Kevin Rutherfrauds $200000 Signature glider truck has complete engine failure!!!

The oil pressure wouldn't be that far off with 10 thousants, and there wouldn't necessarily be a knock either. And we don't know what oil pressure that engine ran or how it sounded since new. We're not talking about a whole lot off, but enough to wear in the middle. I have seen it done before. Results were over time low idle oil pressure and a slight bottom end rattle, but not a knock, and bearings worn in the middle like those.

 

it would of been off enough for a rational person to notice. and the knocking remark was a smart ##### remark on my part to this whole thing. everone has a theory with out knowing the whole story. not defending pp kr I don't buy or listen to them. speculation is all this is. I think it is hilarious !

 

It may not require friction. Just heat and time. It raises doubt for me just that there isn't documentation available to prove or disprove it. Seems it would be the first thing Microblue or even Rutherford would do is pull something apart with 100,000 miles to show it works. Spinning a newly assembled engine by hand is cool, why not one that's ran awhile ?

The point of being a responsible consumer and using the power of word of mouth is to prevent government regulators from having to do it. You and I sharing our experience with that company and putting our experiences in a public forum is the free market in action too. Too often we brag up things when the kool-aid tastes good. When it goes sour we clam up, creating a false image.

Why do you think they chose this inexperienced team anyway ? They probably hoped their naive optimism would produce great reports for the truck. They were certainly primed to brag up their big investment.

Wait and see what happens with the N14 build, but remember it is easier to find someone to say they built a great motor than it is to actually do so. Easier to manufacture evidence than produce the results.

On a side note. Pure speculation. What if the folks who sent PP the engine knew that PP was gonna tear down the engine, so rather than adhere to normal reman procedures they just slapped something together without much concern for cleanliness and proper lube, torque specs, etc....

And what if on the other end the PP team also got clever and figured they had a perfect reman, the truck already had fuel saving technology and owners motivated to give them glowing reports. Why bother building the engine ? So easy to pocket the money, who will ever know ?

Not saying that happened, but COULD it have happened ? [emoji6] [emoji106]

 

I don't have any theories to put in public, just wanting them to look at everything, no matter how off the wall it may sound. I would like to know the whole reason for this. I doubt the crank and bearings are mis-matched since all the bearings are not hurt to the extreme, but since they're in there, check it out.

And, who knows what the oil pressure was anyway. It could have been low and told the slickness of Microblue would cause oil to flow easier, causing low oil pressure. I have had experiences where an engine builder after a rebuild told me something was normal, to run it one trip, and it would clear up. I knew better, but that was all I was going to get out of them at the time, and guess what happened, lost a crank. Builders will claim all kinds of things are normal when they did the work and don't want to mess with it anymore.

 

You'd think they would just tell it, you know, because this is pretty serious. But to keep it secret? Sure Jackie does.

 

Maybe they should've just poored some Motorkote in it. And maybe a gallon of Lucas.

 

I'm sorry guys/gals but after reading all about this mess, I came to a conclusion that the owners should stop complaining, buy another engine from DD, put it in and start the recoup of the wasted money. If they need to or want to go after PP or Rutherford, then do it but really it seems that people who have had little experience with trucks and more importantly a bunch of people who hack trucks for a living can mess something up that should have been left alone.

One thing that I seem to be missing is this - what was the expected mileage break even point for these owners of the original costs of the truck as a glider out the door plus the costs of these so called great modifications off set by the hopefully great mileage savings?

The reason I ask is I have my fleet of trucks and they get average mileage but I would be hard pressed to put an investment of $200k to get back life time savings of say $100k - I don't see the advantages of it with the amount of mods that were done.

 

As skeptical as I might be about Microblue (I've considered but haven't made any purchases), I seriously doubt it would dissolve in hot oil. But I suppose it could. I haven't seen anything to support either case.

On the rest I tend to agree. I don't mind sharing the bad ideas I've pursued, but a lot of folks are afraid or ashamed to. Too bad, really.

Probably because their check cleared. Other than maybe a light screening to make sure they had an appearance that would properly represent the brands in a photo op, I don't think there was a lot of thought beyond getting paid. Probably wouldn't have been in a hurry to sign up the guy that wears the same track suit for two weeks, or the one with swastikas tattooed on his face.

I think the odds on a successful outcome would be similar no matter what engine they decide to build. However, after this disaster, I couldn't imagine them doing another one without carefully video documenting a clean-room assembly done by the book. I mean it's not like they don't have a capable, state of the art shop. Or so they say. I've delivered to the Aldi's right around the block from PP dozens of times and never bothered to drive through and check them out. Nothing against them. I'm satisfied with the service I get from my regular shop in Gainesville, GA that's 45 minutes from my house and am not interested in engaging another one 700 miles away.

Maybe the first case is possible, although I doubt it. I would expect it was a nothing special, stock crate engine that was going to whoever ordered the next one. Taken from an inventory of dozens, maybe hundreds, just like it, sitting on a dock somewhere.

As bad as this product was, I can't imagine PP risking their rep by knowingly not supplying premium parts as claimed and invoiced for. I can see Bruce and Kevin making a bigger deal out of this build than it merits. But I seriously doubt any criminal intent. I'll stick to my theory of the Lebowski pulling the wrong engine assembly out of stock to go into the signature glider, while the likely correct built motor with microblue guts is still sitting in a corner of the shop somewhere.

 

I guess what is amazing to me, aside from the engine, is that the original clutch AND a second clutch could be installed by the same shop and no one notice there are zero grease fittings on the cross shaft. That astounds me, not to mention whoever greased the truck for who knows how many times over the past year, if it was ever greased.

I'm betting someone is wishing they had towed that truck back and installed a new engine right from the start. May not have thought so to begin with, but wishes they had now.