Vince J. Pujalte wrote:
>
> Hello Fellow Enthusiasts,
> I hope that you can help me.
> I own a '78 Midget (I know, I know, SORRY) with a 1500 Spitfire engine
> in it. The cam welded itself to the block less than 200 miles after
> rebuild. My rebuilder will not modify the engine to accept cam bearings
> under warranty until he "knows what happened" and is assured that the cam
> bearings will fix it.
Vince, given that the engine only went two hundred miles, your rebuilder
is responsible, period--if he provided you with a written unlimited
warranty for a certain length of time. If so, tell him he has a
choice--buy a new engine, which he ought to do, anyway, or make suitable
and efficacious repairs to the existing block in a reasonable amount of
time. Chances are very great that this is related to improper cam
installation or a very dirty and hasty rebuild, or a failure of the oil
pump or pump drive, which should have been inspected during a rebuild.
> Would you Please help me? I haven't seen my car in
> a month.
Your rebuilder has had the car for a month and has been unable to
determine the cause of the failure??? That's a delaying tactic. Do two
things--write Andy Mace directly and ask him if there is anyone in the
San Antonio area in the VTR "road help" program who's willing to go with
you to the rebuilder to help advise you about what the rebuilder tells
you. His email address is:
amace@unix2.nysed.gov
If there's no one available, or no one is willing to because of the
legal implications (and, yeah, that could be a problem), I'd file a
formal complaint with the local Better Business Bureau. If they can't
the rebuilder off the dime, I'd check on filing in small claims court.
A month, just to determine the cause of failure, is absurd. This guy
probably knows what went wrong, and knows that the damage is more severe
than just the cam, and he's probably going to have to buy you a new
engine--_if_ he provided you an unlimited short-term warranty.
If his warranty doesn't cover failure due to parts he didn't replace,
you may be stuck. If, for example, you broke an oil pump drive, and he
didn't replace it, and it's not covered in the warranty, you're out of
luck.
Cheers, Vince--hope you get it resolved to your satisfaction.
--
My other Triumph doesn't run, either....
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