Oregon Light Truck & RV Inc

Oregon Light Truck & RV was established in with the mission to service the light truck and RV segment of the automotive industryThis business is owned by myself, David E***We are a franchised Workhorse dealer, authorized warranty repair for Ford, Spartan and Monaco chassisWe employ
to technicians and associated office staffOur senior technicians, including myself are Workhorse factory trained and hold many certificates for other ongoing training programsI am a year Journeyman technician, holding many ASE certificates, experienced in Cummins, Cat and Detroit Diesel as well as virtually all gas engineOver the last years we have installed literally hundreds of engines of all makes and descriptions. We have replaced at least 8.1l Workhorse engines. We installed a new rebuilt engine in this vehicle in October The motorhome is powered by a Workhorse Wchassis with a GM 8.1L gasoline engineWe are aware of the failure which occurred recently, some miles after we installed the engine.#1 We purchased the replacement engine from Motorworks in Spokane, WAIt was purchased as a "long block"This means it came to us complete with the cylinder block, pistons, rods, crankshaft, timing gears and chainWe are responsible for transferring components from the old engine to the new long block, then installing the complete engineThe problem which caused the issue with this engine was the failure of the key which locates the timing sprocket on the crankshaftThese components are part of the long block, not installed by usThis key keeps the gear from rotating on the crankshaftIf this key fails the gear will move on the crankshaft and cause the engine valve timing to be incorrect. On this engine, valve and piston damage can occur when this happensThis does not ruin the engine but will necessitate repairsDue to the time involved, US Warranty elected to replace the long block rather than get the old engine repaired. This was the failure reported by the Chevrolet dealer who did the engine replacement.#2 When we received the engine from Motor Works we noted damage to the first or threads in the end of the crankshaftWe notified Motorworks and it was determined that the remaining threads exceeded the engineering standard and were more than adequate to retain the torque on that boltThe procedure for installing the dampener involves using a special GM tool to press the dampener on, then installing the retaining bolt and torqueing to the specified torque, which we did, using tools part # Jand torque spec of lbft.#3 The crankshaft dampener bolt, even if it had come out which it did not, cannot under any circumstances enter the engine as it is outside the front cover on the end of the crankshaft.#4 Motor Works never said we were at fault, in fact they reported that after checking our installation of the dampener, ie using the proper tooling and torquing the bolt to specthat we did all that was required and they held us at no faultContact Mike U***, owner at Motor Works in Spokane, WAph# 800-551-The warranty company, US warranty contacted us and reviewed our process and agreed that we did follow correct procedure and they did not hold us at faultContact Jay D*** at US Warranty Corpph# 800-233-9878. The Chevrolet dealer also said that, in their words, and I quote, "As far as determining who is at fault or placing blame, that is something we just cannot do in this situation."#5 It should also be noted that the customer's warranty policy included reimbursement for lodging and meals which they did receiveWe, Oregon Lt Truck and RV also advised the customer that we would, out of goodwill, contribute $to costs over and above anything they were reimbursed for. They refused this offer and it is now rescinded. In conclusion, we do not know what caused the key to fail, however we performed the installation following the procedure in the Workhorse technical manual, and used the proper toolingThe pictures which were sent to us, which we shared with Motor Works and US Warranty, clearly show the dampener was pressed all the way on.This was verified by both Motor Works and US WarrantyThey held us at no fault and paid the claimHad there been any doubt, they would not have paid this claim.The failure they experienced is not one I have encountered before. The key that failed should, as Mike U*** noted, be able to carry the timing gear load whether the dampener was against it or notIt is a mechanical part and parts fail, sometimes there is no good explanation. We feel that we made a goodwill offer to the customerWhile they were here during the initial repair, we went above and beyond to accommodate their needsTo state that we knowingly put a family of five in danger, and put peoples lives at risk to save a buck, is not only false, it also goes against the very core values that have kept us in business for over years.David E***