Not all dealers are crooks... and what's wrong with recomending having a professional mechanic look at something as potentially serious as an oil leak?

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">Originally posted by Lunchbox:
<strong>Not all dealers are crooks... and what's wrong with recomending having a professional mechanic look at something as potentially serious as an oil leak?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">His engine is beginning to sludge. As soon as the dealer sees the symptoms they will try to sell him a new engine. If he acts fast and properly he can save the engine he has now.

Once he gets the vents opened back up and has the engine flushed with a nice oil flushing machine he should be in great shape.

I'll bet that you can not find a professional mechanic at a dealership in the next hour that fully understands the PCV system of the 3.4 engine. It is now 0930 right coast time, see if you can find one anywhere in the US by 1030 and let us know who and where he is...

Gadget

I'm sorry, I should never have recommended he seek professional help... I don't know what came over me. You're right, all dealers are lower than scum and we should all rely solely on information we find on the internet for the care and maintenance of our trucks.

PS. I highly doubt a good dealership would have recommended a new engine... and if they did, he would be a fool to do it without getting a whole bunch of second opinions.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">Originally posted by Lunchbox:
<strong>I'm sorry, I should never have recommended he seek professional help... I don't know what came over me. You're right, all dealers are lower than scum and we should all rely solely on information we find on the internet for the care and maintenance of our trucks.

PS. I highly doubt a good dealership would have recommended a new engine... and if they did, he would be a fool to do it without getting a whole bunch of second opinions.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">The facts are, Gadget knows more about 3.4's than Toyota. Don't argue with him, and don't get smart with him. He knows what he is talking about. You know all that shit people buy to go with superchargers on 3.4's? He designed a lot of it. I suggest you STFU.

<small>[ December 09, 2002, 04:58 PM: Message edited by: Josh ]</small>

I thought we were supposed to have polite technical discussions on this board with respect for differences in opinion... I was expressing frustration with his rather rude responses to my differing with his approach to solving this personÆs problem. Since I have no idea of the users technical skills or situation, and I thought it sounded like a problem too serious to be diagnosed and fixed from one picture on an Internet Forum, I merely suggested an alternative diagnosis (specifically, have someone else do it).
The fact also remains that a good dealer mechanic is factory trained (Toyota did design and build this engine after all) and has experience with working on hundreds of similar trucks and has probably seen many of these problems before, so there is no harm in getting a second opinion.
Once I found a good dealer, I never had an issue with any work done, and everything is guaranteed... another benefit to having dealer work done... if you fix it yourself and screw it up worse... you're out of luck.
I will admit finding a good dealer with knowledgeable techs in the North East were most are just volume sales operations, can be challenging.
Hope this clears things up a little... I have much respect for Gadget and his knowledge... but I think sometimes he forgets that not everyone has his skills, confidence in said skills and resources.
As for telling me to Shut The F*ck Up... wow, that cuts deep... Wait, no it doesn't. Anyone can swear... I always have more respect for people who can come up with cleaver witty insults. Try again there slugger.

<small>[ December 09, 2002, 05:26 PM: Message edited by: Lunchbox ]</small>

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">Originally posted by Lunchbox:
<strong>As for telling me to Shut The F*ck Up... wow, that cuts deep... Wait, no it doesn't. Anyone can swear... I always have more respect for people who can come up with cleaver witty insults. Try again there slugger.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">I really don't care how much respect you have for me, as I have none for you.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">Originally posted by Lunchbox:
[QB][/QB]</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">I read this board a lot and feel I know most of you. I don't post much, but you sir are an ass!

Apparently disagreeing with Gadget is dangerous business indeed. What, no criticisms for his snide "find me a dealer in an hour" remark provoked, as best as I could tell, by the mere suggestion that someone should have a mechanic look at their truck? I may get sarcasticà but at least I refrain from name calling there sport.

Folks all of this is not productive in any way. There is nothing wrong with suggesting that someone get professional help. I recommend it all day long every day, but usually not for their vehicles.

I got an email from Diesel today. He had it towed to the dealer. They told him a spark plug came out and want $3500 to repair it. If you look at his picture you can clearly see at least two coil packs which sit on top of the spark plugs and they are both still in place. Also there is no oil in the cylinder to shoot out all over the place from a spark plug hole. Their diagnoses just does not make any sense at all to me. Even if the spark plug did come out and puntured the spark plug tube, oil will not shoot all over the place as there is normally no pressure in the cam cover to force the oil out all over the place.

Now if a spark plug did come out and strip the hole, it is an easy repair to retap the hole and insert a Heli-Coil. Parts and labor for that repair should be around $70-75 and not $3500.

I have offered to drive over to his place and take a look at his truck. Something does not pass the smell test on this one.

Gadget

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">I'll bet that you can not find a professional mechanic at a dealership in the next hour that fully understands the PCV system of the 3.4 engine.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">You make it sound like it is something unique, care to share your information? Im just a lowly dealer employee.

Jay