Car started SMOKING, then bucking a little, now wrench light...

[OX1]

MAJOR UPDATE*** Oh this is getting worse and worse. I get a text just now from Krause:

"Good morning. Your vehicle will require further diag. The vehicle has low coolant and the motor will not spin. It will not even turn manually."

I called them right away and the SA said it needs to go to the "heavy engine line" to figure out what caused the engine to seize. If the DCT went bad, could that have seized the engine up as well?? I'm still under powertrain warranty but he said it depends on what caused the failure as to if it will be covered. I reminded him that THEY just did the oil change a few weeks ago and I've never had a low oil light come on or anything like that. What a mess this is turning into.

Sorry to hear. Wasn't it low on oil, since the first page of this thread?

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[kilobravo]

The vehicle has low coolant and the motor will not spin. It will not even turn manually."

HOLY CHIDT, Tom..SEIZED?!! WTFO?!

It turned normally when you brought it in, didn't it? This is an unbelievable chain of events and my heart goes out to you. Geeze, I truly hope that there's an answer to the frozen motor that isn't catastrophic and from what you've told us, I can't imagine what could have caused it just sitting there. Meanwhile, I will have lots of positive thoughts on the outcome.

 

[TeamGomez]

Hopped on the forum for some brain candy and down the rabbit hole I went with this thread. Sorry to hear about this Charlie Foxtrot that has stolen the pleasure of your fine steed.

As for the oil/dipstick photos, the dipstick in the 5.2 engine has been my #1 pet peeve. My 350 will show oil on one side (and filling the bottom hole) but the other side of the dipstick is spotty not unlike yours...I've never had a pull that showed the same amount on both sides. Cleaning the dipstick with glass cleaner helps get a better read but WTH? I'd like to drop the pan just to see where the stick lives....my guess is that it goes in at a crappy angle/in a baffle or whatever that produces these results.

Maybe your motor was seized when it was pulled on the flatbed? But where did the coolant go and how low was it? And asking for an auth to put a battery in for diag is horseshit and the service manager oughta get an ear full. But a blown tranny (can I say that w/o getting doxed?) and a seized motor has the ingredients of a serious challenge come warranty discussion time. I hope you followed thru and engaged Ford on this one and I like what was previously noted- reasonable people get reasonable outcomes. Betting Ford sends out a tech to look at it.

Subscribed and sending prayers your way for a healthy resolution that doesn't take years off your life battling with unreasonable people.

 

[tps7c]

UPDATE: Well guys, looks like Ford will be replacing the engine, under warranty. I decided to drive to the dealer and see if I could talk to the tech. When I got there my supercharger was in the trunk so I knew things were a mess lol. He told me I "dropped a valve" and it caused a catastrophic engine failure, there was metal everywhere in the engine. Engine only had 12k miles on it. I'm not sure what would have caused a valve to drop, but thankfully he said he doesn't see how Ford wouldn't cover this under warranty. He said the engines are in stock so we're probably looking at 1-2 weeks to get the car back to me.

Thanks again for all the advice and support guys!

 

[5-OH]

UPDATE: Well guys, looks like Ford will be replacing the engine, under warranty. I decided to drive to the dealer and see if I could talk to the tech. When I got there my supercharger was in the trunk so I knew things were a mess lol. He told me I "dropped a valve" and it caused a catastrophic engine failure, there was metal everywhere in the engine. Engine only had 12k miles on it. I'm not sure what would have caused a valve to drop, but thankfully he said he doesn't see how Ford wouldn't cover this under warranty. He said the engines are in stock so we're probably looking at 1-2 weeks to get the car back to me.

Thanks again for all the advice and support guys!

That’s crazy in reference to the engine, hopefully they check that trans out too. Hoping for nothing but luck to be on your side, any dealer will try their hardest to take the easy way out and not cover anything they’re like electricity and take the least path of resistance. That never works on the customers behalf. As far as the odyssey battery I can vouch for that. They do really well for high temps and long storage times.

 

[Unas2k5]

Do you really only have one car ?

 

[wazslow]

Do you really only have one car ?

Even if he has 30 cars, Ford should be paying for a rental.

 

[Unas2k5]

Even if he has 30 cars, Ford should be paying for a rental.

I agree. I was referring to how on the first page he wasn’t able to go to auto zone because he didn’t have another car. I’m glad their repairing his vehicle they definitely owe him a rental!

 

[Inthehighdesert]

What.. That makes zero sense. The service departments are there to make money. It’s not in their interest at to send a vehicle under warranty out the door not repaired. They get paid for the repairs by Ford.

That’s crazy in reference to the engine, hopefully they check that trans out too. Hoping for nothing but luck to be on your side, any dealer will try their hardest to take the easy way out and not cover anything they’re like electricity and take the least path of resistance. That never works on the customers behalf. As far as the odyssey battery I can vouch for that. They do really well for high temps and long storage times.

 

[tps7c]

I just heard that Ford approved the engine replacement under warranty and all the parts arrived at the dealer. Still on the "list" for a loaner car.

 

[Epiphany]

He told me I "dropped a valve" and it caused a catastrophic engine failure

Hmm. Makes me wonder if your tensioners were never released on the Niche line...

 

[JT1]

So the car had a bad DCT and a bad engine?

 

[tps7c]

So the car had a bad DCT and a bad engine?

The first issue was the transmission cooler, which they replaced under warranty. Then the engine failed due to a dropped valve. That's what has happened so far.

 

[blue5.slow]

There is no way your dipstick should have looked like that. That in itself is the most alarming. Your trans is trashed. Sure, you could maybe top it up after repairing the leak, but rest assured it is damaged and life has been taken off of that thing running it dry like that (if it still works).

My GT's dipstick has always read like that, one side either dry or small amounts of oil, the other side shows the actual oil level. Not sure why it does that but going 50k miles strong

 

[mavisky]

Hopped on the forum for some brain candy and down the rabbit hole I went with this thread. Sorry to hear about this Charlie Foxtrot that has stolen the pleasure of your fine steed.

As for the oil/dipstick photos, the dipstick in the 5.2 engine has been my #1 pet peeve. My 350 will show oil on one side (and filling the bottom hole) but the other side of the dipstick is spotty not unlike yours...I've never had a pull that showed the same amount on both sides. Cleaning the dipstick with glass cleaner helps get a better read but WTH? I'd like to drop the pan just to see where the stick lives....my guess is that it goes in at a crappy angle/in a baffle or whatever that produces these results.

Maybe your motor was seized when it was pulled on the flatbed? But where did the coolant go and how low was it? And asking for an auth to put a battery in for diag is horseshit and the service manager oughta get an ear full. But a blown tranny (can I say that w/o getting doxed?) and a seized motor has the ingredients of a serious challenge come warranty discussion time. I hope you followed thru and engaged Ford on this one and I like what was previously noted- reasonable people get reasonable outcomes. Betting Ford sends out a tech to look at it.

Subscribed and sending prayers your way for a healthy resolution that doesn't take years off your life battling with unreasonable people.

For what it's worth, I get better and more consistent readings by pulling the dipstick up between the strut tower bar and the firewall than I do if I pull it up the easier way in front of the strut tower brace.

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