Oil plug fell out after change... what to do next?

[amb2958]

On Friday I had the local dealer change the oil in my Chevy with the 8.1 motor. Today as I'm driving in a passing lane I notice tons of smoke behind me so I let off and wait for slower traffic to go by in the right lane before I can get off the road at which point I throw it in park and jump out figuring on finding a cooler line or something had blown. No such luck, as soon as I looked under the truck the motor stopped running and oil started pouring out of the drain hole for a few seconds, probably 2-3 quarts. So I get on the phone and call the dealer that changed the oil, they send out a tow truck and have it pulled in. They told me when we got there that they will have a tech check it out in the morning and if everything looks good they will fill it with oil and run it. They said that they could probably offer a short warranty, like 3-5k miles because if there is damage the motor will go in that amount of time assuming it runs again.

So my question is what options do I have in dealing with them? I'm really leary of running an engine that has been to the point of shutting down because of lack of oil. I'd prefer that they install a new crate motor but as that's probably a 5k dollar option for them (list price is around 8k) I'm going to venture a guess that they won't offer that unless forced to. Would you feel comfortable taking back a vehicle that has had this happen and do you think that further problems could be limited to 3k miles if the motor was going to go?

My thoughts are that this is exactly the reason they have insurance and they should either replace the motor with a new one or give me enough cash to take care of any future problems since the vehicle was in perfect mechanical condition before this happened.

Any insight would be appreciated.

[yaric008]

I would imagine it being a powerstroke and the injectors being HEUIs is why it stopped running when the oil ran out. It's possible there is no damage, I think anyways. If it stopped running because the bearings seized then you'd be screwed. Doesn't sound like that happend though.

[amb2958]

It's not a diesel, an 8.1 is a Chevy big block motor.

[LMJD]

Man, that's a tough one. If you still had oil pressure and shut it down in time it could be perfectly fine. Sounds like as soon as the oil hit the exhaust pipes and left a smoke trail you shut it down quickly. On the other hand, if it ran long enough with no oil pressure, the rod and main bearings and other metal to metal components could be scored or galled and although it still might sound OK, you'd have sure shortened the life of the engine in the long run. The 3-5 thousand warranty doesn't mean much.

[amb2958]

The dealer ran the codes today on a tech2000 scanner and it shows that the knock sensor shut down the motor. They filled it with oil and ran it all morning with nothing out of the ordinary going on. They think that it was shut down by the computer before any damage occurred. I'm thinking a six month unlimited mile warranty should be fair and enough time to determine if any bearing damage has happened because by the time that six months has passed it will probably have another 25-30k on the clock.

The dealer also said that they would like to have a regular tech do the next oil change (for free) and check for excess particles on the magnet at the plug, which is fine by me. I suggested that I want to do an oil analysis at that time (with me sending it in) to see just where everything is at.

[chuckster57]

It sounds like you found a decent dealer. I know that chevy had/has a sensor on the oil pressure sending unit that will shut the thing down, but if the knock sensor did it then it was probably "earlier" on. You might want to get an oil sample just before you take it in and send it to the lab without the dealer knowing and have them send one in, just to see how much they "care". compare numbers, and if they are the same then I would trust this dealer to have your interests in mind!

[amb2958]

Good idea on comparing the oil sample results Chuckster.

I picked up the truck this afternoon and they changed the oil again because the tech back in the main shop had filled the motor with Valvoline 5w30 because that's what they have in bulk in the actual shop section. I run Quaker State 10w40 or 10w30 depending on the season and the truck has always had this oil so I didn't want to switch things around.

I asked that they provide me with a paper stating that the drain plug had come out and that they were taking responsibility for it, that they had serviced it after this happened and couldn't find any damage, and that they would take care of any future problems relating to bearing / lubrication problems. The service manager agreed to all of this and I found them to be outstanding through the whole ordeal (although I had to suffer through driving a Dodge loaner truck... ughh, makes me appreciate GM and Ford even more!!).

When I picked it up I stood outside the vehicle while the manager started it, no knocking or any abnormal sounds. After driving it for at least 75 miles tonight I have no indication of any problems so hopefully all is well.

Thanks for the input!

[chuckster57]

that all is well. Hope it stays that way.

[VCRacing]

I had a similar incident back in 1994, I had the oil changed in my wifes Gran Prix @ a Quick lube place, well long story short, they put the wrong oil filter on and it blew off. It destroyed the engine. To top it all off the engine was the 3.4l Quad cam V-6 in which Gm WILL NOT reman and they only produces a certian amount of excess engines. It cost them a lil over $9000 to to repair my auto. This included the engine $6800, labor and towing $1200, and rental car for 7 weeks.
If it had not been for the Service manager whom is a friend of the family, I would have got stuck with the whole thing. I had a lil trouble initially, but got a friend who was a attorney to make a phone call to their adjuster and got the ball rolling.
I would request that they give you a 1yr warranty with unlimited mileage and allow them to perform any service work necessary, or drop a new engine in.

[xero-xero]

It seems that the dealer is co operational enough. Documentation is imperative though.

[amb2958]

I agree that having the proper paperwork will help to substantiate everything if there is a problem in the future. I spoke with a client of mine yesterday who is a lawyer and he says the best option is to take it in to another mechanic and have him document that there are no visible issues but that without internal inspection it's impossible to tell if any damage has occurred.

[xero-xero]

I run a scope on allof our e350 which allows me to inspect the valves, valve seats, rings, wear on the cylinder walls. almost no one does it, but it allows me to inspect the internals with minimal tear down. Drain the oil and remove the access plug on th exhaust. my scope is digital which allows me to take pictures also which is imperative for documentation.

[Dualie]

Originally Posted by xero-xero

I run a scope on allof our e350 which allows me to inspect the valves, valve seats, rings, wear on the cylinder walls. almost no one does it, but it allows me to inspect the internals with minimal tear down. Drain the oil and remove the access plug on th exhaust. my scope is digital which allows me to take pictures also which is imperative for documentation.

what scope are you using? Im in the market for one and have been looking at the snapon scope. but yours sounds like it might be a bit better

[xero-xero]

Here is the scope i bought, and made a custom adapter to fit a webcam from walmart... yay rubber tubing... 7000 pixel scope with HERE!!!

[amb2958]

Dualie - What exactly can you see with one of these? I just wondered as I've never seen one used myself.