thinking. I have known dozens of people spend $20k+ on a build only to have a simple piece of debris or metal hit the exact wrong spot and crap the entire engine/build.

 

[phunny]

For everyone recommending a lawyer, he would be wasting his money. The OP already stated "he thought he had everything ready for the dyno" then replaced half the parts on the engine... Left it there for a year before going to get it? I'm sure he either signed something and/or they have signs that say something like "No Warranties Expressed or Implied." It's a high performance machine and you will not have proof that they did something neglectful to cause damage to your car as you weren't even there.

Not blaming the OP at all but this is what's going to be brought up. And spending 5k on a lawyer to find that out seems like a waste. Live and learn.

 

[And_44]

I had a mishap with a shop involving them replacing my transmission, clutch, and master/slave cylinder for me.

What was wrong was my tranny was shot master cylinder was leaking and clutch was gone, so basically a whole swap with new parts.

I bought the transmission they supplied the cylinder's and clutch. Paid for the whole thing. Took car back was working just great for the first 100 miles and started slipping again. Took it back and they said the seal in the transmission was shot and leaked onto the clutch destroying the clutch. After much frustration I called other shops that performed the same work and asked what their shop practices where to prevent this from happening.

Thier answer was that the seal is easily replaced and usually inspected on rebuilt tranny's or just replaced on used when replacing the clutch since it is easily accessable with it all pulled apart and cheap insurance for a brand new clutch. I called back the shop with my car and asked if they had done this inspection and was told they didn't. I then gave them the names of the other shops and the mechanics I spoke with about their shop practices regaurding my issue they took the info double checked and replaced clutch (free upgrade since no equal replacement was available at the time) and put a new seal in the tranny.

End result was my name being blacklisted by that shop and if I returned they needed to get corporate approval to work on any of my vehicles in the future.

You should check to see what went wrong, check with other shops in the area and get their STANDARD shop practices reguarding what was done. If other STANDARD shop practices wasn't done with your vehicle and this shop failed to follow STANDARD shop practice they are at fault no matter what kind of waiver you signed.

If it's private business take it to the city business commision then county then state. Business need a license to operate, they get these license by promising to follow certain STANDARDS (shop standards included). No business would risk there business license.

If it's corporate contact the headquarters tell them what happened and tell them (yes TELL them what they are going to do to fix it) if they studder or drag their feet mention at first legal action and contacting the commisioner.

But first you need to find if they broke your car by following standard shop practices or if they failed on their part.

If they said that they got it to 520hp and for you to come pick it up they accomplished what you contracted them to do. And when you picked it up and it wasn't their they failed their contract. No reason for them to say it's at 520hp and when you pick it up it's clearly isn't.

Take it slow, calm and level headed. Cover your bases. Get second, third and even 4th opinions. Take names, dates, times and a general note of what was discussed with these opinions. Ask them if you could use thier names and give them to this shop that destroyed your car. Tell the shop to verify with their competitors the info you gathered and demand they do something to meet these STANDARDS.

 

[jkimes]

For everyone recommending a lawyer, he would be wasting his money. The OP already stated "he thought he had everything ready for the dyno" then replaced half the parts on the engine... Left it there for a year before going to get it? I'm sure he either signed something and/or they have signs that say something like "No Warranties Expressed or Implied." It's a high performance machine and you will not have proof that they did something neglectful to cause damage to your car as you weren't even there.

Not blaming the OP at all but this is what's going to be brought up. And spending 5k on a lawyer to find that out seems like a waste. Live and learn.

Phunny, .. I didn't just leave my car at their shop for a year and not check up on things. Seriously? It has taken them a year to do all of the work I listed in the OP because (A): they are incredibly slow and hard to get a hold of and (B): every time I had them replace something they ran into another problem that took them several more weeks and sometimes months of me calling and nagging for them to get around to working on my car. Also, like I mentioned in the original post, I live 4 hours away (unfortunately they're the closest shop from where I live that knows anything about DSM's and has an AWD dyno) so I can't just drive over and check on the car whenever I have a few spare minutes. C'mon man. If you don't have any productive suggestions, why comment at all?

 

[And_44]

Need to find out what broke.

If it was a replaced part why did it break (manufacture defect or improper install?).

If it was an old part why didn't it get noticed while they had it apart and mention for it's replacement?

If it broke on the Dyno because they messed up the tune?

My question would be. You said you got it to 520hp and said to pick it up. WHY ISN'T IT AT 520hp? AND WHY IS IT ON A FLAT BED NOT RUNNING AT 520hp?

 

[H@xtGSX]

Just call a decent lawyer and ask them if you have a case or not. Most will at least give you a basic consultation without you being obligated to pay them. If they think you have something, go from there. We are all just armchair quarterbacks right now, as I doubt many of us know the laws in your state and how they apply to your situation. Talk to a qualified professional instead of listening to us babble on speculations. That's your best bet and it's what I would do as soon as possible.

If the first lawyer you talk to says no, be sure to follow up with a few more, because some lawyers will say you don't have a case because they don't want to bother with your problem. They may have bigger fish to fry and don't have the time. Call around.

 

[bryanwheat]

I had a mishap with a shop involving them replacing my transmission, clutch, and master/slave cylinder for me.

What was wrong was my tranny was shot master cylinder was leaking and clutch was gone, so basically a whole swap with new parts.

I bought the transmission they supplied the cylinder's and clutch. Paid for the whole thing. Took car back was working just great for the first 100 miles and started slipping again. Took it back and they said the seal in the transmission was shot and leaked onto the clutch destroying the clutch. After much frustration I called other shops that performed the same work and asked what their shop practices where to prevent this from happening.

Thier answer was that the seal is easily replaced and usually inspected on rebuilt tranny's or just replaced on used when replacing the clutch since it is easily accessable with it all pulled apart and cheap insurance for a brand new clutch. I called back the shop with my car and asked if they had done this inspection and was told they didn't. I then gave them the names of the other shops and the mechanics I spoke with about their shop practices regaurding my issue they took the info double checked and replaced clutch (free upgrade since no equal replacement was available at the time) and put a new seal in the tranny.

End result was my name being blacklisted by that shop and if I returned they needed to get corporate approval to work on any of my vehicles in the future.

You should check to see what went wrong, check with other shops in the area and get their STANDARD shop practices reguarding what was done. If other STANDARD shop practices wasn't done with your vehicle and this shop failed to follow STANDARD shop practice they are at fault no matter what kind of waiver you signed.

If it's private business take it to the city business commision then county then state. Business need a license to operate, they get these license by promising to follow certain STANDARDS (shop standards included). No business would risk there business license.

If it's corporate contact the headquarters tell them what happened and tell them (yes TELL them what they are going to do to fix it) if they studder or drag their feet mention at first legal action and contacting the commisioner.

But first you need to find if they broke your car by following standard shop practices or if they failed on their part.

If they said that they got it to 520hp and for you to come pick it up they accomplished what you contracted them to do. And when you picked it up and it wasn't their they failed their contract. No reason for them to say it's at 520hp and when you pick it up it's clearly isn't.

Take it slow, calm and level headed. Cover your bases. Get second, third and even 4th opinions. Take names, dates, times and a general note of what was discussed with these opinions. Ask them if you could use thier names and give them to this shop that destroyed your car. Tell the shop to verify with their competitors the info you gathered and demand they do something to meet these STANDARDS.

So you brought in a used transmission for them to install, it leaked fluid and somehow it is their fault, . That was 100 percent your fault. The seal can't be easily replaced without taking the transmission completely apart. I am sure that they are not going to tare the transmission down that you brought them assuming that it was in good condition.

 

[phunny]

Phunny, .. I didn't just leave my car at their shop for a year and not check up on things. Seriously? READ MY POST. It has taken them a year to do all of the work I listed in the OP because (A): they are incredibly slow and hard to get a hold of and (B): every time I had them replace something they ran into another problem that took them several more weeks and sometimes months of me calling and nagging them for them to get around to fixing it. Also, like I mentioned in the original post, I live 4 hours away (unfortunately they're the closest shop from where I live with an AWD dyno) so I can't just drive over and check on the car whenever I have a few spare minutes. C'mon man. If you don't have any productive suggestions, why comment at all?

Apparently you didn't read mine... I'm saying you are going to just waste more money and get nothing in return. Please, don't take my advice, go get a lawyer and keep us updated. You want to waste your money, go for it. If you don't want helpful advice then don't post. I've been through this BS so I'm talking from experience.

 

[92AWDHX40]

Good luck with that anything can go wrong its the chance you take buddy of mine took his car to ams, it blew up but he knew that was the chance he took on his new evo.

 

[TofastForU_99]

Wow sorry to hear the news. Hope you get everything sorted out and taken care of. There seems to be a lot to the story so its hard to make assumptions on who's at fault here.