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View Full Version : I Need a Good Diesel Mechanic in the Phoenix Area


TimK
12-12-2003, 22:08
The other day leaving work it sounds like my engine went to hell. At first is sounded like the exhaust started to get louder and then it sounded like rocks being chewed up in a very big blender. It not like any rod knock that I have ever heard. There was no fluid dripping, extra parts on the ground and the exhaust at idle looked normal. Although I might have seen the slightest wisp of black smoke from the driver side exhaust at idle. The engine isn't seized.

Anyways, I am on the road working in the Phoenix area for the next few months and I need to either find a good diesel mechanic to do an engine swap or if it's too expensive I might just get rid of the truck. I would hate to that. I just spent $3K getting the Th400 rebuilt. If someone could recommend a good diesel shop that knows something about 6.2L's in the Phoenix area I would appreciate the info.

TimK
kuhlrover@aol.com
SaintC
12-12-2003, 22:41
Drop the TC cover. I had the same thing happen a couple of years ago. The racket was amazing. It turned out that a couple of the flex plate bolts had either come loose, or come off entirely.
TimK
12-13-2003, 07:25
SaintC,

That was the first thing I had thought of. I just had the transmission replaced about 2000 miles ago because the torque converter bolts came loose and proceeded to tear up the bell housing on the tranny. It sounded very similiar to the last time I had this problem. Right now the truck is at the transmission place that did the original work on the truck. However, yesterday afternoon they called me and said the drop the TC cover and all the bolts were tight and with a preliminary look they didn't think it was the tranny. They are going to confirm that today.

TimK
britannic
12-13-2003, 08:15
When the internals inside the TC break up they can sound like rocks in a tumble dryer or worse!
SaintC
12-13-2003, 12:39
If it is not the flex bolts, and the tranny shop is saying it is not the TC, nor the tranny, are they also saying that they have isolated the "blender" to the engine itself?
I did not see if you have a turbo. I do not have one, but have read that when the prop goes bad, or gets something lodged in it, that it can make a racket.
I imagine the racket picks up as the rpms increase, but that could be anything.
Do you have a stethoscope for engines? I have one, and have not really found it to work, but who knows.
TimK
12-13-2003, 14:17
SaintC,

The tranny place was suppose to call me back 4 hours ago. They haven't yet. I am guessing they are looking at TC and making sure that when they did all that tranny replacement work a month ago, that they didn't screw it up. I may know more by Monday.

I don't have a turbo. The engine sounds so bad that my instinct is not to run it until I can figure out what it is. If the tranny place doesn't find anything, I'll try turning the engine over by hand and see if I feel anything.

TimK
SaintC
12-13-2003, 17:57
That brings up an interesting point. If in fact you have something seriously wrong with the engine, and the tranny shop is running the engine in order to diagnos the tranny, they may be causing more harm.

I have not thought of anything else that could make the kind of racket you are talking about.

So, let's hope it is the tranny or tc, and that they take care of it.