bad day for the Yota...:(

[balactm]

So This past Thursday I was driving my truck around and it seemed a little sluggish, I thought, no big deal, it always feels sluggish, i've been driving jess's jeep and it just feels slow. Thursday night I was delivering for Campus Cookies and made a delivery to squire hill. As I pulled into the bottom of squire, it was idling at ~100 rpm...not good. So I shut it off, made the delivery and came back out to start her up, take her home and switch cars for the night. no dice. Wouldn't start, kept turning, no battery problems, nothing. Finally got her started, limped up devon lane where she then died at the light at port. Luckily for me, two of harrisonburg's finest were right behind me, and a tow truck (unfortunately teter's) was on port at a red light. Long story short, I got towed for a lovely fee back to my house where she sat til morning.

The next morning all i could think about was the crx, when it died like that on 64 and had jumped timing, so the first thing I did was check timing. check. major relief. pulled the plugs, wires, cap, noticed the rotor and cap were in terrible condition so made a trip to the zone and walked out with a new pair of headlights, air filter, cap, rotor, and pcv valve (it was pretty gunked up). She started right up. Unfortunately, everything was not alright. I changed the oil last week so i decided to check fluids. Oil - not good looking, a little bit of some odd discoloration. Checked the radiator, wasn't full, so I poured in half a bottle of coolant, then another half bottle of water, and then one more...eff. Checked the oil cap, major coolant in the oil. started her up to get warm and checked the dipstick, which was now covered in a coolant/oil mix. My day has been ruined. The car never overheated, or showed signs of overheating. The temp gauge works well and has never gone past halfway, and always starts on the coldside when it is in fact cold.

I know what you're thinking, "didn't he say there was a new jasper motor and transmission in this truck?" Why yes, yes i did. Or so I was told. I called the guy I bought the truck from and asked him plainly if it was indeed a new motor and tranny because I needed to know why I blew a headgasket on a 20,000 mile motor. He still says it's new. I called jasper who told me to find the jasper tag on the motor and give them the 6 digit warranty number. Again, no dice. The tag is no where to be found. There was a 6 digit number stamped on the radiator support, but that wasn't it. So, now i'm stuck will 2 cars that don't run. FML. I bought the truck so that I wouldn't have to worry about big things like a headgasket or timing chain while I was rebuilding the crx and had it off the road. Now, I have a truck with a blown head gasket making a lot of noise from the valves. Great. So as it stands now, I have to call the place that "performed" the work on the truck and see if they remember the truck, I have to call the previous owner and try and get the warranty number from him and then call a jasper dealer and see if they would even work on a truck that doesn't have the jasper tag, with the warrant info on the engine. I'm at the point where i need something reliable, with a real warranty that I know exists. I test drove a 08 ridgeline and absoutely love it. It seats 5 people, can get around in the snow, has a "bed" and is a very nice ride. It has 38,000 miles on it and it still under the manufacturer's warranty for another 5 years or 60k. I know it's not a real truck, but it does have a 5000 lb towing capacity, which is enough for what I would use it for.

I don't really know what to do with the truck at this point. I want to just sell it and be done with it. For as much work as I've put into this damn thing, it just isn't worth it in my eyes to keep it around. In a perfect world, I'd like to have the warranty work done on it, and then just sell it for like 3500-4000 if i could even get that (there are some crazy people out there). Anyone want to buy a truck?

Other than this giant problem, I drove the truck 11000 miles in 6 months, and never had serious problems with it, just little things that bugged the crap out of me, like the freaking wiring system. Totally effed. Also, after replacing the downpipe, gaskets, and o2 sensor, and checking the wiring from the o2 sensor to the ecu, the freaking CEL was still on for that damn thing. No idea there. I had been thinking lately with all these new noises that I really was lied to about the engine, because he also told me that the o2 sensor was fixed, and that obviously is not the case. I think I'm going to be lucky to get 2 grand out of it, which is a hell of a loss.

[Jake]

Damn Taylor, that sucks. Unfortunately, we all run into this sort of stuff from time to time... the joys of buying and owning cheap, old-as-dirt vehicles. There's always "something" and I know I've had instances where the "one little thing" I needed to do ended up being something much more intense.

I know you have Jess' Liberty to drive around, but if you guys need a second car for puttering around town, you are welcome to borrow the E30. It sputters and shudders and probably shouldn't be taken on the highway, but it's wheels. You have my number, holler if you need anything while you get this mess sorted out.

[WRXtranceformed]

That really stinks bro, it sounds like the guy might have lied to you but who knows. I blew the HG on one of my old Toyota pickups and I was still able to sell it for a couple hundred bucks. If you can afford to get a newer truck that would probably be your best bet, especially if you need a reliable DD. RJ has a Ridgeline and I think he still really likes it.

[balactm]

Damn Taylor, that sucks. Unfortunately, we all run into this sort of stuff from time to time... the joys of buying and owning cheap, old-as-dirt vehicles. There's always "something" and I know I've had instances where the "one little thing" I needed to do ended up being something much more intense.

I know you have Jess' Liberty to drive around, but if you guys need a second car for puttering around town, you are welcome to borrow the E30. It sputters and shudders and probably shouldn't be taken on the highway, but it's wheels. You have my number, holler if you need anything while you get this mess sorted out.

Thanks jake, If I need to I'll give you a call. I'm about 99.9% positive I want to get this ridgeline. It will at least allow to finally get a "big boy" car and then I could find the time to fix the truck and sell it for more than without fixing
it.

That really stinks bro, it sounds like the guy might have lied to you but who knows. I blew the HG on one of my old Toyota pickups and I was still able to sell it for a couple hundred bucks. If you can afford to get a newer truck that would probably be your best bet, especially if you need a reliable DD. RJ has a Ridgeline and I think he still really likes it.

Yeah, affording the truck is tight, but i should be able to make it. I already worked with the sales manager, and he was able to knock off a grand, which is pretty sweet in my eyes.

RJ, any cons I should know about on the ridgeline? I'd like to eventually get a small aluminum trailer for the crx if it becomes a strictly track car, and from some of the numbers I've crunched, I should be right about 70% of the towing capacity.

[D_Eclipse9916]

I thought about aluminum trailer, not worth the price. Maybe a couple hundred lbs. Although I dont have extensive experience (only had mine for 3 weeks now, but towed already over 8-900 miles (down to richmond, down to NCCAR, back up to richmond, to JMU, to NOVA, NOVA to Summit, Summit to JMU, JMU to NOVA). And I can tell you im glad I got a cheap (er) trailer. And im glad I got an open deck (also reduces the weight), as it provides a great platform to just pull the car up on and work on the car underneath, came in handy when I broke off my exhaust this past weekend. Gas mileage wouldnt make a difference with the aluminum/steel, and with everything you throw in for a track weekend/whatever shit your towing around its a lot more weight than you first think. Im really glad I didnt go for a 4runner, X5, stuff like that. Too light and the trailer will control you. And I can tell you now that I wouldnt feel comfortable towing my vehicle's recommended maximum trailer weight (8800lbs). Im at (1500lb trailer + M3 3100lbs) so 4600lbs almost half the weight and it pulls great and comfortable, but double that? Ehh id have to be paying attention. Hell, my girlfriend drove the Yukon with the m3 on the back for 2 hours on the way back from NCCAR and she only had praises for the truck when done driving it. I had one oh shit moment coming around a corner and if it wasnt for the weight of the yukon (now I know why they dont care) to pull too much weight out of them, the trailer definitely would have moved me around a lot more.

[balactm]

I thought about aluminum trailer, not worth the price. Maybe a couple hundred lbs. Although I dont have extensive experience (only had mine for 3 weeks now, but towed already over 8-900 miles (down to richmond, down to NCCAR, back up to richmond, to JMU, to NOVA, NOVA to Summit, Summit to JMU, JMU to NOVA). And I can tell you im glad I got a cheap (er) trailer. And im glad I got an open deck (also reduces the weight), as it provides a great platform to just pull the car up on and work on the car underneath, came in handy when I broke off my exhaust this past weekend. Gas mileage wouldnt make a difference with the aluminum/steel, and with everything you throw in for a track weekend/whatever shit your towing around its a lot more weight than you first think. Im really glad I didnt go for a 4runner, X5, stuff like that. Too light and the trailer will control you. And I can tell you now that I wouldnt feel comfortable towing my vehicle's recommended maximum trailer weight (8800lbs). Im at (1500lb trailer + M3 3100lbs) so 4600lbs almost half the weight and it pulls great and comfortable, but double that? Ehh id have to be paying attention. Hell, my girlfriend drove the Yukon with the m3 on the back for 2 hours on the way back from NCCAR and she only had praises for the truck when done driving it. I had one oh shit moment coming around a corner and if it wasnt for the weight of the yukon (now I know why they dont care) to pull too much weight out of them, the trailer definitely would have moved me around a lot more.

this brings up a good point. I think at the same time though, I doubt I'll be doing a whole lot of towing, I really like the idea of driving my car to events, but at the same time I also like the idea of being able to tow it there in case something breaks. I've read a bunch of places, that you're not supposed to exceed 80% of the towing capacity. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but even if I had a full cab, and the trailer and my car, I'd barely be at 85% of the towing capacity. That's my car, the trailer, and an extra 1000 pounds...I would imagine i'd be ok, and I would only get an open trailer. We towed my buddy's rx7 on an aluminum trailer with my dad's Oldsmobile "Old Gold" Silhouette with a 3000 lb towing capacity, which was scary as hell, but it made it. So I would imagine I'll be ok, for the rare times that I would need to tow it. I've ead a lot of good reviews about the ridgeline and not many bad ones, so I'm trying today to get funds in order to get the 08 that i drove around for a while on saturday.

[Jake]

Taylor, talk to Scott on here. He has a Ridgeline and tows his spec Miata with it. He generally likes it but I think he said it feels somewhat strained on hills. Would be good to get his opinion at least.


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[NTIman]

what engine is in the toyota?

[Evan]

i saw a ridgeline towing a c4 vette on a full deck steel trailer at summit once. rear was on the bumpstops, it looked like it was going to shit out its transmission just pulling out of the paddock.

[balactm]

what engine is in the toyota?

22re

i saw a ridgeline towing a c4 vette on a full deck steel trailer at summit once. rear was on the bumpstops, it looked like it was going to shit out its transmission just pulling out of the paddock.

how heavy are the c4's? My car will be just over 2000

EDIT: I looked it up, 3300 pounds and i'm guessing a realllly long trailer, cuz a c4 is about 30+ inches longer than my car. I'm hoping I can get my car on a 12 ft trailer. It's right over 12 ft in length.

On a side note, yesterday I put a deposit down on the 08 ridgeline i test drove. It has a for sale sign on it and will not be test driven anymore. Once I get a signature from my bank manager, who just so happened to be on vacation this week, I will be able to go pick it up. I'm super excited!!!

[NTIman]

22R... good deal.

If you do happen to need it fixed, let me know, I'd be willing to work on it if you don't mind it being down for a little while.

If you need any parts or anything, let me know, I can get OEM stuff for you a little cheaper.

[balactm]

22R... good deal.

If you do happen to need it fixed, let me know, I'd be willing to work on it if you don't mind it being down for a little while.

If you need any parts or anything, let me know, I can get OEM stuff for you a little cheaper.

ha. it's already down for a while... I have no problem working on the motor, i'm very comfortable taking it apart, at the time though, it's very time consuming and i just don't have a lot of time right now to be working on cars, and that time goes towards the crx because it was started first, and honestly at this point is more important. I appreciate the offer though. I think the only parts I'm going to need will be the head gasket, timing chain, steel timing guides, water pump, thermostat...you know typical tuff to replace when doing all that work. I'll probably put 200 or so into it and take the cb, head unit, and rear speakers, out and then sell it.

[NTIman]

While you're in there: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.toyotacatalog.net/M1WebGear/ProductDetails.aspx?PartUniqueID=05DAD30C-B2D9-4C6D-93EC-68A4C1049780">http://www.toyotacatalog.net/M1WebGear/ProductDetails.aspx?PartUniqueID=05DAD30C-B2D9-4C6D-93EC-68A4C1049780</a><!-- m -->

[balactm]

While you're in there: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.toyotacatalog.net/M1WebGear/ProductDetails.aspx?PartUniqueID=05DAD30C-B2D9-4C6D-93EC-68A4C1049780">http://www.toyotacatalog.net/M1WebGear/ProductDetails.aspx?PartUniqueID=05DAD30C-B2D9-4C6D-93EC-68A4C1049780</a><!-- m -->

ha! That'd be sooo sick. Too bad it's so expensive.

[balactm]

fack. finally got some time today to take stuff apart, and this motor is completely useless. no hatchmarks left on the cylinder walls, the pistons are covered in 4 different kinds of crap, and i'm done. my dad is a lawyer, so we're going to take action and try and get the guy to buy the truck back with some "persuasion." Either way, kinda pissed cuz i literally just bought all the parts to fix the damn thing...i'll take some pictures so you all can see my "brand new jasper motor" internals.

[CaptainHenreh]

Let this all be a lesson: "What's been done" only counts when you've got receipts...

[ViPER1313]

fack. finally got some time today to take stuff apart, and this motor is completely useless. no hatchmarks left on the cylinder walls, the pistons are covered in 4 different kinds of crap, and i'm done. my dad is a lawyer, so we're going to take action and try and get the guy to buy the truck back with some "persuasion." Either way, kinda pissed cuz i literally just bought all the parts to fix the damn thing...i'll take some pictures so you all can see my "brand new jasper motor" internals.

If I were that guy I would tell you to pound sand, and take action for harassment against you. No warranty expressed or implied. Unless he sold you the vehicle with a warranty he is under zero obligation to fix your problems. Just let it be a lesson to you that you need to throughly inspect a vehicle before you buy it. All the seller has to say in court is "I bought the truck, that seller told be it had a new Jasper motor, I'm not a mechanic, I sold it saying what I knew about the truck...."

[balactm]

ahh, see, he showed me paperwork indicating that the work had been done, and gave me the "warranty" number for the motor and tranny. so yes, rex, i do have "receptis." and he can't take action for harassment. I'm not actually going to threaten him. My dad (lawyer) is going to explain to him that what he has done is a felony in VA and jail time is a possibility. And Adam, he was the original owner of the vehicle. I thoroughly inspected the vehicle and with all the paperwork he gave me i didn't second guess it. It's not like i jumped the gun with truck and went "holy crap a new motor and tranny, mine!" I spent months looking for a truck and a couple weeks talking with the guy. It was false advertisement and fraud. NOT my fault

[ViPER1313]

Do you have any of this recorded or in writing with his signature on it?

[Ryan T]

It could only carry jail time if the Commonwealth chooses to prosecute him, which I highly doubt they ever would, especially since you've had the truck for a while. If you take him to court on a civil suit the best you can get is money, but I doubt you'd even get that. If you signed a bill of sale your done. Just take it as a learning lesson, you didn't do all your homework on the truck and ensure the information he provided was the truth and you paid the price for it. Cut your losses and move on.