Oil change drama

[Jaybird98]

I took my Jeep to one of the national tire/oil change places because I needed to get it done quickly and it was convenient... Yeah, yeah, I know...

Anyway, on my drive home, I got a check engine light and low oil pressure warning and noticed some white smoke in my rearview mirrors. The oil pressure started to drop and by the time I got home it was at 4-5psi. When I opened the hood, there was oil sprayed everywhere and was dripping from the underside the whole length of the Jeep. It turns out the filter cap was only hand tight and the filter was not connected to the cap. The filter did not come out with the cap... and the dipstick was dry...

I called the shop and they sent a tow truck to bring it back to the shop and they will take a look at it in the AM. We'll see what they say - I plan to be there when they start working on it...

Could a loose filter cap cause that much oil to escape in a 15 minute drive? What should my next steps be with the shop?

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[Antonio]

Sorry to hear, but you would think with all those nightmares stories posted in this forum of similar scenarios that us jeep owners would take that under consideration prior to considering where we take our vehicle for service! Nothing beats the peace of mind of doing your own work the dipstick being dry seems odd if the filter was only hand tightened oil spraying everywhere is understandable cause of the pressure but not sure how much was lost during the drive or did they put enough oil in, idk what engine is this? Did you take any pics?

 

[Jaybird98]

Sorry to hear, but you would think with all those nightmares stories posted in this forum of similar scenarios that us jeep owners would take that under consideration prior to considering where we take our vehicle for service! Nothing beats the peace of mind of doing your own work the dipstick being dry seems odd if the filter was only hand tightened oil spraying everywhere is understandable cause of the pressure but not sure how much was lost during the drive or did they put enough oil in, idk what engine is this? Did you take any pics?

It's the 3.6. The invoice indicates they put 4.95 quarts in.

The dipstick had oil on it when I initially pulled it out. When I wiped it an put it back in, it came out dry.

 

[beaups]

The dipstick only shows the -4th and 5th (or 6th if the dealer did it) quart of oil. So if you are 2 quarts or more low the dipstick will be dry, but the oil pan isn’t necessarily empty. But if you had white tailpipe smoke and readings of 4-5psi I think there is likely significant damage.

 

[Stetson]

That seems like a lot of oil to come out in a short period, but it happens.

my daughter ran her volkswagen into a median curb last year and punctured the oil pan. She panicked and drove it home which was not far, maybe 5 miles. By the time she got home it was close to dry.

her Volkswagen had the 1.8L turbo 4 cylinder. We basically had to have the oil pan replaced and the turbo replaced. The pan was punctured and the turbo was oil starved enough to damage it.

The engine has run fine since and she has put about 15k trouble free miles.

although a serious situation for sure, it may not be catastrophic. I hope you come out ok with no damage.

Stetson

 

[AFD]

Maybe a dumb question, but does the Wrangler not have a basic "limp mode" or an auto-shutdown mechanism to protect itself when overheating or getting abnormal readings like 4 PSI oil pressure?

Really hope everything turns out okay for you, OP

 

[Antonio]

It's the 3.6. The invoice indicates they put 4.95 quarts in.

The dipstick had oil on it when I initially pulled it out. When I wiped it an put it back in, it came out dry.

I know when I had my JKU 3.6 I always put 6 quarts in, but I think now dealers are doing 5 quarts on the 3.6 JL model so the amount would be correct, the filter housing or cap that goes on there has quite a bit of thread on it, so I’m not entirely sure that if it was hand tightened during the drive if could of come loose some causing oil to spray out at a quicker pace smoke is never a good sign unfortunately, it’s gonna be hard to say

 

[Jaybird98]

The dipstick only shows the -4th and 5th (or 6th if the dealer did it) quart of oil. So if you are 2 quarts or more low the dipstick will be dry, but the oil pan isn’t necessarily empty. But if you had white tailpipe smoke and readings of 4-5psi I think there is likely significant damage.

I think the smoke was from oil hitting the exhaust pipe if that matters. There is oil everywhere on the undercarriage. It wasn't billowing smoke out of the tailpipe or anything like that.

Should I take it to a dealer for a deeper analysis?

 

[NWJeepr]

No shame. Sometimes you need someone else to do work on a car.

If it was my Jeep, I'd try to stay calm, but firmly ask for:

1. A diagnosis/inspection by a qualified Jeep dealer (plus tow)​

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2. An undercarriage and engine bay cleaning. They may need to replace the accessory drive belt and clean pulleys if they are soaked in oil.​

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3. An oil analysis to determine any metal contamination in the remaining oil--the Jeep dealer can send it off.​

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4. Replacement of under-hood insulation if it's also soaked in oil.​

​

All that is probably wishful thinking, and I'm guessing you'll get a free oil change and a wipe down, and "it's fine!". In reality, it probably IS fine as I believe these have a shutdown mechanism.

Future tip...give it a look-see before pulling out of the parking lot when people do basic maintenance. Those folks generally aren't highly-paid, they are usually hustling all day, and the probability of mistakes during a simple procedure goes way up!

Anecdotal story: My father had this same thing happen to him at a Chrysler dealer on a brand new minivan. First oil change. Dealer wiped it up and said bring it back if it has problems. Never did, over 150k miles before he sold it.

 

[AdamNash]

Hoping it ‘just’ ran low and that the smoke was from the oil spray hitting the exhaust or something. I’d get it checked out by someone you trust, I don’t think you’ll have any issue having them pay for that as long as it’s within reason. Not that they should genuinely have a say in how you want it resolved - just being realistic.

I’ve been there too JayBird, zero shame in having someone knock it out for you. Obviously the majority of vehicle owners do the same thing. Sorry you have the crappy luck of dealing with this. It sucks but I’m hopeful it will all work out okay.

 

[Jaybird98]

Hoping it ‘just’ ran low and that the smoke was from the oil spray hitting the exhaust or something. I’d get it checked out by someone you trust, I don’t think you’ll have any issue having them pay for that as long as it’s within reason. Not that they should genuinely have a say in how you want it resolved - just being realistic.

I’ve been there too JayBird, zero shame in having someone knock it out for you. Obviously the majority of vehicle owners do the same thing. Sorry you have the crappy luck of dealing with this. It sucks but I’m hopeful it will all work out okay.

I'm also in Nashville. Is there a dealer / shop you recommend?

 

[Greendezl]

Yes, a loose oil cap will spray everywhere. As long as you still had oil pressure you’re probably ok. I’m sure you weren’t out of oil completely. Definitely document everything and make them acknowledge it was their doing.

 

[NWJeepr]

For reference, the 2018 Jeep JL Factory Service manual says hot idle oil pressure for the 3.6 should be 6psi minimum, anything 6 or better is normal. So you weren't far off at 4-5psi. Any extent of damage will depend on how hard you ran it while it was low on oil and for how long.

Keep us updated!

 

[Jaybird98]

For reference, the 2018 Jeep JL Factory Service manual says hot idle oil pressure for the 3.6 should be 6psi minimum, anything 6 or better is normal. So you weren't far off at 4-5psi. Any extent of damage will depend on how hard you ran it while it was low on oil and for how long.

Keep us updated!

Thats good to know. I was just doing some light driving on local roads. Probably not more than about 40mph. When the oil pressure warning came on I think it indicated 13psi. I kept it to less than 30mph and it was only about a mile from home when I got home it was 4-5psi.

I will be interested to see how much drains out of the oil pan.

 

[Jaybird98]

Yes, a loose oil cap will spray everywhere. As long as you still had oil pressure you’re probably ok. I’m sure you weren’t out of oil completely. Definitely document everything and make them acknowledge it was their doing.

The filter was not connected to the cap, so I would think that would allow it to spray as well.

I am hopeful they will drain 3+ quarts out tomorrow....

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