Has paper towel really destroyed my engine?

[Punboy3]

My poor Griff 500's engine has been destroyed by overheating brought about by oil starvation.

Two years ago a garage removed my sump to do some work and from then on I was increasingly plagued by overheating.

I got another garage to investigate and they found paper towel sitting in the oil pickup, blocking it.

You don't have to be Columbo to suspect that the first garage were the culprits. Naturally they deny everything, saying it would have degraded and been consumed by the pressures and heat of the engine. They also say a subsequent oil change would have flushed it out. Their other gambit is that I colluded with the garage to put it there!

In anyone's considered experience, can paper towel survive in a sump for a couple of years, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Yes, we'll be going to court...

[rigga]

It will survive in a mush like state that will block the strainer, it also wouldn't be flushed out during an oil change
As often stated mistakes happen as we're all human, but its how these mistakes are rectified that counts, I wish you success in getting recompense.

[Punboy3]

Thanks Rigga - I made the 'I understand we all make mistakes' point in my first letter to them. Sadly, they couldn't give a fig.

The photos I have indeed show a nice pile of mush.

[Barreti]

How is christs name does somebody who calls themselves a professional and who earns their living working on cars leave a ruddy paper towel in the sump?

I'd be talking to whoever I could to get analysis on what you found in the sump and present the garage with their findings.

[DamianS3]

What was the oil pressure like ? I could be wrong but wasn't it low with it in there?

Good luck

Damian

[Punboy3]

Hi Damian,

Not particularly low, though the gauge is cranky, like they can often be. In the engine's last weeks, the needle shot off the scale as soon as you turned on the ignition and stayed there.

[Pit Pony]

Barreti said:

How is christs name does somebody who calls themselves a professional and who earns their living working on cars leave a ruddy paper towel in the sump?

It's one of the things that manufacturing engineers get paranoid about in aircraft engine assembly.
It's one of those things that repair and overhaul engineers get paranoid about too.

It happens that, people make mistakes. Nissan, I was told in the 1990's reckoned that the average operator makes 80 mistakes a year, unless you fool proof the task so it is impossible to make the mistake.

[Sardonicus]

rigga said:

It will survive in a mush like state that will block the strainer, it also wouldn't be flushed out during an oil change
As often stated mistakes happen as we're all human, but its how these mistakes are rectified that counts, I wish you success in getting recompense.

A monumental fk up in motor mechanic terms and should never happen period its called taking pride in your work