Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) 24v gone at 14,000 miles

[Shovelhead]

Someone's guardian angel has been working overtime . Oo.



Way to go Dodge Boys... ...

Only one question... ... . What took so long?



17,886+ views... ... together we are strong.

Now about my lift pump and auto transmission... ... ... ... .....

 

[Texas Diesel]

Atleast they FINALLY came around.



Cant find anything else to say good about DC at this point.



Bet the F**D and Dura-Whatever boys had a field-day with DC's stupidity. What a shame but atleast they decided to do the right thing.

 

[Pit Bull]

This result speaks well of DC and the TDR. Makes me feel good about my warranty and the fact I decided to buy a Dodge CTD. Glad things worked out for your Dad WhiteKnight.

 

[illflem]

Re: UPDATE (2)

Originally posted by whiteknight





This afternoon Dad got a call from someone who said they were from Chrysler from somewhere in California that would not give their name but told dad that he had read what was going on

That not giving his name biz sounds fishy. I wouldn't clap till the check is in hand or new engine in truck. Wouldn't put it past some of these dishonest dealers to get half way though their part of it then tell you that you have to pay. Be careful

 

[dseabaugh]

My son subscribes to a number of boards (mostly Lightning, Mustangs etc) It unbelievable the things dealers do to many peoples trucks. Example he told me today: Furd Dealer took parts off one customers (A) truck and tried them on another customers truck (B) to try to figure out what was wrong. Customer A was not happy. Everytime there is a big deal like that or this Thread here, He calls me to talk all about it. I bet if the TDR could have gotten a commission on all the dura duds , And Smoke pokes that were sold because they sat on their deriers and let a couple of retired folks get beat up on warranty issues , we could have raised enough money to given them a new truck and hired a tow truck to send the old one packing through the show room window.

Thank you D. C. for FINALLY showing you can do the right thing. Doing the Whites right will sway my opinion back enough in D. C. 'S favor that I won't stand in the way if anyone else in the family wants to buy one of their products , but they are going to have to prove that this is not a one time deal and will continue to treat people fair before I'll trade in my old one for a new one. I was wanting a 2003 so bad that I couldn't think about anything else till this came up and it created such a sour taste I cleaned up the old truck and decided I could drive it for 15 years like my old one

 

[maint.man]

First of all , Congrats'

Now , there is only one thing that bothers me, You said they were goin' to furnish a "short" block . If the engine failed due to loss of oil pressure , which is what I assume , due to your findings. Then what about the head ? If I'm off base here , just let me know , but if it starved for oil , then the valve train can't be in any better shape than the bottom end . Just a thought. I lost a 454 once because of a lubrication problem . When it went , it started sounding like it had a bad lifter , turned out to be 2 spun mains , and a spun rod bearing . Long story short , it happened at idle , and the rocker arms , and valve stems were damaged and unusable. Not trying to rain on any parade , just want you to have the truck back good as new.

 

[tcourse]

Can't believe that

with the cost of labor, that they don't just drop a crate engine in it and be done. I'll bet DC could buy one for about 3-4 thou.



TC

 

[24V-DSL]

Ditto what illflem says....

No name, and he has the authority to tell you everything will be taken care of and btw, get the ~18K readers of this pathetic mess off our backs??



hope I'm wrong, but this is not how I'd handle the damage control if it were my company.

 

[Motorhead]

I agree with maintman. They should be putting in a long block at the very least. Any part used from the "contaminated" engine should be inspected and thoroughly cleaned.

Atleast glad to hear that they are going to make things good. Chris

 

[jconnolly]

Originally posted by whiteknight

My dad has a 2001 2500 that according to the dodge dealer blowed an oil filter gasket.



They were heading to church this past Sunday and got about 2 miles from home when mom heard (she was driving) a hissing noise and thought it was the radio. (dad likes AM) About the time they realized that it wasn't the radio, the engine started making a knocking noise and she said that she pulled of the highway and when she let off the accelerator the engine died. She said it happened so fast that she didn't notice what the oil pressure was doing or if there were any idiot lights on.



They called me at home and I went to see what happed. The engine was covered in oil, the underside of the hood had so much that it was running down and over the fender. We couldn't tell were it was coming from exactly so we called for a tow to the local dodge dealer. Dad said they never saw any smoke but could smell the oil when he got out to see what happened.



Today the dealer told dad that it had blown the oil filter gasket and had locked-up the engine. Not covered by warranty.



Dad had changed the oil about 4,000 miles ago was getting ready for an oil change this week so the filter had been on there a while. He had gotten the 4/2/1 kit from Geno's and I think he had a Fleetguard strata-pore filter on it. I just e-mailed Geno's for information on contacting cummins. Hope they will cover it or find the real cause to prove to Dodge.



I did a search here but didn't find anything that sounded like anyone else with this problem. Poor dad if its going to happen to anybody it would be him. Hope thats not an indication what the rest of the week is going to be like!

This has happened a lot in past years and they have changed the filter a little about a year ago. you need to know if the filter was still tight or it came loose if the oring broke I would go after cummins you is fleetguard if it came loose they will say someone did not install it properly. So line your duck up if you want to win but you can because I have been assoicated with more than one that came loose. They had us over torqueing them before they came out with this new seal and now I have a hard time getting some of them off because they are very sticky. A better filter to use is amsoil sdf-80 and use senthetic oil it may have run long enough to save it if you had it when this happened.

 

[1tuffram]

Hmmm, really does make you wonder what changed DC's mind (or so it appears at the moment). Maybe it was for the fact

Whitenight's folks where ready and willing to take this to arbitration along with having other parties like Fleetguard's filter analysis and an engine teardown analysis to back thier case. But I also wonder if DC's decision was influenced with the fact the TDR has 14,000+ members and a lot who followed this and the other Whitenight thread all expressed discontent with DC's handling of the matter. Could this be "power by numbers" and the TDR is finally getting large/powerful enough to "have a voice" and influence DC's thinking when it comes to matters of customer service and how to treat customers properly?? I think if we all stand together and show DC we will not tolerate thier corporate BS, we can make a difference.



I still think it would be of great benefit to the membership to pursue creating a "relieve fund" as mentioned in the other Whitenight thread (and like has come up in the past) for helping fellow members in times of need. Granted this case appears to have a happy ending at present, but maybe it was due to 14,000 TDR members willing to support the Whitenight's and many members willing to donate toward a "legal fund" for whitenight's parents (should it have gone that far) to not only hold DC responsibe for warranty coverage and the dealer accountable for thier BS, but show DC the TDR can be a supportive and influencial group when all come together.



How about it guys, does this fund idea even seem feasible?? Maybe if there was a way we could all rally and flood DC's corp office with calls and letters in future cases to let it be known we won't tolerate poor dealer business pratices or DC's BS "games" they like to pull or whatever else either party may have up thier sleeve for the unexpecting customer!

 

[John Berger]

That's great news, but it still sux that it took so long. Make sure to keep us posted on the work and what else you find out.

 

[Morphious]

While were at it, why don't we form a political action committee (PAC) and get some of the EPA and other Regs changed.....



Morph.

 

[E7mack96]

I'm all for a pac, I am a member of OOIDA and they do a good job.

 

[GDouglas]

Maybe the special fund that we all have been discussing here lately could come from an extra donation along with our yearly membership renewal dues. It might be the easiest way to handle all the money and it could go into an account managed by the Turbodiesel Register staff. What better people to trust with the potential amount of money that could be raised than our own beloved TDR?



Any thoughts about this from admin?

 

[Shovelhead]

Post from another time this issue was mentioned.



http://216.235.147.117/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26338&highlight=fund

 

[Hardrider5]

Blown Oil Filter

I've supervised hundreds of repair facilities for automotive & have been involved in these cases many times. You need to contact the filter supplier immediately & advise them of a possible filter failure. They may dispatch someone to inspect the filter & may even take possession of the filter for lab analysis. I've seen lab analysis that identify installation caused failures, gasket failures & mechanical engine problems that result in excess oil pressure causing the filter gasket to fail. Follow their direction & if they don't jump on it quickly, document & preserve everything.



Update - Sorry didnt read the multiple pages of posts & it sounds like you got the correct info.

 

[1tuffram]

Re: UPDATE

Originally posted by whiteknight





GOOD NEWS!

Dad got a call this morning from the Chrysler Zone Rep. that they are going to put a short block in it for him. Dad told him that we have already tore it apart and it was scattered all over the place but the Zone Rep said that was alright and he would make the arrangements to have the work done at the dealer in Potosi, MO. Since we tore it apart. (We stripped everything down to the bare block) I don't see a problem with the short block route.



We don't know what happened to change their mind but I'm glad it did.



I'll keep you posted!

I was thinking about this and one thing that comes to mind is what about the turbo? If the engine was running with little to no oil pressure and damaged occured to the engine, the turbo bearings probably took a hit also. Maybe there was enough of an oil film to protect the turbo bearings, but without a good supply of oil feed to the turbo I would also be concerned maybe the bearings got hot enough to possibly cause some oil coke formation... . which at a later time can dislodge and reap havoc at a later time. Just something to take into mind when considering DC's short block offer.



After all the aggravation, frustration, down-time and inconvenience DC put you guys through, I think they owe your parents a long block AND AN APOLOGY!



PS: Did this anonymous Chrysler employee who contacted you mention if they had anything to do with DC's sudden change of mind on warranting the engine?? I notice the Zone Rep and this other person called you on the same day, the Zone Rep in the morning and the anonymous Chrysler employee in the afternoon. How did he get you phone number? I don't recall it being posted. Anyway goes to show DC and/or dealers do browse here and this thread must have stirred the pot a little.

 

[whiteknight]

maint. man,

The head I don't think is hurt. We had to remove the rocker arms and push rods just to get at all the head bolts. The valve stems "looked" alright. We were planning on reusing the head ourselves but time will tell.



1tuffram,

We thought about the turbo and also the vacuum pump. Both have oil lines going to them but if they don't replace those right now, at least they are not that difficult to replace latter if need be.



A couple of other things we found when we tore in down was that the piston oiler for the #1 piston was broken off. We looked for it in the pan, on the shop floor, everywhere and never found it. We are wondering if it got broken off at the factory when the engine was being put together. Its just a little piece of hard plastic sticking out of the main bearing journal. Don't know if that would have started this whole mess or not. Also the oil return tube from the turbo has a short piece of rubber hose connecting it to the block that had been replaced sometime. The hose and clamps weren't like the rest on the engine.



Now, more about the phone calls:

My cousin who lives in Illinois had called my parents over the weekend for a family member's address. Dad got to telling him about the truck and my cousin said that he knew someone who works for Chrysler and used to be pretty high up in the warranty department and he would give him a call on Monday. (Dad said he never mentioned anything to my cousin or anyone else about the TDR. )



Tuesday Morning, the Zone Rep calls dad to tell him that they are going to fix the truck. He also tells him that he had talked to Cummins and that they were going to pay for it since it was their filter. I don't know I believe that one.



Tuesday afternoon, dad gets the call from the guy from California. (the area code on the caller ID is from California, no name though). This is the guy that said he had read what was on the TDR website. Dad said the guy from Calif. also said to have the dealer check the oil pressure regulator valve spring. He said some engines had springs in them that wouldn't allow the valve to open like it was supposed to. I did take the valve to Cummins and the valve wasn't stuck, but I didn't think about the spring. It sounds like there may have been some other engines that this has happened to.



We are trying to figure out if all these calls are related or if it was just a coincidence. We can't figure out how they could be connected.

 

[whiteknight]

BETTER NEWS

Dad went to the dealer (Not the original) that is going to fix his truck today to make the arrangements and the dealer told him they had ordered a whole new engine, not a short block. As of today it was towed to the dealer in Potosi, MO and they said they should hopefully have the new engine in and ready by Friday next week!



Thanks again everyone because I think that the TDR had a big influence on this outcome!