Darkbloodmon
Active Member
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2020
- Location
- Concord, NC
Wondering if anyone has any examples to share from that works in or around a fleet with these engines.
Neighbor asked me to do some work on his 15' Silverado V6 (Fleet work truck trim essentially, 4x2). He had the vehicle towed home by one of our AAA drivers for what I was told was a suspected alternator failure according to him. Me driving for AAA seeing happen with regular frequency I didn't think too much of it from what he "initially" described. "Driving, vehicle stalled out, battery light on, wouldn't turn over"
I email him a rock auto shopping cart with a New alternator and tell him to give me a call when it's delivered and I'll install it after I get home from work. Part gets in I install it. He's already got a new battery. I put the jump pack on it anyways, Power chimes are good, I turn the key to start and its just the starter attempting to turn the engine over, just a "clunk" of the plunger pushing the gear out. I think it's strange with the mileage(109K) the vehicle has on it and as much as he drives it (Retired, Navy Vet) that the starter would go out coincidentally at the same time of the alternator. I try tapping on the starter with a breaker bar and I'm getting nothing. Starter starts smoking from repeated attempts and I stop. With the information I've been told I can only think that the starter itself is "coincidentally" bad.
I email him another rock auto cart with a new Genuine GM starter(made by Mitsubishi...), Part gets in, I install it. I go to start it with my jump box on it. Truck attempts to start, starter is turning the engine over with alot of resistance. Engine finally starts and Its knocking like its about to punch a hole out the bottom end. Takes a bit for the engine to stop after the key is cut. I look over my work, Count all my tools and sockets and then start asking him more detailed questions about what exactly happened.
What had happened was....... : He was driving with the wife on the street. They heard a grinding noise then a dropping sound they thought it was another vehicle around them until theirs stalled out after loosing all power. One of our AAA drivers who towed the vehicle attempted to start it several times but the vehicle wouldn't turn over prior to towing it. Vehicle gets towed home and is put on the street. I thought this was strange that it was put on the street and not in his driveway. I usually ask when I'm towing someone's vehicle where they want it weather the street or driveway depending on what's wrong with it and what im able to do. From what I was initially told when he first asked me to work on it, I wondered why our driver didn't move the vehicle to the driveway if the alternator failed. You could easily put a jump box on it and drive it.
I compare the old starter to the new one and hook up some wires to it to test the old starter and as smoked as it was it was still turning but very, very slowly. I figure the old starter wasn't bad. But it was finished off by what ever mechanically failed in the engine that prevented it from rotating over with ease. New starter was stronger and able to turn it over past whatever was holding the old starter back.
I ask him to turn it over one more time so I can listen to it, and It's cranking the engine over much more before it turns over, So much so its sounds like its down on compression. It finally catches, starts and its the same god awful noise.
Bottom end is about to bust out of it, Vehicle is getting towed up to some land he has in China Grove to sit(HOA was sending him nasty notices about where it was parked on the street in front of his house), until he can finish the last 5 payments on it and decide where to go from there. Vehicle is out of it's factory warranty for the powertrain. Prior to this he's had no issues with the truck and drives it seldom being retired. I know the Ecotech is a GDI, the oil looked good and full prior to start up before and after my work, no burning smell from the cap. He kept up on his maintence.
Thoughts? Similar failures/symptoms?
Neighbor asked me to do some work on his 15' Silverado V6 (Fleet work truck trim essentially, 4x2). He had the vehicle towed home by one of our AAA drivers for what I was told was a suspected alternator failure according to him. Me driving for AAA seeing happen with regular frequency I didn't think too much of it from what he "initially" described. "Driving, vehicle stalled out, battery light on, wouldn't turn over"
I email him a rock auto shopping cart with a New alternator and tell him to give me a call when it's delivered and I'll install it after I get home from work. Part gets in I install it. He's already got a new battery. I put the jump pack on it anyways, Power chimes are good, I turn the key to start and its just the starter attempting to turn the engine over, just a "clunk" of the plunger pushing the gear out. I think it's strange with the mileage(109K) the vehicle has on it and as much as he drives it (Retired, Navy Vet) that the starter would go out coincidentally at the same time of the alternator. I try tapping on the starter with a breaker bar and I'm getting nothing. Starter starts smoking from repeated attempts and I stop. With the information I've been told I can only think that the starter itself is "coincidentally" bad.
I email him another rock auto cart with a new Genuine GM starter(made by Mitsubishi...), Part gets in, I install it. I go to start it with my jump box on it. Truck attempts to start, starter is turning the engine over with alot of resistance. Engine finally starts and Its knocking like its about to punch a hole out the bottom end. Takes a bit for the engine to stop after the key is cut. I look over my work, Count all my tools and sockets and then start asking him more detailed questions about what exactly happened.
What had happened was....... : He was driving with the wife on the street. They heard a grinding noise then a dropping sound they thought it was another vehicle around them until theirs stalled out after loosing all power. One of our AAA drivers who towed the vehicle attempted to start it several times but the vehicle wouldn't turn over prior to towing it. Vehicle gets towed home and is put on the street. I thought this was strange that it was put on the street and not in his driveway. I usually ask when I'm towing someone's vehicle where they want it weather the street or driveway depending on what's wrong with it and what im able to do. From what I was initially told when he first asked me to work on it, I wondered why our driver didn't move the vehicle to the driveway if the alternator failed. You could easily put a jump box on it and drive it.
I compare the old starter to the new one and hook up some wires to it to test the old starter and as smoked as it was it was still turning but very, very slowly. I figure the old starter wasn't bad. But it was finished off by what ever mechanically failed in the engine that prevented it from rotating over with ease. New starter was stronger and able to turn it over past whatever was holding the old starter back.
I ask him to turn it over one more time so I can listen to it, and It's cranking the engine over much more before it turns over, So much so its sounds like its down on compression. It finally catches, starts and its the same god awful noise.
Bottom end is about to bust out of it, Vehicle is getting towed up to some land he has in China Grove to sit(HOA was sending him nasty notices about where it was parked on the street in front of his house), until he can finish the last 5 payments on it and decide where to go from there. Vehicle is out of it's factory warranty for the powertrain. Prior to this he's had no issues with the truck and drives it seldom being retired. I know the Ecotech is a GDI, the oil looked good and full prior to start up before and after my work, no burning smell from the cap. He kept up on his maintence.
Thoughts? Similar failures/symptoms?
