essooil

[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/davidl/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.png[/IMG]Hi, thanks for reading this post.

I have a Ford Mondeo MK4 2.3 TITANIUM X (automatic). It's a 58 plate. 23,000 miles. Duratec engine.

To cut a long story short, I didn't put any oil in for two years which caused serious damage to the engine. Its had a new crankshaft and a few other parts (piston rod?). After new brake pads, a service and air con re-charge the cost was £2,500. A friend in the motor trade said I was "lucky" (I dont feel lucky).


NIGGLE WITH ENGINE

Since the repair work my engine seems much more eager at idle. It's almost as though the choke has been pulled out slightly, a bit like you would expect in freezing conditions. Whilst it's not exactly noisy, it doesn't seem to "purr" like it used to.

It's also revving up then down slightly at idle. e.g. before the repair the revs were constant (around 500rpm at idle in Neutral or Park). Now the revs start at 600/650rpm, stay at 600/650 for a few seconds then rise to about 900rpm then drop back down to to 600/650. It never used to do this before. It used to be constant at idle before. I know this is only 300rpm but it's just so noticeable compared to what it used to be.


NIGGLE WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

It is also changing gear later than it did before. I'm not an expert on rpm, but when I'm accelerating and expect it to change up from say 3rd to 4th it doesnt make the gear change until a few seconds (maybe a few hundred revs?) later than it used to.


The garage who did the repair is a good friend of a friend and was recommended as someone who would do a good job at a fair price.

The car actually drives fine. It has started first time every time since I got it back on Saturday 21st April. I've tested the cruise control which works fine. It doesn’t stall or sound like it's going to stall. The mechanic who did the work told me it started on the second attempt after the engine was put back together which apparently is very good after a rebuild (or partial rebuild).

I know people say they are never the same after a major repair and this seems to be the case. The engine just doesn't seem quite right.

Could this be a timing issue? Does the engine need to be tuned using a special machine which the garage maybe didn't have? I know the mechanic wouldn't have known what the engine sounded like before the damage. He just heard a "bag O nails" when he collected it. Compared to that it's a hundred times better. It's just that when you've driven a vehicle for several hours a day for two years you quickly notice when something it different.

Should I just be grateful they fixed it or is there something that can be done?

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.