Busted
09-13-2008, 11:21
Well, we all have our moments when we wonder, perhaps briefly, if these engines are really worth it . . .:eek:
Our family just got home from beautiful Salmon Arm, BC, where we spent an extended weekend at a family camp. We drove the '97 G3500 van out, which is still running beatifully for the most part--17-18 miles per US gallon pulling a little trailer with about 800 pounds of luggage, etc.
Some friends from southern Alberta, also attending the camp with their '99 GMC diesel van, broke down on the way home. Loud clunk-clunk-clunking from the engine--you guessed it, broken crankshaft. Interesting part is, the motor is an AMG to the best of their knowlege, installed new less than five years ago and maybe 60K miles since then. Harmonic balancer still looks to be in great shape. The camp hosts loaned them a '97 Ferd 7.3PS van and sent them on their way while the van gets a new crank and bearings at the local shop.
Well, if this isn't the month for GM diesel vans--three days later, as some of us were driving from Kelowna to Salmon Arm after a nice morning picking peaches, our van started to stumble and die. Fuel filter brand new, IP less than 50K miles, LP working fine--must be the PMD . . . Friendly local member 6.5_Detroit_Diesel has a non-running '95 in his driveway and loaned us the PMD along with SSDS's big cooler. Sho' nuff, van's been running great ever since. Swap was done in a parking lot in about fifteen minutes--needless to say, I left the original in its place on the IP.
Two questions:
1. Why would a crankshaft in a low mileage AMG block break with a good HB on it?
2. What does one say to the Ferd people when two Chev diesel vans break down within days of each other, and the 7.3PSD has to come to the rescue?
Our family just got home from beautiful Salmon Arm, BC, where we spent an extended weekend at a family camp. We drove the '97 G3500 van out, which is still running beatifully for the most part--17-18 miles per US gallon pulling a little trailer with about 800 pounds of luggage, etc.
Some friends from southern Alberta, also attending the camp with their '99 GMC diesel van, broke down on the way home. Loud clunk-clunk-clunking from the engine--you guessed it, broken crankshaft. Interesting part is, the motor is an AMG to the best of their knowlege, installed new less than five years ago and maybe 60K miles since then. Harmonic balancer still looks to be in great shape. The camp hosts loaned them a '97 Ferd 7.3PS van and sent them on their way while the van gets a new crank and bearings at the local shop.
Well, if this isn't the month for GM diesel vans--three days later, as some of us were driving from Kelowna to Salmon Arm after a nice morning picking peaches, our van started to stumble and die. Fuel filter brand new, IP less than 50K miles, LP working fine--must be the PMD . . . Friendly local member 6.5_Detroit_Diesel has a non-running '95 in his driveway and loaned us the PMD along with SSDS's big cooler. Sho' nuff, van's been running great ever since. Swap was done in a parking lot in about fifteen minutes--needless to say, I left the original in its place on the IP.
Two questions:
1. Why would a crankshaft in a low mileage AMG block break with a good HB on it?
2. What does one say to the Ferd people when two Chev diesel vans break down within days of each other, and the 7.3PSD has to come to the rescue?