Engine Disaster

[Brenton]

So, I've probably done 40-50 engines in the last 6 months. No real problems.

Had a guy come in with a 97 Protege, just bought it, and a filthy engine. I taped off the distributer cap and went to town like normal.

The car started okay, but was sluggish. After running it for a coupla minutes at 1500-2000 RPM, it seemed okay. He tried to get home, but broke down a couple of miles away.

I had the car towed to a garage: new distributor needed.

Uggh.

I didn't charge him for the job (duh!), and have offered him a wax for free. He was so pleased, and emailed me "thanking" me. Here it is:

I just wanted to contact you and thank you for your professional service today. My wife is very fussy about getting good service and she thought you were very accommodating under the circumstances.

We are pleased that we decided to send the car to the shop. The
verdict from City Shell is that the car might need a new distributor.
The added moisture might have sped up the dying process, but the cap and
rotor were indeed clear and dry. Sounds like a rotten coincidence that
today was the day for things to break.

I hope you and your family have a nice weekend. I'll send a final
update next week when everything is resolved.

I thought he was pretty good about it.

 

[Big Leegr]

Yep. He sounded pretty nice indeed. I know of some people that look for such instances to take advantage of others (free repairs, even if they were needed beforehand, etc.).
Lucky you! ....wait... I mean... well, you know.

 

[Brenton]

Sounds to me like it is the best of a bad situation. The guy could have hosed me. I could have told him to get lost. The mechanic could have ripped him off, or turned him on me.
Any mechanics out there think it is a reasonable explanation (dying distributor+water=dead).

 

[Hawaiianelement]

If the distibutor was taped off and was dry upon inspection I don't think you sped up the process. Glad to hear about the customer being reasonable..

 

[Brenton]

If the distibutor was taped off and was dry upon inspection I don't think you sped up the process. Glad to hear about the customer being reasonable..

That's what I can't figure out. I've done a lot without even taping off. I even blew this one off before removing the plastic.
I just wish I caught it right away. I could have removed the cap and cleaned & dried it out before the guy left. Live and learn.