Re: 318 oil leak (was:Technical Questions)

From: Bruce Aaron Hefner (gt9742a@prism.gatech.edu)
Date: Fri Oct 17 1997 - 16:07:11 EDT


>
> Be really careful on this one, distributor shaft seal (Insert horror
> story here). In early September of 95 I noticed a few drops of oil under
> my 95 Dakota (318 V8, SLT CC, etc.). I took it to the dealer where I
> bought it thinking it was a head gasket problem. They inspected it and
> told me that the distributor casing was cracked and had to be replaced
> along with the distributor shaft seal (not covred under warranty and at
> less than 36,000 miles). Reluctantly I left my truck there for the
> replacement and picked it up the next day. I specifically instructed them
> to clean any oil which had leaked out off of the engine and exhaust
> manifold, if there was any. I picked up my truck the next day and drove
> home. Less than three miles down the road, I got a strong hydocarbon
> smell. I figured they didn't clean some oil which had leaked out. When I
> got home (a total of five miles) I lifted the hood to see if I could spot
> anything. there was no smoke or smell of burning hydrocarbon, so i
> figured if there was some leaked oil on a manifold it had burned off. the
> next morning i went off to work in the truck. After a few miles, the
> hydrocarbon smell was back. Just before i got to work (4 miles) i noticed
> the gas gauge had really dropped. As i backed into my parking space, i
> noticed a dark semi-circle on the parking lot which appeared to have come
> from the center of the truck. I got out and looked under the truck and
> somethnig was leaking out. I restarted the truck to head to the dealer
> (a mile away). I never made it out of the parking lot. The engine caught
> fire. I tried to release the hood, but the cable had already burned
> through. I got soemone to call the fire department while i tried to put
> the fire out with extinguishers. The fire department came quickly, but it
> was too late. They used a crowbar( :^O )to open the hood and finally put
> out the fire.
>
> naturally, the dealer denied all responsibility and wouldn't even help on
> a repalacement truck. To illustrate the condition of the truck, the
> insurance agent was amazed that there was not one rock chip, scratch or
> dent any where. I got an insurance check from allstate which enabled me
> to buy a brand new Dak (from another dealer) exactly like I had with a
> whole new warranty and the improvements the 93 didn't have with NO money
> out of my pocket.
>
> In any event, I still don't know what actually happened. But, there was
> no fuel leak before this replacement, the oil leak was only a day old and
> the truck was in excellent condition. If i ever need work on the engine
> again that i can't do, i will watch every second of it.

Man, I hope you never went back to that dealer again, I wouldn't let them
anywhere near a vehicle I owned after that, personally I probably would
have sued the dealership over it, but I guess it all turned out okay in
the end, nothing like getting something for free, huh.

Bruce



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