Chrysler recalling Sebring and Avenger yet again originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Oct 2007 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Twelve years ago, Jack Evans (founder and namesake of Evans Cooling) went to court with the claim that General Motors stole his design for a reverse-flow cooling system, a setup that was later put into production in GM's LT1 series of small-block V8s - and a design that was protected by Evan's patents. Such a cooling system sends cold water from the radiator directly to the heads and then to the block, which is opposite of a conventional arrangement. While it potentially offers a increase in cooling performance, some ingenuity is required to prevent the formation of steam bubbles, especially around the cylinder walls. Evans had designed a restricted vent to evacuate vapor and steam bubbles from the system, and states that GM stole his intellectual property during a test in 1989.

Lengthy litigation followed, with GM winning a 2003 case in Connecticut despite admitting that one of its engineers had falsified engineering documentation in an attempt to demonstrate that the technology had been developed in-house. Another trial is now scheduled to begin later this year, and it is said that GM may be on the hook for up to $12 billion in damages. More so, Evans believes that GM's GenIII small-block also uses his technology, even though that engine has conventional cooling flow.

More information on the case (albeit with an obvious bias towards the plaintiff's view_, can be found at a website Evans has set up to explain his side of the story.

[Sources: Fortune Small Business via Yahoo!]

Inventor may have $12 billion dollar claim against GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Jun 2006 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The bright orange Dexcool coolant used in many General Motors vehicles over the past decade promised to bring extended maintenance - 5 years or 150,000 miles - to cooling systems, but many owners instead found themselves with vehicles that required system flushes, gasket replacement, and even new radiators and heater cores just outside of the vehicle's warranty period. The blame for the problem depends on who you talk to, and the causes include the "stop-leak" pellets added at the factory, contamination with air from system leaks (Dexcool can quickly degrade when exposed to excess oxygen), and improper service that involved added non-Dexcool coolant or tap water to the cooling system.

Whatever the cause of the problem, several lawsuits have been filed in state and federal court by owners who, in many cases, are justified in their anger over the lack of performance by this coolant. A ruling may soon be forthcoming from a judge in East St. Louis, IL, that would result in a set of consolidated suits gaining class-action status - a move that would open up the lawsuits to involve potentially millions of GM customers. For its part, the automaker says that the recommend service interval in the owner's manual is exactly that - a recommendation, and not a warranty guarantee.

For what it's worth, the Autoblog staff has found that Dexcool works just fine in a cooling system that is free of contaminants and leaks, but indeed the stuff will turn into a gooey mess if mixed with anything but distilled water or if exposed to air. Also, those drivers who do not get their vehicles up to normal operating temperatures every trip may want to consider an accelerated coolant maintenance schedule.

GM Dexcool lawsuit may soon gain class-action status originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 May 2006 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.