Bad fuel, dealer said entire sys needs replaced!

[Grizzly]

8 GALLONS?!?!

I wonder how much went out the breather tube before the truck was shut down?

I didn't know there was space for 8 gallons.

It does sound a bit too much!

 

[HBarlow]

Wygate,

I think it is fair to assume that this dealer service department interprets and reports details and facts that are as poor and haphazard as their diagnosis and repair skills.

Sag2 told me in an answer to a posted question a year or two ago that the way to measure the knowledge and skill of a Dodge dealer Cummins tech is to inquire about the tech's level of training and certification. He said a Level IV trained and certified tech has taken and passed all the Dodge-Cummins training and certification exams available to him. That method of evaluation is not perfect as there are very knowledgeable and very skilled diesel techs who have not taken or passed the training due to size and location of the dealership or other factors but it is a good way to get a snapshot look at the dealer's service department.

I'm not a mechanic so can easily be wrong but I would guess that your engine has one or more failed and stuck open injectors that have pumped a large volume of diesel fuel through the cylinders and into the crankcase. Water or other crud initially introduced to the fuel tank may have corroded or contamined injectors to cause that failure. Whatever, the engine is probably junk, IMO.

If the clowns who pretend to be diesel techs allowed that to happen and ran that engine I would not trust them or the engine.

If it were mine I would make some phone calls and do some internet searching and have a roll back wrecker dispatched to that dealer to retake possession of the truck and transport it to the nearest large city with a five star Dodge dealer AND a level IV trained and certified Dodge-Cummins technician to work on it.

Some regions of the country probably don't sell or service many Dodges with Cummins engines. I'd bet you have found one.

 

[tempforce]

better get the authorization from chrysler to move the truck to a different dealer. otherwise having the truck out of possession they may decline further warranty work. and the next dealer, that you take the truck to may have to charge you for otherwise warranted service.
just saying, make sure chrysler is on board with the move.

 

[Rams-n-Hogs]

Before they even started the truck, they should have replaced everything in the system, from the fuel tank to the injectors. The problem with moving it now, is they have had it too long, and done too much work on it, and who knows what they have messed up. They need to call Cummins, and have them send a real tech over to the dealer to look at it, if they can do that.

 

[Grizzly]

better get the authorization from chrysler to move the truck to a different dealer. otherwise having the truck out of possession they may decline further warranty work. and the next dealer, that you take the truck to may have to charge you for otherwise warranted service.

just saying, make sure chrysler is on board with the move.

I agree with Tempforce. If you just move the truck without proper authorization, you may just be shooting yourself in the foot.



I also agree with Harvey, a more competent diesel mechanic needs to analyze the entire situation. Call a Chrysler Rep, they're easy to talk to.

 

[gsbrockman]

better get the authorization from chrysler to move the truck to a different dealer

I'd bet any other dealer wouldn't touch that truck with a 39 1/2 foot pole.

 

[Wygate]

Yea I can't move it at this point.

I was told the truck would be ready today, drove 500 miles and guess what,not done! They are hiding behind UPS. If they had diagnosed the bad parts in the first place this would have been fixed over a week ago. It was a bad CP3 seal on the new pump that allowed the 5 gal in the case. This info I got from the official report logged with Chrysler, not the dealer.

Chrysler did infact offer an olive branch yesterday, and I accepeted as the truck was to be done Friday. Back on the phone for me.

I will fill everybody in with what I get when it is over, dont want to screw myself.



I will be out a truck 32 to 35 days by the time I am able to drive the 1000 mile round trip again, not to mention the cash I am out. I also had to leave my family 1000 miles from our home, this is just about the most F@#$ up thing I have ever even herd of. I will have logged around 4000 miles when this is all done!

 

[mikeshauling]

better get the authorization from chrysler to move the truck to a different dealer. otherwise having the truck out of possession they may decline further warranty work. and the next dealer, that you take the truck to may have to charge you for otherwise warranted service.

just saying, make sure chrysler is on board with the move.

Its your truck, take it if you want to. I took my 06 from a dealer to another, no problem. The first dealer couldnt figure out the knocking and was trying to tell me that they replaced 3 injectors that were bad. I went there and heard it still knocking. They said they were gonna keep looking for the problem. I asked them if it ran, they said yes, but it sounded bad. I drove it to another dealer 25 miles away. They replaced my shortblock and all 6 injectors under warranty. They said that i had a wristpin failure and it scored #1 cyl.

 

[Bob4x4]

Why are you keeping your family so far from home??? Send them home. Your life should not revolve around a broken machine.

 

[HBarlow]

I suppose it is possible for a new high pressure injection pump to have a faulty seal out of the box but IMO it is more likely that the guy who pretends to be a mechanic and is working on the truck damaged it during installation.

Some dealerships have real mechanics working on the line, some have only parts changers. I believe it is important for the consumer to figure out the difference and make his decisions accordingly.

 

[Wygate]

Why are you keeping your family so far from home??? Send them home. Your life should not revolve around a broken machine.

Wygate's wife again. We were heading from VA to MI for my husband's job, and to visit my parents when the vehicle broke down. My dad drove 16 hours round trip to get me, our 2 children, our 2 large dogs, and our 2 cats to MI. We didn't figure it would take 23+ days to fix the truck. That truck is our only way home since Chrysler won't give us a loaner vehicle or rental to get everyone back to VA - and I'm sure they wouldn't pay for plane tickets for 3 people, plus 2 dogs and cats! My husband is borrowing his FIL's Ford Mustang to get home (which he has been using since this mess started,) and that POS definately wouldn't fit the rest of us - plus our luggage!



We do have the trip interruption insurance thru Chrysler, but that would have capped out long ago if we got a rental 23 days ago.

 

[TCDiesel]

I hope You can put this behind you soon,I can only imagine the effect this has had on your family. Here's a picture of our Cat Bailey,As you can see he's alittle lay back but even he would be strees out with a trip like yours. He made the Cat Mag/Cal In Sept 2007. He's a hand full even at Home.



He weights 22LBS

 

[HBarlow]

Wygate's wife again. We were heading from VA to MI for my husband's job, and to visit my parents when the vehicle broke down. My dad drove 16 hours round trip to get me, our 2 children, our 2 large dogs, and our 2 cats to MI. We didn't figure it would take 23+ days to fix the truck. That truck is our only way home since Chrysler won't give us a loaner vehicle or rental to get everyone back to VA - and I'm sure they wouldn't pay for plane tickets for 3 people, plus 2 dogs and cats! My husband is borrowing his FIL's Ford Mustang to get home (which he has been using since this mess started,) and that POS definately wouldn't fit the rest of us - plus our luggage!

We do have the trip interruption insurance thru Chrysler, but that would have capped out long ago if we got a rental 23 days ago.

Mrs. Wygate,

We TDR members regret the problems you are having and the situation you are stuck in. If your husband is active duty Navy I am particularly aware of and sympathetic to your problems (I am retired Navy).

Unfortunately, it appears that your problems will continue indefinitely if your husband leaves the truck in the custody and care of that dealership that has been butchering it for weeks now. It is pretty clear from the reports we have read that the dealership in question is unlikely to produce a satisfactory resolution.

Wouldn't you be better off simply renting a mini-van from one of the big name rental agencies that allows one way drop offs and return home with your children and pets?

 

[Grizzly]

Wygate, Maybe it has already been said and I missed it because this thread is so long. Can you demand to Chrysler, with the help of an attorney, to replace your truck with a brand new one of your choice.

 

[Wygate]

Why are you keeping your family so far from home??? Send them home. Your life should not revolve around a broken machine.

Try to find a rental big enough for 2 adults 2 kids 2 large dogs 2 cats and tow a trailer.

I left them with wifes family.

 

[Wygate]

Wygate, Maybe it has already been said and I missed it because this thread is so long. Can you demand to Chrysler, with the help of an attorney, to replace your truck with a brand new one of your choice.

Griz,

I have done that, I also wrote a letter to the seinor VP of quality control. He got the letter last tuesday at 08:07 not a word.

 

[Bob4x4]

Wygate, Maybe it has already been said and I missed it because this thread is so long. Can you demand to Chrysler, with the help of an attorney, to replace your truck with a brand new one of your choice.

If in deed the issue is fuel contamination it is not a Dodge issue

 

[sag2]

If in deed the issue is fuel contamination it is not a Dodge issue

That is what I was going to say. It's unfortunate that it was not repaired correctly (if that is the case) or the part was defective (if that was the case), but this fiasco has nothing to do with the lemon law from what I know and what has been posted here. Also not questioning your side, but there are always two sides to every story that need to be reviewed before any responsibility is established.

 

[HBarlow]

Wygate, Maybe it has already been said and I missed it because this thread is so long. Can you demand to Chrysler, with the help of an attorney, to replace your truck with a brand new one of your choice.

George, are you kidding? Replace it on what basis? Chrysler Corporation is not a charity or in the business of providing free replacements.

 

[tempforce]

the fuel issue and the resulting repairs should be paid by the fuel supplier. which i hope you saved the fuel receipt.
the repair saga caused by the service department, is another issue. if any part is found to be defective, it should be covered under warranty.
the continuing saga is due to not doing the job properly the first time, so the repeated repairs, should be the responsibility of the local repair shop, not chrysler.
now to bill the fuel supplier for the original damages, you could include cost for a trip each way, along with the original repair of each item. but any repeated (do over) repairs of any item would not be the fuel suppliers responsibility.
so when you finally get your truck fixed, get a lawyer. sort the different items out and the labor cost. bill the fuel supplier for there part. and recover some of the cost back from the dealer. i would pay by credit card and put the transaction into dispute immediately. so the legal beagles can sort it out. remember if your truck breaks again chrysler would only warranty the replaced parts, none of the labor the second time.
so if this shop is incompetent or screwing you over, tow it away. but remember, to contact chrysler if any of it is under warranty.