My '00BlueOvalRanger is dead.



I've had this great little truck since November '04.
Three kids have used it, with my youngest daughter driving it every day for 3 years.

My youngest son started driving late, last March.

Friday before last, he decided to take the truck (without getting permision!) and go off-roading with one of his High School buddies.
(This was during their Christmas Break from school.)

He had asked permission to go to Bass Pro Shop, but his Mom told him, "No, you have homework to get ready, by Monday."

So, he sneaked off and went off-roading while we were at work.


I got a call from him at about 1:15 p.m., and he said that he couldn't get the truck started.
"Go back into the house and I'll take a look at it, when I get home."

"Dad, I'm not at home. I'm in White Plains (MD) and the truck is dead."


Long story short...... he took the truck through a "mud puddle" that turns out to be deeper than he thought.

That little 3.slow V6 got hydro-locked.

He got it towed to our local shop, where they let it sit outside, over the weekend.
Well, it got down to 5° that weekend, and the water froze in the cylinders.
Cylinders 2,3,5,6 had water/ice in them, with #6 being FULL of water/ice.
The air box was full of ice. 15 lb block of ice, to be exact!!!!!!!

Looks like I have to repower/rebuild this little engine.


My son's punishment.......... He is going to pay me $3,000 for the truck.
He is going to pay 100% of the repairs, whether "I" decide to junk the truck; rebuild the engine; get a junkyard engine; or get a crate motor.


I told him that I wouldn't be so angry/upset if he'd rolled the truck on the highway, but, to SNEAK OFF and destroy the engine...... is irresponsible.

I so badly wanted to that young lad.

And to think, his 18th birthday is at the end of the month.

 

Tough lesson. But maybe cheaper than paying full freight that could have been had there been a turnover in the water...

I would likely not be rebuilding that Vulcan if the cylinders cracked from the ice.

I sort of think the garage was a little casual with the truck, leaving it outside, if they were notified what had happened. I would get it thawed, spark plugs out, and crank it over to dispel any H2O. Disable fuel with the rollover switch disconnect, or the relay or fuse, and crank several turns. Put the plugs back in, and it'll start if the walls aren't cracked, might even then. But, you may have a 'short' connecting rod, due to curvature. If so, it will show up with a lumpy idle, I think.
If you don't like that plan, remove the intake and heads, and crank it over and dry the cylinder walls, coat with oil for rust prevention, and check the stroke to insure they are all the same.
tom

 

New motor, Keith..............Then NEVER let him drive it again, as he has breached your faith.
Next truck he hydro-locks will be one he paid for, not you.

 

He betrayed your trust, and should be punished accordingly. A little pain in the wallet just might do the trick.

Although, if I were your son, I'd try to mitigate the punishment by pointing out that, this is probably not the first time in history that a youngster took his old man's vehicle for a joy ride with his one of his buddies.

It worked for me, anyway. Once.

 

double post

 

I hear ya, Tom.
I felt like we were ignored, when they left the truck outside. I even discussed that with the owner.
Unfortunately, they didn't have any room inside. That was really discussed. I can understand that those that were getting work done (ahead of us) got 'first dibs' on the garage space.





Dave, it looks like that's what I'm gonna have to do.

A neighbor suggested talking to my insurance agent/company, since the truck has 'full' coverage.

He was saying to let them total the truck, then that'll put Brad in the 'hot seat' to where he has to get his own transportation.

The absolute worst part of this whole ordeal, is that he took the truck (without permission).
I've lost several nights' sleep, because of that.

 

Very sorry to read about the death of a truck you've owned for so long. At least you could bring it back to life with some work... and money. My 2 year olds are already starting to break my stuff, although not nearly to the extent you've experienced. Still it's no fun. The other day one broke part of the shade off the window and gave it to his brother. He was just about to rip off another one for himself before I stopped him. He just gave me this look like, "What?" It's hard to get angry with them at that age but I only hope I can be as level headed as it sounds like you were when something big happens later.

 

The worst thing lost is the trust that you had likely placed in him. Your expectations were terribly lowered, down near whale feces... and that is what hurts the most. The bucks are replaceable, but the trust has to be earned again -- from scratch. Ask him why you should trust him to do anything, to use your tools, to use your vehicles, etc. He has sadly shown a lot of disrespect to both parents. I know I'd be saddened that my expectations had to be re-evaluated in light of this.
But, you know, things will get better, and he'll likely toe the line. Give him some chances to show he can be trusted once again, and your attitude/emotional wringer will ease up.
tom

 

When i was 16 my dad had a clean 96 chevy z71. I use to beat the snot out of it. One night I took the truck while they were sleeping and totaled it. We had a nice LONG chat and in the end I forked over enough for a down payment on a new truck for my dad and bought the old z71 back from the insurance company and drove it for over ten years. I worked and worked to gain his trust back for years. And last year for his birthday i gave him the truck back fully restored and in better shape than when he bought it from my grandpa.

Long story short make him earn your trust back but don't be too hard on him. If it weren't for that life lesson i wouldn't be the man i am today. And i hope to teach that to my 10 month old son someday.

Good luck and remember the truck and engine is replaceable. He is not.

 

IMO, it would be an awful shame to junk the nice clean Ranger I see in the pic, when all it needs is a replacement engine.

I would also keep in mind the following: one of the last things an insurance company wants to hear is that a policyholder's 18 year-old son took the insured's vehicle for a spin against his parents' wishes, and ended up hydro-locking the engine.

 

That Ranger looks good enough to warrant a NEW 3.0..........not a J-yard special.

Start looking for at least a quality re-man engine.
I have had the motor in and out of my old Ranger so many times, I bet if I lived close, we could drop the new one in and be driving in a weekend.

And, your boy will be buying new sneakers, cause' that's his ride.

 

Peer pressure is pretty strong at that age. If he foots the bill in total with all of his earnings, I have a hunch it will be the last time he ever damages any of your belongings.Too bad the two of you couldn't get an engine and do the job. Not only would he be footing the bill but would have to do the actual repair.

 

Thanks for the posts, guys!

Brad knows that I've lost trust in him.
We've had a few conversations (more like monologues!) regarding trust, respect for others' property, and basic parental awareness.
This boy (he isn't 18 yet, so, he's not a man) is now on a VERY short leash.

The ONLY driving he's doing, is to/from school, and to/from wherever his Mom or I tell him to go. (And we're keeping track of mileage, too!)

Fortunately, I have that old '93 Lexus that's got a great drivetrain, so that he doesn't have to drive his sister's '11 Fiesta, or his Mom's '01 minivan.
(That would be punishment, enough!!!! Ha!)


For now, as I think about it, the more I think that that old Ranger is going to be re-powered. I do like that truck. It's not given me 15 minutes worth of problems.
I can get a re-manufactured engine for less than $3k, then, he's obligated to me for the $$$ and he can drive the wheels off of it.

 

"How do you know when a teenager is lying? When his lips are moving!" Judge Judy

Buy a cheap truck at an auction and make the teenager learn to fix it. (His brain is not fully developed yet so he needs some more time for learning) Short leash time for sure.

 

Well..... it's "Deciding Time".

Just got a call from the shop.

Cylinders #1 and #4 have good compression.
Cylinders #2, 3, 5, and 6 have issues. (I'm wagering cracked pistons, bent valves, or possible bent connecting rod[s].)

For a Jasper remanuf. engine, turn-key, I'm looking at a total of $5,077.00 This includes all labor/diagnostics, up to this point.
Engine comes with 3 yr./100,000 mile warranty.

He'll even put a new exhaust system on it, and drain/flush/fill the trans and front/rear differentials.


$5K is a lot of $$$ for a 14 year old truck!!!


For about the third time in my life, I don't know exactly what to do.


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