BAR Investigation of
KarKing Engine
Installation Dispute
Engine installed by KarKing performed poorly from day one,
idled poorly, stalled frequently, and had rusty cylinders, worn pistons with
broken rings,
with bent and burned valves.
Engine is estimated
to have 130,000 + miles,
not the 30,000
miles that was promised.
Observation :
Rust above and below where compression rings “clean” cylinder walls.
Cause of
excessively noisy idling and extremely poor performance.
Observation :
Rust above and below where compression rings would “clean” cylinder walls
Observation :
Missing bolt on exhaust manifold (top.)
Observation :
Missing bolts and missing nuts on exhaust manifold (bottom.)
Observation :
Oil pan seal has not been replaced recently (KK receipt ?)
Tire Pros
(Trent) and AAMCO (Hemet, Doug) diagnose as “rear seal.
Oil pan seal
could have been repaired locally.
Rear seal cost
$450-$500 -> Return to KarKing on warranty.
Renew
complaint about noisy poor running engine.
Ask George to
replace or to make it quiet ?
Either way, I
want an engine hat runs well and quietly.
Observation :
Flywheel has burned hot spots – not turned when clutch installed.
(KarKing claims I did not want to retain parts after repair.
I requested
parts to be returned to see wear on disk, and to see if oil contaminated disk ?
Why wouldn’t
KarKing keep parts to support their claim that rear seal was not the problem ?)
Observation :
Starter bolt hanging loose when engine is inspected.
Observation :
Coolant is thick and muddy with oil contamination
(See picture
of engine compartment with rust stains from overflow.)
Observation :
Broken rings – cause of excessive engine mechanical noise.
Cylinder wall
is grooved – has to be bored 20 over to compensate for wear.
Observation :
Extremely worn piston with excessive skirt wear.
Also excessive
oil buildup on piston tops.
Observation :
Piston compression rings should be “staggered”
Observation :
Irregular burn pattern of valves in each cylinder
Engine Serial
# ID plate showing that this is the
engine that KarKing installed.