Re: Help!!!! Issue with shop and crank pin kit!!!
Keith of Keith's Pit Stop in Gettysburg did the work. I failed to notify them that the kit was an LS going into the LC3, so that is not their fault. It's mine, and they thought it was wrong for the car. My tuner is Fasterproms out of Tampa- the owner himself, Jeremy Formato. Keith's tore the car down, and reinstalled the new crank bolt. Charged me 9 hours labor when they had 17 in it. No shop parts/pieces. Fair. Car started at 408RWHP with the prior mods (Spectre intake, headers, full Borla, tune), and ended 453RWHP with the addition of the new mods (TC intake, TC heat exchanger, Jabsco pump, TC 2.4" pulley, ported TC throttle body, TC 62# injectors, & Fasterproms ported S/C). It runs like a whole new animal, totally different. The torque is unreal compared to what it was. Very happy with it. Forget the torque #s off-hand, but will post the slip later. Total for the job was $2443: ported blower ($900), tune ($290), blower shipping ($50), and the 9 hours of labor/tax/other bullsh!t ($1243), which includes the pinning debacle. Jeremy gave me a deal on the porting as he charged $900, when typically the rate on the CTS-V is closer to $1500. Tip each $100 for he work, and pay each in a check.
I leave at near 10:00pm after watching the next couple cars dyno. Set the DIC to display the "Oil Pressure" reading to monitor the car, and be safe. Thank gosh I did! Oil pressure runs 59-62 at 2000 rpm, after warming up from 101 psi at cold startup. About 20 miles from the shop, I get on it after topping off at a desolate gas station, as the road was drying out in that spot from the day's rainstorms. What a freight train! But my excitement was extremely short-lived. The oil pressure reading hits 62, then 34, then 17psi in about five seconds, and I immediately shut it down and coasted into a business' gravel parking lot/driveway 500-600 yards from where I pulled out. She didn't trip a code or light on the dash, I caught it that fast. I got my flashlight out of the trunk, and popped the hood anticipating crank bolt failure. My once clean engine bay with only 19,500 on it is COATED with oil - on EVERYTHING. We're talking a car that'd seen inclement weather maybe four or five times in it's life previous. F@CK. Since there was oil on the fans, I figured it'd have to be an oil cooler line if it was that far forward. Connection must've popped out. This after it was dynoed, which is crazy b/c you'd figure with the stress of tuning, it'd have grenaded anything loose or questionable on the rollers.
I tell you this NOT to say that the work was shoddy. Oversight for sure, but shit happens when you tune. I tell you this to tell you the character of both these folks, Keith and Jeremy. So Keith came out with the tow truck, we dollied the rear, and he towed me back to his shop to assess the issue. He should do that, you say, as it is his screwup. True, fair enough. He then offers to put me in a hotel for the night, which isn't an option for me, as my son's baptism was scheduled for 9 am the next morning, 166 miles away. And I'd already returned the rental car to the after hours drop box, so it's either fix it, or a one-way taxicab ride for me. We put a couple more quarts in, raise her on the lift, pull off the belly cover, and turn it over to pressurize the system and find the bleed. Upon raising it, I find that oil is ALL OVER the entire underside of the car. Underside stickers were still mint, and now they're friggin' brown. Looks like SH!T. F@CK again. Turns out the lower oil cooler connection came loose, and Keith reconnected it. The 10mm bolt holding the bracket just before the connection was never re tightened, allowing the line the play necessary to vibrate itself apart. Keith feels terrible. He douches the underside of the car with brake cleaner, as well as the engine bay and plastic underpan, offering to get the car detailed. I say don't bother, I'll detail it.
I leave, getting home at 4 am, oil pressure good the whole way, running through as much standing water as possible in the rainstorm, with the underpan removed to douche the oil off the undercarriage. Upon my arrival, I see the whole $1243.00 labor check on the floorboard. I texted my tuner that the check must've been stuck to the bottom of his computer after he removed it off the desk and placed it into my car to read my OBD2 for any codes after the oil debacle. He says that Keith felt so bad for the oil that he gave the entire check BACK to me. Now, that is OVERLY generous, but just a glimpse into the character and care of Keith and Jeremy, who worked until 1:30am to get me out. He and I will work something out when I call him this week to discuss what he feels is a fair compromise, given the oil issue and associated cleanup I'll have to complete.
Just wanted to highlight this as such consideration is rare these days.