Knocking Under the Hood

Just over one month ago I took my Honda Accord into the dealership for recommended service at 204,000 miles. Part of the recommended service is having the timing belt replaced. Done! Picked it up at the end of the day, choked down the $1313.12 charge and was quite happy with the overall experience.

This past weekend there appeared a "knocking" in my engine - hmmmm. Hmmmm. After a brief inspection under the hood, it seemed my crankshaft pulley was wobbling in its rotation. This was a bit alarming to me. When the AC compressor kicked on the wobbling became very alarming. Hmmmm. I eventually put the car up on blocks and crawled underneath. There I found the lower cover shielding the timing and balance belts loose - three bolts behind the crankshaft pulley had backed out of their holes and were hitting the back of the pulley - the cause of the "knocking". Okay, not good - sloppy work - but not the cause of the wobbling crankshaft pulley.

I pulled out my Honda do-it-yourself book and found an exploded diagram under "Timing Belt Replacement." Said diagram shows an adjusting nut that goes through the crankshaft pulley, the lower cover, a gear holding the balancer belt, a gear holding the timing belt and into a shaft on the engine block where there is a keyway into which a key fits holding the whole system rigid and helping to maintain harmonic balance. For the crankshaft pulley to wobble, independent of the engine, the adjustment nut must be loose. If the adjustment nut is loose and considering I have driven the car 1411 miles since it was serviced, it is fair to say that the key way may be distorted such that it will no longer hold rigid. Further, if the key way is distorted and the system is out of harmonic balance, resonance caused by torque of the cylinders and vibration of the crankshaft at certain speeds will place stress on the crankshaft that it was not designed to withstand. This will cause the crankshaft to fail.

I'm beginning to get growly. It is imperative that I have reliable transportation - this is why I own a Honda and why I service it at Honda dealerships. They have certified service people. They go to Honda College. If for no other reason than they work on the same frickin engine day in and day out, this should be a fail safe place to bring a car for routine maintenance. I intend to drive this car for another five years. I intend to rack up another 100,000 miles on its tires. I'm hard enough on it that I don't need any help! Especially when I have to pay $1313.12 for such "help."

So, all wound up, I go into battle mode. I draw up my battle plans. I call in reinforcements in the form of my dad who taught me all I know about engines. I run my ideas past him and incorporate his advice. I'm bullet proof and I'm ready for war!

I call the dealership and ask to speak to a service manager. Mark comes on the line. I (remarkably calm and pleasant given the circumstances) tell Mark what the problem is and what I want him to do about it. I'd like him to send a wrecker to pick up my car. I'd like another car to drive while mine is in the shop. I'd like to review the problem with him in person as soon as my car arrives at the dealership. And I'd like him to pull the engine and remove the pulley, the cover, the timing and balance gears and belts all the way back to the key at the engine block where I'd like him to check the tolerance of the keyway. I'd like him to check for damage and replace any parts that are damaged. I finally take a breath and pause for his response. Mark says, "I'm very sorry for the problem. I will call a wrecker right now. Will you be coming in with the car?" WOW...

When I arrive at the dealership, my car is put up on a lift and Mark and I are joined by three mechanics to evaluate the problem. My assessment is confirmed and they remain focused on expert customer service: I'm sorry. We are responsible. We will solve the problem. It is truly an unexpected pleasure to not have to battle someone to do what they should. What does that say about our world anyway?

Keep your fingers crossed that nothing really bad has happened in the heart of my little car. I really really like my car.... a lot.