the connecting rod recall happened and we took it in for that. I believe ours was replaced.

There wasn't a connecting rod recall (although some here called it that) - it was a crankshaft problem. Specifically, they had a batch of incorrectly manufactured crankshafts that could end up causing a problem with the connecting rod bearings but it was actually the crank and not the rod as the root issue.

I'm surprised you don't know what happened as a result of bringing it in for the recall. It appears that you believe your connecting rod was replaced but they wouldn't have done that but they 'might' have replaced the crankshaft if they determined it was one of the faulty ones, otherwise they would've just inspected the crank and if it was fine they would've just replaced the bearings, which they did for every vehicle inspected. You need to find out exactly what was done when you brought it in. They should have records of it.

It makes sense that the chirping could've been due to a TB tensioner or pulley.

I'm surprised you're doing the TB/WP at 85K miles sine most don't do it until around 100K unless there's a problem with it.

There should be no tie between a TB replacement and a crankshaft failing.

If they actually replaced the crankshaft when you did the recall then calculate how long ago and how many miles ago it was and tell the dealership there's no way it should've worn that quickly so they must've erred on the work and they should replace it at no cost to you. They'll likely push back on that so prepare to present your position up the management chain there.

If they didn't replace the crankshaft then try the same argument stating they inspected it not long ago, deemed it to be fine, replaced the bearings as a result, and now it failed so they must've done something wrong on the process.

Finally, are you certain there's even a problem? What exactly do you see that 'looks bad'?

 

Hi
Thanks for the reply. We did the TB since it was 7 yrs and the recommended was that or 100k miles. In hindsight I wish I waited.

I looked up the records and the connecting rod bearings were replaced. When this came about last week they said the car was never opened up to this extent, which sounds like not true. The bearings were replaced almost 2 years ago. Could this wear (shown below) have happened since then? Could the bearing recall and replacement have caused it?

Here is a picture of it. They said that the hex that fits into the niche should bear the brunt of wear and in our case the hex is fine but the area around it (and the crank behind it, likely) are worn. The dealer said that they believe, given this outer wear, that it’s worn on inside and that crank would have to be replaced. They also said this is rare (also not sure if true).

They showed me what it should normally look like and this does look abnormal.

thoughts after seeing picture?