Weird Car Problem (to me)

[Boomer]

My 2019 Passat has been a great car. I keep it serviced with 5000 mile oil changes and make sure that everything is as up to snuff as I can make it.
Last weekend, I drove 60 miles round trip to pick our older grandson and bring him to our house for a fun weekend with grandma and grandpa. Car ran fine. On Saturday morning, he wanted to go to a quarter mile track about 1 mile from our house to do a timed mile for something he is doing in scouts. Car started to hesitate and by the time we drove oe mile, it was bucking and had trouble staying running. I got it back to the house and parked it. A bit later, I came out to move it into the street and noticed a lot of oil in the driveway.

The car has a six year new car warranty and with the oil leaking, I figured I a not going to drive it 25 miles over a mountain to the dealer. So I called AAA and had it towed there. Yesterday, they called me and told me they found the problem. The dipstick tube had come out of the block and the engine was sucking in air which made it buck and caused the idle to be weird. It had lost about a quart or so of oil. They reattached the dipstick tube with a new clamp and it now runs fine! Both the mechanic and the service manager there said they had never encountered this. I must say, in 60 years of tinking on cars, I never have either. I had them do a state inspection and replace the tires (old ones starting to hydroplane) while I had the car there and will pick it up tomorrow.

Have any of you ever encountered this issue? Just curious.

 

[PF52]

Something simple perhaps, like a clogged PCV valve causing crankcase pressures to pop the dipstick tube out of it's home?

 

[JohnnyG]

That IS a weird one! Never ran into that. Have seen where removing the oil cap would allow too much air into the block, causing stumbling though, so it makes sense.
Same with dipstick I assume, hence the "O" ring seals on them these days.

 

[Oillover]

I've also never encountered that. Very strange.
I'd recommend checking your engine/trans mounts as well.

 

[Mazomopar]

Kinda of remotely similar but sons fairly beat up Jetta had the plastic dip stick tube crack apart and leak after driving. Nor sure if it was heat stress fracture or he met up with some roadkill/ debris. Plastic dip stick tube was something new to me.

 

[Audiman]

Yes Ive seen this before, the dipstick pipe pushes into the block next to the timing cover just above the sump and the tube bolts to the cylinder head. Pulling the dipstick out if it’s stuck in can twist the tube and cause it to pop out of it’s hole.

Usually just putting the tube back in it’s hole, a finger of oil on the dip stick seal and topping the oil up and clearing the fault codes is all that’s needed.

Typically only happens on cars that don’t get the dip stick pulled out between services.