Warped Engine Block?!

25974 Views 95 Replies 45 Participants Last post by PacificaMinivanFan, 1 mo ago

spmatus

Discussion Starter · Jun 9, 2021

I have a 4-year-old Pacifica brand new off the lot. Now has about 67,000 miles on it, of course, just past the manufacturer’s power train warranty. At the 4-year old mark almost on the nose, without any previous issues, the check engine light came on & the car was running “rough” while in idle. Garage identified “head gasket issue.” We brought it to the dealer & filed a claim with Chrysler in shock this could happen to a 4-year-old car. Dealer has had it for a month now & diagnosed “warped engine block” and “needs new catalytic converter due to warped engine block causing coolant to leak into engine cylinder.” Has this happened to anyone?? It was a brand new minivan purchased at a an authorized Chrysler dealership. I am told $10,000 worth of parts & labor work, with a month backlog on parts. I am lost and angry!!! Any suggestions??

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Tomek1962

· #55 · 11 mo ago (Edited)

Reading about the cylinder head gaskets is not pretty. It would be interesting to know when the defective vehicles were built, it could be that a batch of gaskets was installed, which may already have had manufacturing defects.

On the other hand, it has to be said that the engine compartment of the PAC is extremely warm after a drive. With my Audi, the radiator fan is then started, even if the ignition was off to reduce the heat buildup. Does the Pac also do this? The problem for engines is the thermal load after e.g. highway driving, or high outside temperatures. The heat buildup can cause stress cracks in the engine. Some relief can be achieved by opening the hood and running the engine for a few minutes. Turning on the heater to the highest level also takes some temperature out of the cooling system. Running the engine and heating to the highest setting should also be done when overheating of the coolant is imminent! Do not turn off the engine, otherwise we get problems with the thermal load again.

Update
just found in the instruction manual
When working near the radiator cooling fan, discon-
nect the fan motor lead or turn the ignition to the
OFF mode. The fan is temperature controlled and can
start at any time the ignition is in the ON mode.

It would be much more important that this feature would work with the ignition off!

See less See more

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Tomek1962

· #58 · 10 mo ago

Perhaps you could try sealing the cylinder head gasket with this agent.

Steel Seal Blown Head Gasket Fix Repair Sealer - 8 Cylinder https://a.co/d/hV0s0fb

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Tomek1962

· #60 · 10 mo ago

peterweb said:
Not sure this would be a good idea. Better to bite the bullet and get if fixed properly. Then report it to NHTSA Home | NHTSA so that there can be some pressure put on Chrylser to make this good.

And if the head gasket has been failed for some time, the block may also have been affected/cracked. A bottle of quick fix will never find that.

You will be right, that a major damage can not be repaired with it. But it might help in the early stages of creeping coolant loss.

It is also strange that this problem occurs almost exclusively at the rear head gasket of cylinders 1-3-5. This strengthens my assumption that the heat accumulation in the rear part of the engine towards the cabin causes a thermal overload. With cylinders 2-4-6, part of the heat can probably escape through the radiator grille.

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Tomek1962

· #63 · 10 mo ago

Very interesting video, I could not really imagine how the means work.

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Tomek1962

· #81 · 5 mo ago

peterweb said:
This is what I have done already. Not willing to take the risk. My 2018 is at the age, but with less miles, about 43K. So a new Rav4 Hybrid I ordered in September of 2022 was in production last week, and expected delivery the middle of February. And starting about a month ago,I also got the issue with the GPS showing incorrect location. So, although I love the vehicle, it gives a chance to downsize a little and to get excellent MPG, around 40+ MPG, during these times with high gas prices.

I also broke up with my Pac in October with heartbreak. However, the risk of cylinder head damage (gasket) was too great for me and a repair in Germany would have cost a fortune.
I am still convinced that the damage, which almost always occurs on the rear cylinder bank, is caused by heat build-up after the hot engine has been switched off.
I wanted to mesen the temperature with a grill thermometer with two probes, but unfortunately I did not get around to it. Maybe someone of you can do it to measure the difference in temperature between the front bench (behind the radiator) and the rear bench.

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