Long story short, I am rebuilding a stock d16y8. I had dropped everything off at the machine shop for the usual work so I can put it all together, this included having the rods removed from the old pistons/wrist pins and pressing the new wrist pins into the rods and new pistons along with the other usual work. Brought everything home to start assembly and noticed that the rods were not on the right way. The oil hole was facing the front. Probably not a big deal, but I am **** and i want everything to be exactly the way it is supposed to be. So I took it back to the machine shop to have it fixed, and when I picked them up I noticed that one of the piston were different from the others. I asked the guy about it (a real ******* *******) and he said that one of the pistons got gouged and he had to replace it. I asked if it weighed the same and he started bitching about how my job has done nothing but cause him problems. So I didn't really get a straight answer from him and just took my **** home cause like I said hes an *******. I get home and weigh the piston/rod assembly and of course the one that he replaced is 13g lighter than the others. I think this is going to be a problem because now my rotating assembly isn't going to be balanced. I just want to make sure that I'm not over reacting. Is this not a big enough difference to make a difference? Or should I bring these back to this ******* and tell him to fix the problem again? FML

 

13 grams?! Damn yes that will cause issues. Nasty nasty issues. The guy sounds like a total hack talking to you like that when hes the one thats doing the work.

Bring it to a different shop and have them balance your pistons. You might as well just have the whole rotating assembly balanced for good measure.

 

So he fucked up one of your pistons and just replaced it with any type of replacement..

No phone call or anything letting you know he fucked up. Thats some bullshit right there.

My machine shop called me when the piston height was different on the YCP pistons vs the stock pistons.


I would make that shop buy you a new set of pistons (or if replacing 1 is an option) and he can keep his pistons or the other 3. Then take your parts to someone else.


IDK how your engine has caused him nothing but problems.. at the end of the day its still an engine. Sounds like the problems were self inflicted.

 

yea man that will cause fair amount of bearing wear vs others, and not to mention the harmonics will be off as well. i would DEF take up with owner/shop manager and have them order complete set of new pistons from honda over that ordeal. or have them pay for another shop to balance whole rotating assembly

 

regardless of him being an *******, he needs to make everything right.

 

tell him to buy your set of pistons and refund the money so you can take it to another shop

 

And if you were to balance it to what you have now, you would have a funky balanced with bits take off parts that really didnt need it if evrything was right in the first place.

 

Just some perspective: one sheet of power towel (Brawny etc.) weighs 2 grams.

 

Hey guys thanks for the replies. I had just gotten home with the piston and weighed them before I wrote the post, so I was super heated needed to vent and get some feed back. I knew the difference would cause some serious problems. I just really hate the whole situation. I have never been treated this way by any shop ever. This is the whole story since it is a horror story and interesting non the less. I bought an ek, that had been run without any oil, for super cheap (650). I figured I could rebuild or swap, sell, and make a few dollars on the side. I eventually decided it would be more cost effective to rebuild so I pulled the d16y8, disassembled and took it to the machine shop that had given me the best quote (remember I am trying to do this for a profit). I had read some reviews that said this guy was good but, he took longer than usual. He had the lowest price by about 200 and said it would take about 3 weeks. No problem I wasnt in a huge hurry. From running the motor out of oil the crank was thrashed but he said he could get a core. Three weeks went by and I hadn't heard a word so I called. He said that he couldn't get the core and he was going to drop it off at another shop in sac that could weld it and turn it. Two more weeks go buy and there is no call or anything, so I stop by the shop to get everything. At this point I decided to get my parts whether there is a crank or not. I show up and he says that my crank needs a nitrite weld and it will cost a total of 260 for the crank work. I told him that I would find a crank else where and I would just like to get my stuff. He takes me through the shop like he's going to give me my other stuff that should have already been done. This is week five and he said it would be three weeks. Low and behold the head is still disassembled and hasn't been machined. He starts getting upset saying that he is super busy, mentioning two v8's that are sitting on stands saying that they are 8k jobs and have been there over 6 mo, etc. We end up getting into a huge argument and he says that he will get my head machined as soon as he gets new exhaust valves and guides in for it. I agree, looking back I should have just gotten my parts. I get a call the next week from his son, not him, that my head is done, and that the rod that they said they had (cause I had one that was shot would not work) was for a b series and they couldn't find one for the d series. The original plan was to buy a rebuild kit from him cause he had promised that it would be cheaper and better than I could get one line, so his son said that the rebuild kit would be about 400 which was not what we agreed on. I said I would just get it online then along with the rod. The next week I bring in the new pistons, rod, wrist pins, and valve seals to replace the ones they already installed on the head. The guy says that the crank shop in sac sent the crank and starts to blame me for him getting it when I clearly said I would get one else where, and that this point I had already paid and received it. Two weeks later still no call, so I swing by and pick everything up. When I get it home I start inspecting everything and notice that the rods are on the pistons backwards. Again probably not a huge deal, but I want the build to be exactly the way its supposed to be so that's when I bring them back to the douche, and the rest is in the original post.

I have decided that I'm going to bring them back to him and give him the option to fix it. I don't think there is enough extra material to mill the other pistons down 13 grams without compromising the integrity of the piston itself. So I believe new pistons are in order. I am going to request that he just write a check for a fair amount of 150, which would be enough for me to buy new pistons and take them to another shop to be pressed into the rods. I honestly don't think he will go for it being the ******* that he is. So really if he refuses what options do I have other than taking his *** to small claims court?
I really don't want to waste my time going that route but at the same time I am at the end of my rope with this *** and would do it out of the principle of the matter.
Again thanks for the time reading this novel and for the replies.