I would think that a comped Mopar Power Train warranty 8/125,000 would be appropriate. That would only cost the dealership a couple hundred dollars, while providing you with the peace of mind that you deserve.

 

I have always been under the belief that low oil pressure light means no oil, and damaged engine.
I would not feel comfortable still owning that engine. If I was the one that made the mistake, I would keep driving it and just hope no damage was done. If it was someone else's mistake?... Why should I take the risk of a damaged engine?




A warranty would not cover damage from the result of no oil in the engine.

Sorry for your situation.

 

Sorry to hear about this but it happens.

I have taught my wife and kids (now adults) to always do the following prior to taking delivery of your vehicle after an oil change and/or tire rotation:

1. Open the hood to ensure the dipstick is fully inserts, the oil cap is screwed closed and there are no oil spots or leaks caused by the oil change technician. Check for tools...have found ratchets, sockets and even a Crescent wrench under the hood through the years.
2. Check the oil level. If you have to, pull it off to the side and go back inside for a cup of coffee or walk the lot for a little exercise while the oil drains back down so you get an accurate reading.
3. Look under the vehicle for any drilling or running of oil.
4. If tires were rotated, check to ensure all lug nuts are on and then use your fingers on every one of them to ensure they are tight...have actually seen where they missed attaching one or failed to tighten a couple.
5. Check to ensure the oil service meter has been reset as sometimes they forgot to do this.
6. Check to ensure there are no light on the dash that are illuminated.
7. If tires were rotated, check the brakes at least three times before pulling out of the dealership to ensure they didn't cause a problem (very critical).

 

Tough situation. The engine is probably fine, but there's really no way to know for certain other than inspecting it with a boroscope, which they could do. The extended warranty is a good idea, but Jason is right that typically they wouldn't cover damage that would arise from no oil in the engine, years down the line nobody will remember this happened.

When I was a teenager my dad had a friend who had the oil in his Lexus GS400 changed at a Jiffy Lube, and this happened and the engine itself was seized and ruined. Cars didnt have the kinds of readouts back then the Pacifica has which saved your wife. I can't remember whether it locked up while he was driving or if it was more similar to this. JiffyLube replaced the engine.

I would talk to the service manager and general manager of the dealer, share your concerns and see what they come up with...report back before you accept any resolution...

 

If you do try to go the Extended warranty route, i would have them give you something on Company Letterhead stating what happened and that they will stand behind the engine warranty for as long as you own it.

 

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback. Here's what I've learned and what I think I'll do.

Service manager called and said that there was "an issue with the O ring." To me, that means they displaced the ring when installing the new oil filter or, perhaps, removed it and didn't replace it. Either way, it caused the oil to leak out.

To make a record of things, I'll probably do a letter to the dealership requesting that they scope the combustion chambers with a camera, look for evidence of wear on the cylinder liners, and then also change the oil again very soon (maybe 200 miles) and give that oil to me. I'll have another mechanic remove any metal shavings and dust from the oil.

After that, and assuming there's no direct evidence of damage, I probably have to hope for the best. If I have major engine-related issues within the next 10k or 20k miles, I probably have a good opportunity to take it back up with this dealer. If it's 50k or 70k miles down the road, well, that's probably just an old worn out engine at that point.

I'll keep you all updated.

 

I am sure I know what happened. The O ring from the old oil filter stuck to the engine and the mechanic didn't notice, and put on new filter. It happened to me once - the double o rings leak like mad - I always start my car and check after a change, so I caught my problem, and now I always check old filter to be sure O ring came off with old filter. It is why you coat new o ring with oil on new filter. The leak will only start when engine is started, and oil is under pressure.

There was an oil commercial where they completely drained oil from a car and drove it to demonstrate the good oil protection.

If the car was only driven a few miles, I'm sure it is fine.

 

Agreed, it was probably that they didn't tighten the drain plug, or didnt replace the crush washer. The thing holds what, 5 quarts? It would have to be a huge leak for it to be empty, assuming they ever filled it back up. It takes a good couple minutes for it to all drain out even when the drain plug is totally removed.

 

I had a similar problem with my 2017 Pacifica. I didn't lube the new O ring and it was pushed out of the groove that it is supposed to sit in, and pushed up against the flange at the top of the cap. I drove it for a couple weeks and checked the oil and then left on a trip. After about 75 miles the oil light came on and I stopped in a couple miles and saw a large puddle under the vehicle. I got it fixed and drove the van another 1-1/2 years without problems before trading it for a 2020.

 

1 psi oil pressure = no oil. You have to assume engine is ruined and/or will fail soon or much earlier than it should.
Dealer has full responsibility for mistake and cause of failure.
They should replace the engine free of charge, period! (And, they should make some allowance for your loss if value, plus provide equivalent loaner). They might have their own insurance for this but that is their problem. Extended warranty likely to NOT cover this. Nor would factory warranty.
What does a new engine cost (installed, plus resulting loss of value)? Ask them. That is your exposure here and that is what they owe you. I am guessing $10,000+/-????
Alternately, they take the vehicle and give you retail value plus those Engine replacement $$$ off the best price you might be able get on a new vehicle with all promotions, discounts, dealer incentives that MIGHT be appropriate. Suggest to them that you maybe should call Chrysler Customer Care and get them involved. They won’t help you but they might keep the dealer honest and the dealer probably does not want them to know.
Don’t rush into a decision on any offer they may make. Assume they are are car sharks! Think about it carefully. Be tough on them but fair, especially to you. You MUST come out if this feeling that you are not worse off for this happening. They are responsible to make it all good, including the lost time and trouble/stress they have caused.

 

If you do not get engine replacement you need a personal warranty from the dealer that they will replace/fix any related problems for a long time, longer than you will own the vehicle, but why would you accept that? Plus, if you go that way, at next oil change get an oil sample and test it. Be there to ensure the sample is from your engine! (No, I would not trust them). See Blackstone Labs at

Oil Analysis | Blackstone Laboratories

Learn what's going on in your engine with oil analysis. Our free kits are easy to use and we explain the results in plain English! Since 1985.

www.blackstone-labs.com

These guys can compare your oil against various data bases for your or similar engines and see if anything bad (wear of metals) is going on. They need to know exactly what oil was in there. I use them for EVERY oil change on a track car for peace of mind. Not expensive. Very illuminating!

 

If it will make you feel a little better. I changed my oil and I was stupid and didn't put the oil O-ring on the filter cap correctly (needed to go down one more notch). Long story short, later that day I was in the same situation as your wife when the message came up and the car became sluggish. I immediately pulled over and turned the car off. Sure enough, the O-ring was broken and the oil had exited through the filter treads. I didn't realize how much oil had escaped until I went to re-fill the oil. It took nearly the entire 5 qts! That was about 2 months ago. Everything has been running smoothly and I've put quite a few miles on it since then. I was concerned as well, but I don't think any serious harm was done.

 

Ctodd - let us know how it is doing 2 years from now!

 

😁 2 yrs is about the time I plan on trading it in for something new. I usually trade up at around 60k, but I like the van so I'll shoot for 100k 😆. I would always joke that when the tires needed to be replaced, it was time to trade in. I've had vehicles that have had fewer issues, but non as advanced and functional as the Pacifica.

 

With lack of oil pressure, cylinders will not be the problem. I have twice seen the resulting engine damage from such an incident, and been involved with the rebuilds. The failure mode was similar in both cases. The main and rod bearings will be wiped to some degree, and the cam bearings are also somewhat vulnerable. Wiping means the surface of the bearing wears off Suddenly causing excessive oil clearances, and low oil pressure at lower Rpm with engine at full operating temps. Metal deposition can also occur which can cause seizure, damage the crank and/or cause bearings to spin, but this did not happen in your case. A proper diagnosis for the extent of damage involves measuring oil pressure at idle with the engine at normal operating temps. If driven with low oil pressure for more than a few seconds the engine rod and main bearings will likely be severely worn, and crank surfaces may have some scoring.

 

Good point, and helpful info. Thanks. I'll ask our indy shop to test in every way they can. I'm sure they'd be pleased to find a reason to further diagnose and repair. I'm guessing there's no great way to inspect the bearings without tearing down the engine, which I really don't want to do.

 

any updates? how did it all pan out?

 

Update:

Generally, good news, although there's more investigation to be done. There's no apparent evidence of damage from oil starvation. Dealership kept the van for a day (got the oil change done right this time), apologized profusely, and we've got an additional 12 months warranty on the engine. I'm going to take it in to our independent shop, have them change the oil and filter, examine for any metal shavings, dust, and the like, and put a scope in to the combustion chambers to look at the cylinder walls. Not sure there's an effective way to look at crank bearing or rod bearings. If we don't see any problems there, and we don't experience any problems during the 12 months, then case closed.

 

Sounds fair.
You can hope for perfection, but, other than my wife, you won't find it. Mistakes will happen, and owning and making up for them is the bast you can expect.

 

Oil pressure is a direct function of bearing clearances. Low Idle pressure = worn bearings. The Main and rod bearings can be visually checked by dropping the oil pan and removing each Rod and main cap, one at a time. This Inspection would typically take 4 manhours.