I just had the rear main oil seal replaced (3rd time) as well as the front cam seal(2nd time). On my 1996 Mercury Villager 3.0 V6 128K I had all kinds of problems with this shop and was glad just to get it home and when I did I had my low oil pressure light on which I never had before, big surprise. I noticed the oil filter was not replaced and based on this shops past performance it wouldn't have surprised me if they drained the oil only to have put it right back in and reused the oil filter rather then changed it during the seal job. I suspected I had a clogged oil filter or pump because then I started having a lot of tappet noise like the top end was starved for oil. The oil level was topped off so I drained the oil replaced the filter and added 5W30 synthetic blend for engines over 75K miles Normally I used mobil 1 full synthetic but I had problems getting the leaks to stop after the seals were replaced and the shop replaced the oil with conventional and used straight SAE30 I think, then added stop leak (AFTER they replaced the seals) that was last June, so last week they had to replace the seals again as the job didn't take and left me with a low oil pressure light, now what are the odds that it was pure coincidental.. I replaced the oil and filter that problem as well as the tappet noise has totally gone away, not even a flicker of the oil pressure light . Just wanted to give a little history on this motor... now for the questions or debate...
I have 2 questions, is it safe to run a synthetic blend right after a seal change, I know they recommend letting a new motor break in and not change over to synthetic until about 5000 miles so I was wondering am I safe with these many miles to change to a synthetic blend right after a seal change or am I risking seal failure or leaking again...
2nd question, this shops mechanics are really suspect and I use the term mechanic very loosely , I had to bring it back because they left a protective plate hanging off the bottom of my motor that was scraping the ground as I drove, I found connectors in the engine compartment left unplugged as well, so based on these acts of total incompetence I find the van has NO low end power, I can floor the gas pedal and it goes nowhere until about 20mph and then it finally starts to take off, at idle when you rev the gas it sputters and backfires into the plenum. Based on the fact they had to have removed the timing belt to have changed the cam seal does it sound like they mistimed the motor when they put the timing belt back on and missed a tooth on alignment? if these guys were even aware that something like aligning the gears was critical to timing.
I think this shop found some guys off the street gave them blue shirts and said here you can be my mechanic because things have happened to my car that just shouldn't have happened, they should stick to checking tire pressures because engine repair is way out of their league...
Thanks Bill

Am surprised that they didn't insist on changing the air in your tires as well and charge you for it.

Take your vehicle elsewhere and never go back there for one.

As far as running the synthetic oil for engines over 75K you don't have to wait to do it. And as far as the seal thing - never heard of that.

My Jeep has 179K on it and since I've been running the Valvoline synthetic my seals have actually gotten much better and I'm not going through any oil between oil changes like I used to using regular premium oil and not the synthetic.

Honey, those guys should spend some time in jail for what they've done to your van.

I've had main seals replaced and they didn't just miraculously leak the next year. Those guys are real amateurs. Please take your van to certified ASE mechanics and you won't have these problems. Frankly, I'm surprised that it runs at all after they got done with it.

The previous owners of this shop were sent to jail for embezzling over $400,000 from the village, how I have no idea.
I had the oil seals replaced by them previously when I had the timing belt changed as well as the water pump since it was all opened up and was recommended, well there was this terrible squeal when they were done, that they said oh the new belt is putting pressure on the belt pulley and we have to order a new pulley, OK sounds a little far fetched to me but either way they have to stop the noise. So my wife is driving it to work 2 days later doing 40 when she said everything just stopped no warning, all the lights went off and the engine died. She called me and said I was lucky I wasn't slammed into. I told her the timing belt snapped, so I had to wait for the shop to open and they had to come tow it and sure enough the squeal was they had tightened the belt so tight that it was squealing from the pressure. Oh yea real men of genius... Unfortunately I was already into them with money and warranty so I didn't want to pay for the oil leak to be fixed again be someone else especially the rear main as that is not cheap. Then earlier I had to have the rack replaced so they said at the time, I go and pick it up and as I leave the parking lot I hear the Same thump I heard when I brought it in so I turned it right around and said did anyone test drive this as the noise is still there, so I am driving this back and forth in the lot as they are all outside listening for the noise then I was able to reproduce it. They tell me that the rack was bad from stock and had to replace it... hey at that time it's their nickel, then when I go to leave my check engine light is on...
The best one is last week I brought it in for the oil leak and they said we have to put in an oversized sleeve and seal according to Ford. 2 days later I pick it up and I am driving to get my wife and I hear an engine knock. I take it back and they tell me it's a rod and the engine is shot to junk the van, my wife sitting in the van can't believe what she hears nor do I. Hear I have taken care of this vehicle since we had it 34K, oil changes every 3K tire rotations, tune ups etc... and all of a sudden I had a bad rod and they are telling me don't drive it that its junk that these rods go all the time without warhing (WHAT)?? So I drive it home and its still leaking oil like 1/2 a quart a week in my driveway. I put some RESTORE in it and a lot of the noise went away. The motor is quite when it is cold and only when heated up made noise. Had it looked and was told that it was a lifter and that stop leak was most likely the cause and now I am thinking that since it was still leaking oil that they never really did anything but maybe add atop leak and said come get it then when it did damage they tried to say oh junk the van as I don't think they wanted to bother because it was all under warranty and knew I would keep bring it back until the leak was stopped... but if I thought it was junk then they would never see it again...
So now the engine is totally quiet not a lifter sound whatsoever, doesn't burn a drop of oil and hopefully doesn't leak any oil either. My 17 year old son came home from work down the street and said Dad the van is junk it won't go past 20 mph, it takes forever to speed up. Now why does a 17 year old know there is something wrong when a mechanic doesn't know something isn't right? TIMING has to be off, surprised it starts
Sorry this is so long, thought you would get a kick out of reading how incompetent some mechanics are... Unfortunately I got caught up with these people and only kept going back because I paid them money and don't want to pay someone else to do the job again and let them off the hook, then again I probably should have, between a rock and a mountain I guess...
Bill