Now I Need a Remanufactured engine…
After driving around with the Check Engine light on for, let’s just say too many days, it turns out that a client now needs a remanufactured engine. It never ran poorly, so he thought it was something stupid, like having to spend money at the dealer just to turn the light off. That was a wrong move because when the check engine light comes on, in essence, that is the car communicating to you that it wants attention. Unfortunately, it can’t say, “I’m running too hot, I know you don’t realize it, but you better take me to an engine repair shop now or you will need a remanufactured engine soon”.
The point is that a lot of folks ignore the engine light, as if the problem is not there or it will go away. This gentleman’s problem went away as his motor had been overheating just enough that it cracked a head and burnt a hole in the top of a piston. Having to buy a remanufactured engine would not have been not required; all that was needed doing was to go to a repair shop when his car first communicated to him and fix the problem directly, which turned out to be the cooling system. The car would have then run at the proper temperature and not need a remanufactured engine.
The engine in his vehicle had aluminum heads, which are very sensitive to overheating. Ultimately, the underlying cause turned out to be a partially stuck thermostat, which is an occlusion in the cooling system that does not allow the coolant to flow through the entire system at the proper rate to cool correctly. This type of ignorance has caused many small issues to turn into major issues such as this. Another problem with ‘not having the time’ to stop and get a car checked out is that it will take ten times longer and cost considerably more money for a remanufactured engine. Overall, a five dollar thermostat and cooling system flush would have fixed the problem.
The next time you see your engine light on, you know to call your favorite engine repair shop and have the engine checked out as soon as you can. In fact, have the car towed if you have insurance or just want to be extra safe. That tow job may just save the need for a remanufactured engine in the future and, trust me, the check engine light has a lot to say to the scan tool and user. I know that it has saved me plenty of money on many occasions.
