2nd Engine in less than 3,000 miles.

United States
March 14, 2007 2:25pm CST
Back in January my engine went out and I got a new one. It's under warranty so I just paid the deductible. Well exactly 2 months to the day later it goes out again. I haven't even put 3,000 miles on it and yes I changed the oil. The thing is it's the same problem it had the last time. What do you think about this? What might have caused this?
4 people like this
12 responses
@kathy77 (7486)
• Australia
15 Mar 07
Oh I think that in this case that it may not be the engine that has caused these problems in the first place it could be something else have you taken your car to a mechanic as I think you should have this checked out with one.
2 people like this
• United States
15 Mar 07
That could be too. It's at a Pontiac dealer. They did look at it and they told me that I also have a transmission leak and have to replace the pan, the gasket and the fluid. So, maybe that caused the problem with the engine. Thanks for responding
1 person likes this
• United States
20 Mar 07
It would be extremely rare for a transmission to cause an engine to throw a rod. I'm not saying it didn't, but I have never heard of it happening in over 30 years of being a mechanic.
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
20 Mar 07
I had a Pontiac too. My transmission needed the same things and it caused my motor to blow. I really doubt it's all that rare. A bad transmission will make the motor over rev and that's an easy way to ruin a motor.
• Canada
15 Mar 07
Apparently, a lot of places will put in a rebuilt Engine as opposed to a brand new one, according to my dear partner. He says you need to double check and make them prove that it's a brand new engine they're putting in, especially if they're charging you for a brand new engine. There's no way a brand new engine should have gone that quickly - so it seems to point to the fact that the auto place replaced your engine with a rebuilt one instead of brand new. Good Luck with sorting this out!
2 people like this
• United States
15 Mar 07
Well I know it's not a new engine and it's not even rebuilt. It's a used engine. The warranty company won't put anything else in it. I wish I could get a brand new engine. That would make me feel better since I drive to Wisconsin a lot. Thanks for responding.
1 person likes this
@lpetges (3036)
• United States
15 Mar 07
bad luck! is this a new car,, cuz there is a lemon law to protect you. i would check into that maybe.
2 people like this
• United States
15 Mar 07
No it's not a new car. It's a 99 and I bought it back in July 06. I will still check into that because I don't know anything about the lemon law. Thanks for the information and for responding.
1 person likes this
@sizzle3000 (3036)
• United States
14 Mar 07
First off are you sure they gave you a new engine. Was it a rebuilt engine. Maybe you need to get the engine some where else. I worked auto parts retail for years and we sold new engines because we had a lot of problems with the rebuilt. You also need to make sure that is the right engine for your car. Check the block casting numbers to make sure they match up. Good luck
• United States
15 Mar 07
The engine was used. The warranty company bought it and that's the only place they use to buy engines or parts. I will check the block casting numbers to make sure they did order the right one. Thanks for the information it will come in handy.
1 person likes this
• Portugal
14 Mar 07
Well I have a car that cause me a lot of trouble. It's a Rover. I have to change the engine once and the new engine also got some problem too. So if your car is a Rover then it's probably due to some engine problem all Rover cars have.
2 people like this
• United States
15 Mar 07
No it's not a Rover. I have a Pontiac Grand Am GT. I think it's because the place the warranty company bought it from gave them a bad engine. But thanks for the heads up on the Rover just in case I might have wanted to buy one in the future.
1 person likes this
@LWatrous (101)
• United States
14 Mar 07
That's insane. I've never heard of that, but the luck I have, it would probably happen to me too. Have you had anyone look at it? Did it start knocking or anything?
2 people like this
• United States
15 Mar 07
I have had really bad luck with cars. My first car went out due to a reacuring head gasket. Yea I have it at a Pontiac dealership and they are working on it. It did start knocking really loud. It was scary because I was on the interstate driving through Chicago. Thanks for responding
1 person likes this
@weemam (13372)
21 Mar 07
Surely if it is under warranty they should put a new engine in , I think they are taking a loan of you pal , If I were you I would go to a new dealership , AS this was written 1 week ago I hope it has all been sorted for you xx
@14missy (3183)
• Australia
21 Mar 07
I think as you say the replacement engine was a dud! Have you got another yet? Surely you won't have to pay again when it is such a short time after the replacement was put in. I would put in a consumer complaint if they won't replace it again.
@finlander60 (1804)
• United States
15 Mar 07
In order to diagnose the problem, I need to know more than "It's the same problem it had the last time." What was the problem last time? A good description could help in the proper diagnosis of the problem. Tell me about the vehicle. Make, model, year, engine, how many miles did it have on it, what kind of driving...city?, highway?, stop and go?, all of the previous? Where was the engine replaced? By whom? Are you sure that the engine was really replaced?
• United States
15 Mar 07
The problem was the rods. The last rod went through the engine or something. This rod almost did but it didn't. I can't be really descriptive because I know nothing about engines. 99 Pontiac Grand Am GT. 3.6L. 114,000. I was on the highway when it started knocking but it does happen in the city and highway. It was replaced at a shop in town. It's Lauterbach in Springfield,IL. I don't know for sure that the engine was replaced but the warranty company bought it and was supposed to have it replaced. They told me they had to replace it since the rod was through the engine. Thanks for responding
@Tanika (632)
• Australia
22 Mar 07
Wow! Sorry to hear that Pebbles, you are certainly not having much luck with that car! I do not know what could have caused it sorry. Please let us know though because I am very curious. Maybe faulty design.. I hope you have better luck with it in the future. Tanika.
@cjsmom (1423)
• United States
15 Mar 07
Something is definitely wrong with those engines and you need to file a formal complaint with company. That way, they can recall all of the ones that are having the problem and fix them or trash them. Sorry to hear about that. Good luck.
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Mar 07
I will file a formal complaint with the company. However I'm not sure if I can because it was the warranty company that ordered it and paid for the engine. Thanks for responding and for the good luck.
@CatEyes (2448)
• United States
15 Mar 07
That does not sound right at all. I think it had to do with the engine you bought. I would have them replace it free of charge.
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Mar 07
No it doesn't sound right. The warranty company bought it and did have it replaced for free. Since this wasn't my fault obviously. Thanks for responding.