Joe,

If you've until August to fix your truck, I'd suggest the following:

1) Buy a good tool set, a cherry picker (engine hoist), and an engine stand.

2) Get and read all the books you can find on engines.

3) Find a local school that has summer or night classes on auto mechanics and sign up.

4) Find a local engine shop and tell them you'll work (clean tools, wipe up floors, etc.) for free if they'll show you some stuff.

5) Figure out which parts you'll need (factory/aftermarket) and rebuild your engine.

6) Guilt your 18 yo buddy into helping you out.

If you do this, you won't have to worry about respect here any more and you'll have about all the knowledge you need to do almost anything automotive.


Question - you have a 4-way chip, what program have you been running it on? Could your friends have run it on something without your knowledge? Was it ever run on a race program when it shouldn't have been?

 

that sounds like a good plan. I was planning on takin some classes this summer on auto mechanics. the chip was being run on track mode at the time with octane boost...could that of been the problem?

 

i just read that post again and realized...
you think i should rebuild my engine myself?? If I do what you say I may be able to rebuild an old 65 mustangs engine but doubtfully a 2001 supercharged engine. maybe i am underestimating my self but, do you think i would be able to rebuild my engine myself? I bet I couldnt even get the damn thing outta there, thats probly the hardest part though

 

J15BIG

whats the word from the dealer, any word yet on if they will replace the motor or are you on your own

 

Joe,

The basics of rebuilding an engine are always the same. New engines are in some ways more complicated but in some ways simpler from a rebuilding standpoint.

Could running "track" mode with octane boost be a problem? Absolutely! I would say the only safe way to run a track or race mode would be with high octane race gas, not octane boost.

I would never suggest running octace boost. Run regular modes with premium fuel or race/track modes with real race gas.

These types of things are very important and you should have a better understanding of them before you run your vehicle with mods.

 

How hard would it be for me and a friedn to pull the engine out of my truck with the right tools? when I saw tools, that also inludes hoist, engine stand, etc...

 

I wouldn't do it...get a professional to do it and pay them, it'll cost you less than messing it up and having it re-done...it's not a shadetree mechanic project, and although I'm sure there are guys here that can do it, they have years of experience.

Do take some classes.

Like someone mentioned before, get an older vehicle or something that doesn't have all the new electronics, fuel injection, emissions equipment, etc. and have at it. I learned on an old '76 f100 that I could literally stand in the engine bay because there wasn't really anything there but the motor...

 

You'd be suprised what you can do in the end though. I've come a long way from knowing nothing about cars and trucks by just working with my buddy on big rigs just to figure out more about the engines and trannies for free. I've learned that replacing a motor of a delivery van is like shoving 10 pounds of crap into a 5 pound bag. I've learned that super 10 eaton trannies have a huge tendancy to break down because lots of truck drivers aren't experienced enough to drive the expensive rigs they drive for their trucking company. I've learned that if you touch a hot turbo because your friends scares you while your working on pulling crap out that its so hot your skin fuses to the turbo and you have to pull it off. There is a lot of technology in big rigs that is just incredible to see on such a large scale.

~well just rambling,,,,,,, i think what factory tech is saying is that when your engine is rebuilt,, you'll learn a lot by just standing next to the workers and handing them wrenches, auto mechanics is not very hard at all,, it only takes experience to get very good at it.

~toast

 

From one Joe to another

Nothing personal, but you had a hard time installing shackles. I would say let a pro rebuild your engine.

--Joe

 

Prob the hardest thing to do for a novice is to get the timing right on a complete rebuild done by themself. Even i know what i am doing, just to make it easier i would take the whole block with heads connected (intake and exhaust manifolds off, all electronics off, valve covers off, etc) and let a machine shop do their job and give them some business but that is juts my personal opinion.

 

Spanky thats the way to go,, make sure its a good machine shop though,, there's a big difference between good maching and crap

 

you got that right. luckly i know some damn good machinists. My father owned many of race cars and wone many track championships and went all the way to the busch series. So for my personal motor jobs i take it to the people who did my dads race car motors. I hope ( my fingers are crossed) my motor blows so i can rebuild mine. lol

 

Take Spanky's advise i wouldnt even know where to begin when dealing with dialing in the cams on a Mod motor

 

Good luck on whatever you do. It took around 3hrs the first time to pull the motor. It took 3.5 hours to change the plugs the first time.

 

trust me everyone, the first engine I pull and work on will probly be a 88-93 5.0 mustangs engine. Sal will be doing all my lightning engine work for me in august.