R28 Engine Replacement

[Vibert]

How many miles were on your oil when you had r28 done? Worried that I didn't have enough on mine before i did r28 and passed

[Vette2Viper]

How many miles were on your oil when you had r28 done? Worried that I didn't have enough on mine before i did r28 and passed

Mine was about 1400 and failed.

[Banzai88]

They should definitely replace the oil cooler and oil lines. Also make sure the tech does a TEC (Tooth Error Correction) relearn. This is required when you replace the engine. The PCM has to learn the specifics of the crank/flywheel.

Thanks for the info! I'll be sure to mention that to the tech.

[Banzai88]

How many miles were on your oil when you had r28 done? Worried that I didn't have enough on mine before i did r28 and passed

My oil had 3000 miles on it. Not sure if that makes a difference or not but it seems like it could.

[swexlin]

According to the SRT, the mileage on the oil means little. If there is contamination, even freshly changed oil will be contaminated as soon as it is circulated through the engine. Or so they say.

[supersnake]

That is quite so, But one with 100 miles on the oil versus one with 3000 miles will have for contamination in the filter. So it all comes down to what is the amount of contamination needed for failure. We will never know what the tolerance level will be. This is why I oil sample every oil change on all my Vipers. This way if something is coming apart there is a pattern from new to go by good or bad.

According to the SRT, the mileage on the oil means little. If there is contamination, even freshly changed oil will be contaminated as soon as it is circulated through the engine. Or so they say.

[KB Viper]

glad everything is working out. now i know where i'm going when i need major warranty work done to my Viper.

[Banzai88]

When I purchased mine, the rear diff also made a slight gear noise. I thought it was normal. However, over the course of 2,000 or so miles, the whine got louder and louder, up to the point of it being deafening in the cabin and it was present in any gear, at any speed and any RPM. It was clunking and grinding and puking fluid by the time I finally got it in to John. All he had to do was drive it through the service lane and the shop to know that the rear diff was completely shot.

Sure enough, when he pulled it out, the gears were eating themselves alive and there were metal shavings in the case. After he replaced mine, I was so surprised with how quiet it was because I had purchased the car with the already present whine. 1,600 miles into the new diff and it's still completely quiet.

Just make sure you break it in properly over 500 or so miles. It will be hard not to get on it, but it will be worth it in the long run.

Glad you're happy with John's work and service! Ask him about Brian's car next time you see him so he can tell you the horror stories he has uncovered with my car.

Thanks Rexius. Sorry to hear about your car issues, hope it all works out.
The service writer called me Friday and said they found metal shavings in the rear diff so it did have a problem.
Yes, I am very happy with John's service so far.

[Banzai88]

Hood back on.

[Banzai88]

Got these rear diff pics today. John said there was some metal debris and excessive backlash when he turned the yoke.

[swexlin]

Too many of these cars have diff issues - I wonder why. The Dana 44 is proven and has been around forever.

[Banzai88]

Picked up my car and they had it washed and cleaned up for me. Only drove it home about 17 miles so far and everything seems to be working fine. I did notice that the rear diff is a little quieter now. What I thought was normal noise before I guess was not.
Also, I don't know if I'm imagining it but the engine seems quieter too, strange.
I have to say that I'm very happy with the service I received from John and will be taking my SRT-10 Ram in to him next for it's recall. As I drive the Viper I'll post up any problems if they arise.

[Exhlr8n]

Nice to hear about positive service..!

[swexlin]

I did notice that the rear diff is a little quieter now. What I thought was normal noise before I guess was not. .

Amazing right. We get used to things. Glad to hear of your positive experience!

[The_Ruski_Driver]

Very carefully executed! Congratulations on a new motor and hopefully years of pleasure out of it.

[Brad00GTS]

Hey Ben,

How long did it take from start of problem to you driving away? Mine took almost 6 months, and we have another guy here going through this.

[One Viper Bite]

Hey Ben,

How long did it take from start of problem to you driving away? Mine took almost 6 months, and we have another guy here going through this.

Woah...

6 months for an engine replacement? That's absurd.

[Banzai88]

Hey Ben,

How long did it take from start of problem to you driving away? Mine took almost 6 months, and we have another guy here going through this.

Mine took exactly two weeks. I never had any problems with the car but just took it in because they said I needed a new engine. They gave me a loaner car for that time too.
I drove it to work today and the battery light came on with a little ding sound but no apparent problem.
Anyone know what that means? I'm taking it back to the dealer next Wednesday to check.

[Brad00GTS]

Woah...

6 months for an engine replacement? That's absurd.

That's why I eventually had them buy it back.

[Banzai88]

That's why I eventually had them buy it back.

Hi brad,
They bought back your ta? Are you getting an acr now?

[One Viper Bite]

Mine took exactly two weeks. I never had any problems with the car but just took it in because they said I needed a new engine. They gave me a loaner car for that time too.
I drove it to work today and the battery light came on with a little ding sound but no apparent problem.
Anyone know what that means? I'm taking it back to the dealer next Wednesday to check.

Try unhooking both battery cables, clean the terminals and bolt them back on. Mine did this the day I purchased it and continued to do it for a few days. The cables were a bit loose and not making good contact.

[Brad00GTS]

Hi brad,
They bought back your ta? Are you getting an acr now?

It's in the garage already

[Banzai88]

Try unhooking both battery cables, clean the terminals and bolt them back on. Mine did this the day I purchased it and continued to do it for a few days. The cables were a bit loose and not making good contact.

I'll try that this weekend along with a battery charger and see.
Thanks!

- - - Updated - - -

It's in the garage already

Awesome, congrats!

[Banzai88]

So, over the weekend the check engine light came on in addition to the battery light. Car runs fine so I drove the car back to the dealer today. John said he ran some tests and consulted with the Chrysler tech and they suggested replacing the pcm. So I guess we will see if that is the problem.

[Dman]

I'm no viper tech, but if they swapped a '16 motor in your '13, you'd need a completely new reprogramming of the PCM or a new PCM, I'm sure this has been discussed on here before, to the point that for guys with Arrow PCMs, if you get an engine swap like yours, the '13 version of the Arrow PCM won't work for you anymore and you'd need to swap for the new engine. Unless I'm hallucinating, it has been a long week already. If they didn't do that, hopefully that's all this is and you'll be set.