OffAir

Hey everyone.

So here's a story for the ages. I took my truck in to a Ford Dealer this week for an oil change. The service department informed me of a leak from my oil pan gasket. I never noticed any oil leaks, but I know it's a common problem so I didn't question it. It was a warranty repair so I of course had it done right then.

The truck has been running great since then. A friend and I were going to PA this weekend to camp. We were almost there when I got an "oil pressure low" warning. It went away and we were able to reach our destination shortly after.

I get out and the entire underside and tailgate of my truck is now covered in oil. Obviously, being 300 miles from home, I can't drive this thing back. And since it's Saturday, I can't get ahold of anyone at the dealer.

This is the absolute worst. It feels almost as if the cure was worse than the ailment.

What would you all do if you were in my situation? It's obvious that this issue was caused by the work they did. It happened a day and a half after they had the thing on a lift replacing the oil pan!

Any advice is appreciated. I'll keep everyone up to date.

Thanks in advance.

16IngotFX4

It's obvious as long as you find the pan is missing bolts, or is loose -or the oil pan is missing a drain plug.

Call the shop the work was done at. Tell them you need to have the work performed at a nearby shop and you will have them pay the bill for you as you are on a trip.
Of course the new shop you go to will have to collaborate your story with the place the work was performed.

moparado

Most, probably all shops use battery and/or air impact wrenches.
Depending if the impact wrench's battery was at a low charge Its possible the pan bolts were not torqued per spec or even over torqued distorting the plastic pan if it is plastic.
Or maybe the pan bolts were not properly tightening per the torquing pattern.
I'd try torquing the pan bolts per spec with a reliable torque wrench to see if the bolts were either under or over torqued torqued per spec from that shop..
I'd also double check the drain plug for looseness.

If all else fails, the truck should be returned to the place that performed the pan service and then i'd raise holy hell.
.

arshooter

Hopefully you paid for the work with a credit card. If you did then take it to a shop where you're at and get it fixed. Have them describe the problem in writing and if it was due to the previous maintenance. Send that to your CC company and ask them to refund the charges made by the first shop back to you. If you paid by CC then that protection is mandated by Federal Law.

Gene K

Make them document the low oil pressure incident.
You need an engine warranty supplied by Ford the dealer to cover any future failure that may be caused by this.

Always shut the engine down immediately and investigate if you get a low oil pressure. Do not run the engine until you have rectified the situation. If you can't call a tow truck. You likely have road service including towing on your warranty (assuming you still have some) or possibly your car insurance.

It's possible you could simply have Ford send out road service with a bunch of oil and drive home stopping often to check the oil but I would be afraid of the cats catching the oil on fire.

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Siber Express

Go look under and make sure the pan is not cracked or badly distorted, then check for bolt tightness, just make sure you are videoing the whole thing while you are under. If the pan bolts are loose tighten them up and put oil into it and make sure you keep the receipt for the oil and track of how much you put in for later down the road since you did say the oil light came on.
Or just have it towed back to the dealer that did it and let them pay the tow bill. I would have been on the phone with someone there if the sale was open and see what they said to do.

NASSTY

When you checked the oil after this incident how low was it?
How long did they keep the truck when they changed the oil pan?

OffAir

I got out and checked when it happened. It was between half and full.

They kept the truck overnight. It was done the next day.

NASSTY

I asked how long they kept it because the sealant is supposed to dry overnight before they put oil in it, but it sounds like they did.

OffAir

Actually if that's the case, no I don't think they did. They let it drain over night. They didn't put the pan on until the next day. I know because they were waiting for the new one to come in. It didn't get there until about noon. They were done at 430.