[DJ Wolfe]

Hi,

I have a 2008 mustang GT with 17,000 miles. I have full bolt-ons and When I got my hot rod cams installed and then put on the mustang dyno I put down 328rwhp and on the drive home my engine blew up!!!!! I was never pushing it. The max RPM i hit was 4000. Both the Dyno and the shop that installed the cams did not claim responsibility. Only the passenger side rockers, valves, and springs blew. I think the shop over/under tightened the cam bolts. I don't know what to do, they said it was faulty valve springs! By the way, the shop that installed them is Pro Modular Performance in Austin, Texas, and the Dyno is Murillo Motorsports in San Antonio. Let me know what you guys think!!

 

[DJ Wolfe]

I talked to a mechanic that knows his stuff and he said there is no way to prove it either way. He said that since my motor had such low miles that it was probably installed wrong.

 

[DJ Wolfe]

Does anyone know enough about my engine to give me advice???

 

[DJ Wolfe]

They were swapped from another car that ran fine with them. The guy wanted some more aggressive cams. I would love to go half and half, but they only gave me a 10% discount on labor!!!! I' am going to try and push for more. Is there anything legally i can do maybe???

 

[DJ Wolfe]

10% work on the blown motor. They convinced me at the time that they did nothing wrong, but now after doing some homework it seems more like they were lying. They were going to let the car sit there unless it was going to be paid for, so I said get it done and we would talk about it.

 

[DJ Wolfe]

Well, thats what i thought. I am going to try to get them to go 50/50, but the least I can do is say that Pro Modular Performance in Austin, Texas screwed me over and I don't recommend anyone use them. Even if there is a very very slight chance it was not their fault, they have given me crappy customer service during the whole process.

 

[DJ Wolfe]

Thanks for all the responses, I'll try to answer all your questions. I did not sign a waiver. They pulled the valve covers in front of me. The exact damage was cracked and out of place rocker arms, some scuffing on the cam shaft (all passenger side), and later, when i was not there he said there were some damage to the valves and some scratches to one piston. I did sign a waiver at the dyno, but that was not the shop that did the cam install. I am consulting a lawyer this week to find out where I stand. I am also going to ask what they torqued the cam bolts to. I heard that a mere 2lb of difference can cause engine failure. Oh, and the heads were pulled and they have been ported and polished.

 

[DJ Wolfe]

Almost forgot, after the install on the way to the dyno, the car would stall sometimes at a stand still, and the best that i can describe it is the engine did not like to sit still. After the dyno it ran great, and then boom the engine blew, on the trip back.

 

[DJ Wolfe]

yeah I know this situation sucks, but just to clarify I am not blaming the shop. It seems highly likely from what I have heard that it was their fault and at the very least they should accept a neutral standing given the circumstances.

 

[DJ Wolfe]

A/F Min 12.7
Max 13.7
Avg 13.0

 

[DJ Wolfe]

The shop that installed the cams told me that the car would run that way until i got the tune from the dyno, and yes the dyno pushed it to 6400 rpm or so. I find that weird since they are mild cams.

 

[DJ Wolfe]

Just talked to the owner of the shop and he said that the valve caps were torqued to 89 inch pounds. No way to prove that though. My issue now is would I be able to tell from the car wanting to stall before the tune that the valve caps were too loose??

 

[DJ Wolfe]

Well finally the shop is being responsive. They are going to help me out with part of the labor and the motor is being rebuilt to a forged 302 stroker. Luckily I haven't spend every penny on upgrades, and it makes sense to do a rebuild when the motor is already torn apart. It's a lot of money...I guess its worth it. Thanks for all the help guys. I talked to a lawyer and he said it was a dead end, and it would be really hard to prove anything.