2003 4.8 needs new engine

[Zumwalt]

so i got the code p0300 random misfire... also had the cat rattle. they said its good to drive for a lil while longer till i can get time off work to fix.. well it didnt want to drive faster then 45 this morning and so i decided today to take it to the dealership.. had it towed half way there.. was told cats were collapsed when they replaced still was bad and now cylinder 7 has bad compression, i think its what they said.. Then they hit me with i need a new engine... anyone have experience with having a new engine put in from dealership with warranty??

 

[ccapehartusarmyINF.(ret)]

how do you still have a warranty on a 2003
or do you mean the engine the new engine they quoted you has a warranty

well if you do infact need a new engine the last place id go to is a dealership
unless they quoted it to you super cheap and knowing how dealerships work thats prolly not the case
so it depends on how much the dealer quoted you
i learnt my lesson years ago on an older vehicle i owned were i was in the position were i needed a new motor and learned later on down the road the shop took me to the cleaners

i recently did some shopping around because i have a 01 suburban with 227k miles on it
and ive found used 5.3 liter motors complete with less the 100k miles on them between 600 and 800 bucks
and ive found rebuilt 5.3 motors under 2k
you can get a GM 5.3 liter crate motor from GM for like 3300 with 2500 dollar core charge

so id definatly do some shopping get a second opinion hell get several second opinions before id hand over that kind of money on a GM dealer service centers say so

 

[bottomline2000]

I'm thinking cheap and ez. Did they check for a collapsed lifter in that cylinder? That could also cause a compression loss and it not necessarily be bad cylinder. I would ask them to pull valve covers and check all cylinders before saying "engine bad" but that's stealerships for ya..
.

 

[SLCHOE]

I'd get a second opinion from and independent shop. I wouldn't go in there telling them anything other than you had a P0300. See if they come to the same conclusion.

Something caused a rich condition and killed your cats. Just replacing the cats is half of the battle. You need to find the cause and address that as well. I happen to have a truck in the shop today with plugged exhaust/cats (2005 F-150 FX4 with the 5.4L 3 valve). Found the cause to be cracked exhaust manifolds. Atmospheric air was leaking into them before the upstream oxygen sensors diluting the exhaust gasses with excess oxygen. The PCM saw that and richened the a/f mixture (positive LTFT). The excess fuel left the cylinders unburnt and detonated in the catalytic converters, destroying them and plugging up the exhaust. If you were to just replace the cats you would be replacing the cats again in a few months.

 

[ccapehartusarmyINF.(ret)]

I'm thinking cheap and ez. Did they check for a collapsed lifter in that cylinder? That could also cause a compression loss and it not necessarily be bad cylinder. I would ask them to pull valve covers and check all cylinders before saying "engine bad" but that's stealerships for ya..
.

yes yes because when there footing the bill for a new engine boy to they make dam sure the ***** needs a new engine they sure as hell made me jump thru hoops

years ago i bought a 98 s-10 brand new and about 9000 miles later i was driving home one night and the motor was rattlin like crazy it behooved me to pull over and check the oil duh duh duh there was no oil in the basterd so i took it in the next day the dealer had it over night did a compression test one of the cylinders had like 40 psi when the rest had well into the hundreds
now the service center at the dealer ship made me do an oil consumption test every 1000 miles for 3000 miles before theyd consider replacing rebuilding once i finished with this "oil consumption test" i got the runaround for about a week or two something about warranty authorization on replacement engine we had to threaten legal action to get them on the stick
i had a brand bew block put in at 9000 miles on the odo and my warranty extended to 60k miles

 

[ccapehartusarmyINF.(ret)]

the only way id deal with a dealership service center is if there was absolutly no alternative

 

[SLCHOE]

I'm thinking cheap and ez. Did they check for a collapsed lifter in that cylinder? That could also cause a compression loss and it not necessarily be bad cylinder. I would ask them to pull valve covers and check all cylinders before saying "engine bad" but that's stealerships for ya..
.

Along with this thinking, have an indy shop do the diagnosis as I mentioned and if they also come to a low compression reading on that cylinder, ask them to pull the valve cover on that bank and check for the rocker arms to move full lift on both the intake and exhaust sides. The Dealership will charge you $$$ (at dealer shop rate - per hour - which here is $109) to do this while an indy shop like mine will charge you 1 hr diagnostic time at $82 to do it even if it takes 2-3 hours to get you your answer.

We make our money doing a proper repair at a fair rate. Diagnostics at a low set price brings in the business and gets us great reviews but we don't really make any money there. We want the repair work if there is repair work to be done.

 

[Zumwalt]

Thanks for the replys... i live in a city where i can not trust any other shop to do good work.. im only going with the dealership cuz my uncle is the service manager and gets me discounts.. still pretty pricey but i can rely on em.. I decided to go with a new engine from jasper. dealership supplying all new gaskets water pump new cats plugs wires hoses belts ect... 3yr 100k mile warranty. I will have them check heads and everything else to see if there was an issue to cause the cats to go.. also going jasper any additional work need to be done after they cover labor and parts cost. there was mention that they cover towing and hotel stay if i were to break down anywhere but ill research that...

 

[bottomline2000]

I have a Jasper Engines transmission and I bought that warranty that covered hotels and everything if I broke down b u t never had to use it. Transmission is still solid with no leaks after years of doing wrong things to it lol.."knocks on wood"