Shop replaced steering rack and outer tierods resulting in break down
11-18-2014, 04:10 PM
#1
Shop replaced steering rack and outer tierods resulting in break down In short I recently replaced my alternator myself and it worked flawlessly for a month so later I took it to the shop for the outer tierods and steering rack. It lasts 15 minutes then my voltage gauge drops into the red and plunges to nothing, all my gauges die and I get smoke in the cabin before I lose power steering and finally she died. (Was trying to make it back to the shop) I'm waiting on a tow truck as we speak but what in the blue hell could have happened? A line break and douse my alternator with power steering fluid?
Edit: The car is a 99 Z28.
Old rack had a bad leak which is why I replaced it
Edit: The car is a 99 Z28.
Old rack had a bad leak which is why I replaced it
11-19-2014, 01:14 AM
#5
I am very, very absolutely pissed right now.
I had my car towed back to their shop to have them look at what they screwed up. The FIRST thing he says when I got there was. "Oh hey btw you know your car was missing a bolt in the alternator right?" I told them I put that alternator on myself, there's only two bolts that hold it in on the brace. There's an area that looks like there needs to be a bolt on the bottom of it but it's just a sleeve as there's no threading around it or the alternator (and I had no bolts laying around when I took the stock one off). I even showed them by trying to move the alternator, it doesn't budge. The belt shows no mal-alignment wear or chews either. Finally I'm like, if there was a bolt missing you charged me $600 for this job I would not have cared for $10 for a bolt had you called me and let me know... They persist how my car has so many thousands of miles and how I dont know crap about mechanics. I'm like dude even if thats true why the hell do you think I came here to pay you $600? Its because I wanted the job done right I could have fucked my **** up myself if I wanted that. It goes on to how they believe its my fault because there's been oil under my 180,000 mile car and how my car is improperly taken care of. I'm like no **** sherlock there's going to be grease and oil under a car with this many miles (of which is actually being resolved because I recently had the rear main seal replaced and was preparing to replace the oil pan gasket to) ... I'm like the bottom line is, I had the car since June and it has been my DD - The car isnt a spring chicken but I have had NO mechanical problems with it to this date, why does my car leave your shop for fifteen minutes and immediately need a tow truck? They then insist on the power steering pump leaking. Which to a mild degree it is, not as bad as the steering rack. I knew about said leak though and its a very slow leak on top of which also hadnt caused any problems since I got this car till these jokers touched my car. Although I have intentions to replace the unit, my old rack was spraying fluid all over the K-Member and was determined to be the worst leak. In the end I decide I dont want them touching my car, Im going to dispute the charges and take it to court. I didn't tell them that, I just old them Im going to call a tow truck to get my car out their shop. Thats when **** got real. He locks my car in their bay and tells me they're closing up and I can pick it up in the morning AND he's going to charge me for the rack and labor fee of looking over my vehicle? I dont think so. I demanded he release my car and followed him, he threatened to start a fight and told me I didn't know who I was messing with and came right up on me... knife gets drawn... we get broken by another guy. I call the police as they're holding my property hostage for illegit charges. When they see me phone the cops they release my car ... Cops show up anyway and do ...pretty much nothing... in either case I have my car towed home and its a fossile. My driver side window switch literally caught fire and the connector to it is frayed black. I have the tow truck driver who towed it back to their shop as a witness to this as we had to disconnect the battery just to move it.
Before I go further of my current plans, what would you do at this point? I am seeking an attorney but Im unsure if one will really touch this or not. Am I limited to small claims court?
I had my car towed back to their shop to have them look at what they screwed up. The FIRST thing he says when I got there was. "Oh hey btw you know your car was missing a bolt in the alternator right?" I told them I put that alternator on myself, there's only two bolts that hold it in on the brace. There's an area that looks like there needs to be a bolt on the bottom of it but it's just a sleeve as there's no threading around it or the alternator (and I had no bolts laying around when I took the stock one off). I even showed them by trying to move the alternator, it doesn't budge. The belt shows no mal-alignment wear or chews either. Finally I'm like, if there was a bolt missing you charged me $600 for this job I would not have cared for $10 for a bolt had you called me and let me know... They persist how my car has so many thousands of miles and how I dont know crap about mechanics. I'm like dude even if thats true why the hell do you think I came here to pay you $600? Its because I wanted the job done right I could have fucked my **** up myself if I wanted that. It goes on to how they believe its my fault because there's been oil under my 180,000 mile car and how my car is improperly taken care of. I'm like no **** sherlock there's going to be grease and oil under a car with this many miles (of which is actually being resolved because I recently had the rear main seal replaced and was preparing to replace the oil pan gasket to) ... I'm like the bottom line is, I had the car since June and it has been my DD - The car isnt a spring chicken but I have had NO mechanical problems with it to this date, why does my car leave your shop for fifteen minutes and immediately need a tow truck? They then insist on the power steering pump leaking. Which to a mild degree it is, not as bad as the steering rack. I knew about said leak though and its a very slow leak on top of which also hadnt caused any problems since I got this car till these jokers touched my car. Although I have intentions to replace the unit, my old rack was spraying fluid all over the K-Member and was determined to be the worst leak. In the end I decide I dont want them touching my car, Im going to dispute the charges and take it to court. I didn't tell them that, I just old them Im going to call a tow truck to get my car out their shop. Thats when **** got real. He locks my car in their bay and tells me they're closing up and I can pick it up in the morning AND he's going to charge me for the rack and labor fee of looking over my vehicle? I dont think so. I demanded he release my car and followed him, he threatened to start a fight and told me I didn't know who I was messing with and came right up on me... knife gets drawn... we get broken by another guy. I call the police as they're holding my property hostage for illegit charges. When they see me phone the cops they release my car ... Cops show up anyway and do ...pretty much nothing... in either case I have my car towed home and its a fossile. My driver side window switch literally caught fire and the connector to it is frayed black. I have the tow truck driver who towed it back to their shop as a witness to this as we had to disconnect the battery just to move it.
Before I go further of my current plans, what would you do at this point? I am seeking an attorney but Im unsure if one will really touch this or not. Am I limited to small claims court?
Last edited by Need4Camaro; 11-19-2014 at 01:20 AM.
11-19-2014, 05:54 AM
#6
This could very well be your fault from a legal perspective. No matter who's at fault for the car's state of disrepair, the fact that you kept driving the car when you experienced steering problems could place the liability for the resulting oil fire on you. Taking legal action will probably just put you out more money on the entire episode.
It sounds like you had a larger P/S fluid leak, which led to an oil fire, right? I'm not sure how the alternator comes in to all of this. The fact that it was bathed in P/S fluid is not a problem. Everyone has that issue. If you had a lot of fluid in the bay, the alternator could have sparked and led to the fire - but lots of other stuff (like a hot engine block) could have done the same.
Without any other details, I'd assume this was related to the wires melting around the alternator.
You need to do some forensics work to figure out what really happened. A lot of times, fixing one thing can lead to problems in other areas. When you fixed the leak on the rack, this could have increased the pressure other parts of the system see. This could then cause other components to fail. Or, the shop may not have properly secured a hose - or something like that.
The only way to know for sure is to fix the car to a point where you can charge the P/S system and see where the fluid is leaking. ... Then you would need to fix whatever else is broken. This multi-step exercise could end up costing you a lot more than just moving on.
Will your insurance company pay for any of this?
It sounds like you had a larger P/S fluid leak, which led to an oil fire, right? I'm not sure how the alternator comes in to all of this. The fact that it was bathed in P/S fluid is not a problem. Everyone has that issue. If you had a lot of fluid in the bay, the alternator could have sparked and led to the fire - but lots of other stuff (like a hot engine block) could have done the same.
They then insist on the power steering pump leaking. Which to a mild degree it is, not as bad as the steering rack. I knew about said leak though and its a very slow leak on top of which also hadnt caused any problems since I got this car till these jokers touched my car. Although I have intentions to replace the unit, my old rack was spraying fluid all over the K-Member and was determined to be the worst leak.
The only way to know for sure is to fix the car to a point where you can charge the P/S system and see where the fluid is leaking. ... Then you would need to fix whatever else is broken. This multi-step exercise could end up costing you a lot more than just moving on.
Will your insurance company pay for any of this?
11-19-2014, 06:44 AM
#7
This could very well be your fault from a legal perspective. No matter who's at fault for the car's state of disrepair, the fact that you kept driving the car when you experienced steering problems could place the liability for the resulting oil fire on you. Taking legal action will probably just put you out more money on the entire episode.
It sounds like you had a larger P/S fluid leak, which led to an oil fire, right? I'm not sure how the alternator comes in to all of this. The fact that it was bathed in P/S fluid is not a problem. Everyone has that issue. If you had a lot of fluid in the bay, the alternator could have sparked and led to the fire - but lots of other stuff (like a hot engine block) could have done the same.
Without any other details, I'd assume this was related to the wires melting around the alternator.
Without any other details, I'd assume this was related to the wires melting around the alternator.
Nothing in the engine bay caught fire. The fires took place inside the car. My power window switch and other areas were smoking. There wasn't much warning for that either.
You need to do some forensics work to figure out what really happened. A lot of times, fixing one thing can lead to problems in other areas. When you fixed the leak on the rack, this could have increased the pressure other parts of the system see. This could then cause other components to fail. Or, the shop may not have properly secured a hose - or something like that.
The only way to know for sure is to fix the car to a point where you can charge the P/S system and see where the fluid is leaking. ... Then you would need to fix whatever else is broken. This multi-step exercise could end up costing you a lot more than just moving on.
Will your insurance company pay for any of this?
The only way to know for sure is to fix the car to a point where you can charge the P/S system and see where the fluid is leaking. ... Then you would need to fix whatever else is broken. This multi-step exercise could end up costing you a lot more than just moving on.
Will your insurance company pay for any of this?
As of right now the battery is dead, I'm hoping its not toast, its an Optima Red Top. The alternator definitely wasn't charging in the end or it wouldn't have died - maybe oil caused the belt to slip, I did see fluid on the belt. but there's fluid all over the place so I dont know what else was hurt if anything. The car didnt really even get to operating temperatures before the mishap occurred so I doubt anything in the ENGINE compartment got hot enough to catch fire unless it was on the exhaust manifold.
I was considering the insurance company but I'm mildly afraid of filing the claim because they may just total it given the wiring damage.. then again Im not exactly feeling safe about it myself.
In summary I was away from their shop about an hour give or take but it was roughly 3 - 4 miles to the grocery store which I noticed absolutely no problems. I spent time in the store, came out - cold start engine because it really didnt warm up on the drive to the store. On the way back is when I noticed the issues but I lost just about everything before I really had an opportunity to pull over.
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11-19-2014, 08:51 AM
#8
possibly the power steering system was not bled all the way or like already said, one repair led to another issue. as for the electrical the only thing i can see that could have happened was the fluid shorted out the alternator and there was a voltage spike. along those lines though a court may see it as you did something wrong when you installed the alternator or you used a crappy part since you are not a licensed mechanic.
11-19-2014, 09:04 AM
#9
the stock alt has 4 that hold it in place to the stock bracket the 3 large onesthat holt the alt and bracket and than one small i think its a 10 or 12mm in the back side my guess is its to keep it from twisting......as for the power steering I just fixed and issue where the alternator since mines bigger than stock (400A) and it arced and punched a hole about the size of a pen tip into the line cause massive amount of fluid to vent onto the alt.....the power loss was your car dying and grounding out.
depending on what line is ruptured replace it(if its a return line which im assuming it is the 1994 pontiace firebird V6 model uses a perfect 90 degree angle fitting which well grant you more clearance )(DO NOT USE THE 02 TRANS AM V6 return line is isnt shaped right ans is a waste of moneythey need to reengineer it. Remove your alt get the CRC electronice cleaner and spray it out and compress air dry and make sure all fluid is out.....use brake parts cleaner on the rest of everything especially since theirs gotta be fluid on your cats that stuff will smoke terribly. make sure everything is dry.......reinsert alt and hook all ther wires back up and make sure your belt is dry and fire it up and go from their.
depending on what line is ruptured replace it(if its a return line which im assuming it is the 1994 pontiace firebird V6 model uses a perfect 90 degree angle fitting which well grant you more clearance )(DO NOT USE THE 02 TRANS AM V6 return line is isnt shaped right ans is a waste of moneythey need to reengineer it. Remove your alt get the CRC electronice cleaner and spray it out and compress air dry and make sure all fluid is out.....use brake parts cleaner on the rest of everything especially since theirs gotta be fluid on your cats that stuff will smoke terribly. make sure everything is dry.......reinsert alt and hook all ther wires back up and make sure your belt is dry and fire it up and go from their.
11-19-2014, 09:58 AM
#10
the stock alt has 4 that hold it in place to the stock bracket the 3 large onesthat holt the alt and bracket and than one small i think its a 10 or 12mm in the back side my guess is its to keep it from twisting......as for the power steering I just fixed and issue where the alternator since mines bigger than stock (400A) and it arced and punched a hole about the size of a pen tip into the line cause massive amount of fluid to vent onto the alt.....the power loss was your car dying and grounding out.
depending on what line is ruptured replace it(if its a return line which im assuming it is the 1994 pontiace firebird V6 model uses a perfect 90 degree angle fitting which well grant you more clearance )(DO NOT USE THE 02 TRANS AM V6 return line is isnt shaped right ans is a waste of moneythey need to reengineer it. Remove your alt get the CRC electronice cleaner and spray it out and compress air dry and make sure all fluid is out.....use brake parts cleaner on the rest of everything especially since theirs gotta be fluid on your cats that stuff will smoke terribly. make sure everything is dry.......reinsert alt and hook all ther wires back up and make sure your belt is dry and fire it up and go from their.
depending on what line is ruptured replace it(if its a return line which im assuming it is the 1994 pontiace firebird V6 model uses a perfect 90 degree angle fitting which well grant you more clearance )(DO NOT USE THE 02 TRANS AM V6 return line is isnt shaped right ans is a waste of moneythey need to reengineer it. Remove your alt get the CRC electronice cleaner and spray it out and compress air dry and make sure all fluid is out.....use brake parts cleaner on the rest of everything especially since theirs gotta be fluid on your cats that stuff will smoke terribly. make sure everything is dry.......reinsert alt and hook all ther wires back up and make sure your belt is dry and fire it up and go from their.
11-19-2014, 02:57 PM
#11
I'd think it more likely that the battery drain is more closely related to whatever was causing your electrical short and smoking.
11-19-2014, 09:37 PM
#12
Think about this for a couple of days and move on. A lawyer is only going to cost you money and effort that you don't need. I heard of someone having a similar issue when their sons car went in for an oil change and they talked him into a fuel filter replacement. Broke the fitting to the fuel filter and tried to put it back together with zip ties. In the end a tube of crazy glue found its way into the shop's door locks.
12-02-2014, 10:55 AM
#13
It's after the Holidays and my insurance is now involved in this. There is a lot of damage. The initial cause is they reinstalled the alternator and shredded the alternator cable and it grounded against the motor. The ECM and BCM are finished. We aren't yet sure the extent of the wiring damage either but it's most likely totaled. I am going to have to sue them as I have proof they removed and reinstalled the alternator. The fluid was simply overfill.
12-02-2014, 09:27 PM
#15
It's after the Holidays and my insurance is now involved in this. There is a lot of damage. The initial cause is they reinstalled the alternator and shredded the alternator cable and it grounded against the motor. The ECM and BCM are finished. We aren't yet sure the extent of the wiring damage either but it's most likely totaled. I am going to have to sue them as I have proof they removed and reinstalled the alternator. The fluid was simply overfill.