Check your fluids!

[clinebarger]

Had a fun one come in today.....

1998 Dodge Ram 1500, 5.2L/46RE 174,xxx miles
*Complaint.....Engine stalls while turning or going up/down inclines, More often when it's cold or after a cold start.
*As I was pulling the truck down the drive to my shop which is down hill, The engine labored & the RPM's would drop & almost die.

This is an easy one guys & I've seen this issue on several vehicles......

The transmission fluid is very low, If it sucks air, There isn't enough line pressure to keep the Torque Converter Clutch from self applying. This is especially prevalent on old Chrysler products because you must check the trans fluid in Neutral as there is no Converter Feed Pressure in Park.

The customer almost wanted to argue the point as he has a engine problem & the transmission is fine. I asked him about the trans cooler line repair & how he checked the ATF.....We worked it out & now he knows how to check the fluid.

 

[Chris142]

Many people goof up when checking fluid in a older dodge,plymouth,mopar.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Similar - check your bearings too.
My 4x4 Colorado had a shimmy in the steering wheel whenever I exited from a red light. I argued it was a bent rim in the front and the mechanic won the war of words, telling me my drive shaft bearing was real bad..... barely hanging on and ready to break loose any second. He was surprised they were the original bearings and I got 130k out of them.

 

[RamFan]

Just last week I was doing a once over under the hood. Sure enough, coolant to the turbo was about 6oz low.

New or old, take a quick 2-5 minutes to check and adjust your fluids. Will save you in the long run!

 

[tcp71]

The turbo has its own coolant?


Originally Posted by RamFan
Just last week I was doing a once over under the hood. Sure enough, coolant to the turbo was about 6oz low.

New or old, take a quick 2-5 minutes to check and adjust your fluids. Will save you in the long run!

 

[ammolab]

I checked the oil in the teenagers Jeep Wrangler V6 next door. Dry dipstick!

Pulled the crankcase plug and 2.5 quarts drained out of her 6 quart sump. Close call you think?

 

[ctechbob]

Originally Posted by tcp71
The turbo has its own coolant?


Originally Posted by RamFan
Just last week I was doing a once over under the hood. Sure enough, coolant to the turbo was about 6oz low.

New or old, take a quick 2-5 minutes to check and adjust your fluids. Will save you in the long run!




Probably a separate cooling circuit for the intercooler if I had to guess.

 

[02SE]

Originally Posted by ammolab
I checked the oil in the teenagers Jeep Wrangler V6 next door. Dry dipstick!

Pulled the crankcase plug and 2.5 quarts drained out of her 6 quart sump. Close call you think?


If it has any issues in the future, it will be your fault.

Ask me how I know...

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted by 02SE
Originally Posted by ammolab
I checked the oil in the teenagers Jeep Wrangler V6 next door. Dry dipstick!

Pulled the crankcase plug and 2.5 quarts drained out of her 6 quart sump. Close call you think?


If it has any issues in the future, it will be your fault.

Ask me how I know...


Maybe next time just politely say "It looks 2 quarts low, I can add some oil if you like?" - I also second that (don't touch their drain plug).

 

[Lapham3]

I have a pal who teaches the GM entry techs and his oldest son works at a dealership. The word is that oil starved and then blown engines aren't a rare thing to see these days. How often do you see any ones hood up at a gas station?

 

[bbhero]

I saw a number of cars on the side of the road going down interstate 95 heading towards Charleston SC... And those vehicles were not all way old... And smoke from under the hood was a common observation. Made me wonder... If those motors went because of lack of oil and no oil changed in like... A super long time.

 

[mightymousetech]

Originally Posted by Lapham3
I have a pal who teaches the GM entry techs and his oldest son works at a dealership. The word is that oil starved and then blown engines aren't a rare thing to see these days. How often do you see any ones hood up at a gas station?


Half our customers can't figure out how to operate the headlight switch, let alone look under the hood.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted by Lapham3
I have a pal who teaches the GM entry techs and his oldest son works at a dealership. The word is that oil starved and then blown engines aren't a rare thing to see these days. How often do you see any ones hood up at a gas station?

True. Those are the same people who believe an OLM means the hood doesn't have to be opened to check things anymore. Get an oil change drive until the OLM says change the oil, nice and easy! lol

 

[JC1]

Cline,

How many quarts low was the tranny? Did the customer say low long the vehicle was giving him problems?

 

[CT8]

Back in the late 1970s I worked at a shop that did fleet work and the owner of one of the companies we had as clients would bring his El Camino in to have the oil changed when ever the engine became noisy for an oil change.. Less than a quart would drain out,he did that for years. Which brings up an important lesson the sludged up engines we see then run to buy syn oil chanting sludge, is because of the maintenance.

 

[RamFan]

Originally Posted by ctechbob
Originally Posted by tcp71
The turbo has its own coolant?


Originally Posted by RamFan
Just last week I was doing a once over under the hood. Sure enough, coolant to the turbo was about 6oz low.

New or old, take a quick 2-5 minutes to check and adjust your fluids. Will save you in the long run!




Probably a separate cooling circuit for the intercooler if I had to guess.



Bingo.

 

[splinter]

I quite enjoy your posts and forthright sharing of common motorists' accounts from the service bays.
You, sir, are a patient man.

So many operators know almost nothing about the machines they flog.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted by Lapham3
I have a pal who teaches the GM entry techs and his oldest son works at a dealership. The word is that oil starved and then blown engines aren't a rare thing to see these days. How often do you see any ones hood up at a gas station?


You would think that the vehicle would throw a light for low oil level.

 

[RamFan]

Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
Originally Posted by Lapham3
I have a pal who teaches the GM entry techs and his oldest son works at a dealership. The word is that oil starved and then blown engines aren't a rare thing to see these days. How often do you see any ones hood up at a gas station?


You would think that the vehicle would throw a light for low oil level.


Don't most cars have an oil level sensor? I think part of the issue is that they don't trigger until there's only 1-2 quarts in the sump.

Seems like a lot of damage could be alleviated if it were to go off when the sump is 25-50% low.

I think the issue with that approach is getting false signals during steep inclines and/or lateral G.

 

[kstanf150]

Originally Posted by splinter
I quite enjoy your posts and forthright sharing of common motorists' accounts from the service bays.
You, sir, are a patient man.

So many operators know almost nothing about the machines they flog.


Most drivers nowadays think as long as there's gas in the tank the vehicle should run and they never service their cars.
More now than ever there's a huge need for full service gas stations.