THE cracked eagle crank with 150 miles on it from my engine!!!

[kikgas01]

My engine was brand new 440 stroked to a 500 with a EAGLE rotating assembly.......












Here is their response to me. They think it was broke prior to installation. They are calling their product JUNK!...........

That is a strange place for a crack to happen. Usually, cracks will originate in corners or other stress-concentration points. Heat-related fatigue due to improper oiling will not be a single crack. It will look more like a spider web around the entire journal. That could possibly have been there prior to installation. Was the crank turned or modified prior to installation? If you had noticed that before installation, we could have replaced it easily.

Also, if you wanted an 8-bolt flange, why didn't you order it with an 8-bolt flange (part number 444241506760)?

We have never had oiling issues with our Chrysler cranks before, so I do not believe it is a design problem.


Here is my 2 emails back to them.
email 1...
Of course it wasn`t that way prior to install. Why,should your crankshafts be broken prior to install? it was a BRAND NEW crank with 150 miles on it. Luckily I shut it off when it started to hammer or it would have ruined my entire engine.. I got by with a 3,700 dollar repair bill instead of having to buy another brand new 440 stroked to a 500.
email 2.....
I know another person who races 440`s and shelled 2 of them with Eagle cranks and guess what? It`s between 1 and 2 crank journal! Just like mine but over a little farther. If you don`t want to hear my concern that is fine. I have posted my problem on several websites with pics of it and can post the previous email about it possibly having a crack prior to installation if you want? I just wanted you to be aware of the problem and thought maybe I could be a asset to you, your company and your product just by checking your product against other products and comparing them so you could get a better product for the public but I don`t think you are interested. Thanks for responding anyway.
ALL I CAN DO IS WARN EVERYONE TO CHECK THEIR CRANKS FOR A CRACK BETWEEN 1 AND AND 2 JOURNAL ON THE CRANKSHAFTS!!!!

[RECHRGD]

That's a lot of money, time, and hassle to go through.  I know that most performance parts are not easily warrantied, but I would hope that they would have helped you out on this.  The trouble is in proving that it was their problem.  Bob

[kikgas01]

It says right in THEIR email they think is was broke PRIOR to installation!!!!!!!!

[RECHRGD]

It says right in THEIR email they think is was broke PRIOR to installation!!!!!!!!

Yes, I agree, but it looks like they want to put the burden on the customer to check their stuff out before installation or your just SOL.  Not good business.  Bob

[kikgas01]

Yup,they do. Nice 68 by the way!!!!!!

[tan top]

crikey  . good job you  caught that in time  could of been a big blow up !   , have you posted it up on moparts !!

[kikgas01]

sure did!

[kikgas01]

Here is Eagles new punch line for the public!!!! Or a slogan for their stickers.
Me Chinese,
Me play joke,
Me put big crack, in your stroke!

[John_Kunkel]

I'd be interested to know how deep the crack goes (X-ray?). Could be a shallow surface crack. Still not good.

[kikgas01]

Heat it up and oil oozes out.

[Chatt69chgr]

Obviously, the crank is junk and not going to be used now.  So-----what about taking it to a nearby big university to their metallurgy dept and give it to them to use in one of their courses with the idea that they give you a expert assessment of what caused the crack.  If they say it was inherent in the forging then that would be something to take back to Eagle to see if you could get some satisfaction.  If they still won't do anything, hit every forum on the net with the test results and Eagle's response.  If you can't get any satisfaction at least you can get even as a campaign like this would surely cost Eagle some $$.

[Silver R/T]

sucks to have that happen. Might as well get something from China. You'll get about same quality customer support

[Magnumcharger]

I'd be interested to know how deep the crack goes (X-ray?). Could be a shallow surface crack. Still not good.

Unfortunately, to determine the extent to that crack, X ray may not be the best course of action. The physical geometry of the part may well preclude getting a properly resolved image, especially since it's very thick steel.
Here's what I would do: find a person who is qualified in Ultrasonic shear wave inspections.
They can put an ultrasound probe alongside the crack pushing sound waves at an angle to get an on-screen representation of the crack depth.
A standard magnetic particle (Magnaflux) check will only tell how long the crack runs across the surface.

[firefighter3931]

Heat it up and oil oozes out.

It's fubarred, unfortunately 

Eagle cranks have generally been very reliable....i know lots of guys running them in 700hp applications with excellent results. My guess is that you got a defective forging. You would think that Eagle should make this right somehow....



Ron

[Belgium R/T -68]

Sorry for your troubles. The origin of the crack can be established in the right lab, should be of interest for Eagle aswell.

Per

[kikgas01]

Their latest response to me! I called customer service and they SAID the machine work WAS done overseas and this jerk sent me this!
I'm not going to get into a useless pissing match with you. I am part of customer service, and I know for a fact we do not tell anyone that because it is not true. Some initial machining is done overseas, but journal sizing and all critical machining is done here.

You obviously have made up your mind and there is no sense trying to convince you otherwise.

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: cooter davenport
    To: service@eaglerod.com
    Sent: Thursday, February 25, 2010 11:18 AM
    Subject: RE: I was wondering if all of your products were this good???

    Customer service said all machining was done overseas

[elacruze]

What's the Paul Harvey?

What started to hammer?

[Cooter]

Unfortunately, I'm seeing this more and more these days with the economy in the toilet...Customer service STOPS once you've bought the product...They will kiss your ass three ways from Sunday to get your money, but after the sale, and any problems show up, it's your fault...

Sad...I really don't think it will get any better as time goes on either. Once Companies get wind of the fact they can stand their ground and refuse to offer any kind of Cust. service when a problem arises with their product, they are NOT gonna go back to Providing any kind of Cust. service...

And to think, I was about to drop some Major Coin with them too...Damn...Sorry for your troubles Kikgas...I know how you feel Believe me....I guess It really is true about Eagle stuff being "China" crap...

Oh well, I guess that's why a Kellogg, Callies, etc. Cost $2000 For the same stroke crank....

[kikgas01]

I`m getting some mad on other sites. Apparently I said something wrong to them in my email> I dunno... My car NEVER went to the track, my engine had 150 STREET miles on it, I use my car for cruises and car shows not trips to the track. It started knocking, I pulled the engine and found the crack in my EAGLE crankshaft. That is it. Simple huh? Their customer service sucks and are very rude.

[Aero426]

I`m getting some mad on other sites. Apparently I said something wrong to them in my email> I dunno... My car NEVER went to the track, my engine had 150 STREET miles on it, I use my car for cruises and car shows not trips to the track. It started knocking, I pulled the engine and found the crack in my EAGLE crankshaft. That is it. Simple huh? Their customer service sucks and are very rude.

Just curious, what is the value / replacement cost of that crank from Eagle?

You would think they would do something to make it right. 

[last426]

Sounds like a defect.

[jeryst]

I think they are saying that you somehow damaged it before installation (dropping,bending,stress, etc), not that they made it badly.

And I disagree about the comments some have made, about companies not wanting to provide any customer service once the sale is made.
I worked for manufacturing companies for 25 years, and for the most part, customer service has gotten better out of necessity,
because it is sometime the only edge that you can get over your competition. If Eagle isnt taking that to heart, they wont be around
much longer.

The suggestion about taking it to a university for analysis is a good one. Find a school that offers a metallurgy degree, or materials engineering.
I'm back in college going for a mechanical engineering degree, but have had a few classes in materials so far. One of my professors is actually
the chief materials engineer for a local company that makes connecting rods. He tells us stories about customers that send in defective
products and it is up to him to decide if the defect was a manufacturing defect or not. He is more than eager to do the analysis to defend
his products because it means his reputation, and his companys future. He has shown us numerous cases where he could determine whether
the defect was caused by some manufacturing process. If it was, he quickly instituted measures to correct the situation and make sure it
couldnt happen again. I cant believe Eagle isnt as eager to discover potential problems with their products.

Next time you contact the company, do not speak to a customer service representative. Instead, ask for the receptionist, then ask for the
names and extensions of the Customer Service Manager, the Sales Manager, and the Chief Engineer/Metallurgist.
Make sure they are the ones that deal with the crankshaft products. Contact those people, and explain your situation to them. Do not
let them transfer you to a customer service rep. Tell them that you have already done that, and that you were treated rudely and got
no satisfaction from them. Tell them you have emails you can offer, if they would like to see them.

The Customer Service Manager may not be aware of how their phone rep treated you. Unless it is a company wide philosophy, they will come down
on the offenders very harshly. No Customer Service Manager wants to get called into the CEO's office to explain why their employees are being rude
to paying customers.

The Sales Manager will be the one that has to defend the product at trade shows, to existing customers, and to potential customers, if bad rumors start
to surface, so he will complain to the Customer Service Manager. No Sales Manager wants to get called into the CEO's office to explain why bad rumors are
circulating, or sales are down.

The Chief Engineer/Metallurgist will be interested because of his job, potential lawsuits, and possible loss of large (aftermarket suppliers,
auto makers, government, etc) contracts, not to mention the aforementioned trip to the CEO's office to explain why the company needs
to recall thousands or millions of parts when there was evidence that a problem existed and it could have all been avoided.

If they have any brains at all, they'll realize that replacing the crank for you is going to be cheaper than the alternatives.

If that doesnt work, then the only other thing you can do is post your side of the story on as many websites as you can. Then send emails to
the people mentioned above (and the CEO if you can get his email address), including the links to your threads, and an invitation to tell their side of the story.
Even if they don't do anything for you, it will show other potential customers that they may be in the same situation at some point, which will turn a lot of
people off to their products. I certainly wouldn't buy anything from them, based on what I have heard so far.

Oh, and BTW, if they want your crank for analysis, tell them they can have it once they send you a replacement.

[FLG]

First thing id do is get someone to determine WHY it was cracked. Im sure you didnt accidentally drop it or anything, but who's to say what happened before it got to you? Get that done first before bashing them in any way. Granted there customer service seems to completely SUCK! Just get your facts straight, because if its there machining process THAN you can rip em a new one. But if its something that maybe happened in shipping, or somewhere in between that cannot be determined, its best they at least send you a new crank or compensate you for it. But at least its not there tooling that is the problem, and they can still be trusted.

[tan top]

wonder if there was air pockets in the forging   &  by the stress in  a running motor heat / vibration  cycles ! it  cracked  
like what was mentioned  , be intresting to  xray it & have a look see

[Magnumcharger]

Like I said before...X-ray is probably not the best method to determine the extent of damage on this crank.