2015 Catastrophic oil failure

[FresnoRog]

Hi there, I did a search to see if anyone else had experienced what my father just did and didn't find anything so I thought I'd post about his situation.

He bought a new base 2015 V6 AWD Explorer last year and has put on about 18k miles. He was driving down the highway at speed two days ago and a cloud of engine oil sprayed out the bottom of the car coating the entire undercarriage as well as the back of the car and probably the poor schmuck who was following him. I showed up before the tow truck with the paperwork from the dealerships last oil change in November and saw no sign of oil near the top end, only at the bottom and dripping from the entire undercarriage, starting from the front of the engine.

So he got it towed and then had to leave town. Apparently the dealership called him later today saying something about an oil line clamp that blew and it'd be ready to pick up tomorrow. I think something got lost in translation somewhere because he told me that the dealership said something about an oil line leading to a turbo. We're 99.99% sure that his car doesn't have a turbo.

I'm kind of thinking the oil filter or plug didn't get tightened at the last service and somebody might be trying to save face. However, that was three months ago and there's been no sign of oil leaking under the car until it suddenly decided to exit the engine fairly quickly. I'm supposed to go pick it up tomorrow and was wondering if there is something about this engine that would make this happen?

 

[Sgt1411]

I call BS

Post a copy or photo of the Service Repair Invoice please.

 

[FresnoRog]

I call BS

Post a copy or photo of the Service Repair Invoice please.

I haven't gone to the dealership yet so I don't have anything for this incident. All I have to go on is what my father briefly told me over the phone which is why I'm a bit confused.

 

[BadHabit2Break]

When you pick it up, they will give the invoice. take a pic and post it here.

Does your father have the Ecoboost Explorer?

 

[wifes2011xlt]

Plug the vin into ETIS or Ford window sticker finder and you'll know whether your dad has a turbo.

 

[slc18t]

Last oil change the dealership didn't tighten the oil filter. The wife saw oil in the garage and I climbed under, sure enough, oil filter was loose. I am quite capable of changing my own oil but for my new cars it's done at the dealership for warranty reasons, we got the 7 year / 100,000 mile extended as it was so cheap. If it is indeed a "base" V6 it is not turbocharged. The Sport came with an Ecoboost engine and the 2016 Explorer came with an option of the 2.3 Ecoboost engine.

 

[FresnoRog]

When you pick it up, they will give the invoice. take a pic and post it here.

Does your father have the Ecoboost Explorer?

He doesn't, it's the base model with AWD. I checked the VIN and it's definitely the base model. The shuttle is picking me up in an hour or so, I'll definitely report back with whatever they tell me.

 

[FresnoRog]

Plug the vin into ETIS or Ford window sticker finder and you'll know whether your dad has a turbo.

I found the 2015 VIN guide on the ford site this morning and it's definitely the base model K8B, and the engine digit was 8 which I'm pretty sure means it's the Duratec engine. Maybe the tech calling him confused his car with another but he seemed pretty sure the problem was some kind of hose clamp. I'm not so up to date with these new cars and was just confused about where a hose clamp would have pressurized oil on the outside of this engine.

 

[FresnoRog]

Last oil change the dealership didn't tighten the oil filter. The wife saw oil in the garage and I climbed under, sure enough, oil filter was loose. I am quite capable of changing my own oil but for my new cars it's done at the dealership for warranty reasons, we got the 7 year / 100,000 mile extended as it was so cheap. If it is indeed a "base" V6 it is not turbocharged. The Sport came with an Ecoboost engine and the 2016 Explorer came with an option of the 2.3 Ecoboost engine.

Yeah, he takes it into the dealership for the same reason.

I checked the VIN this morning against the 2015 VIN guide and it's definitely the base model. I'll be picking it up in an hour or two and I'll post their explanation. Maybe there was some kind of miscommunication.

 

[FresnoRog]

Ok, I think I figured it out. Apparently he had a tow package installed when he bought it which appears to include an engine oil cooler and one of the clamps on the cooler line failed. He had forgotten about the added oil cooler and the young guy that was helping us must have been new as he thought the cooler was for a turbo.

http://i.imgur.com/kQEA9Nh.jpg

Anyways, looks like it was miscommunication and these hose clamps might be something to keep an eye on if you have the extra cooler. 18k miles seems like a fairly short amount of time for a failure but I guess it can happen.

 

[Sgt1411]

I found the 2015 VIN guide on the ford site this morning and it's definitely the base model K8B, and the engine digit was 8 which I'm pretty sure means it's the Duratec engine. Maybe the tech calling him confused his car with another but he seemed pretty sure the problem was some kind of hose clamp. I'm not so up to date with these new cars and was just confused about where a hose clamp would have pressurized oil on the outside of this engine.

Ford doesn't make a DuraTec engine that's a GM engine...........

 

[Rick369]

According to the work order, the mechanic had to add 4.7 quarts of oil. How long was the engine running with 1.3 quarts of oil in it? I would be concerned about engine damage. May not show up right away but could be a problem down the road. If your father plans on keeping the vehicle for at least 100,000 miles, having the dealer provide an extended drive train warranty to 100,000 miles would be a good idea.

 

[FresnoRog]

Ford doesn't make a DuraTec engine that's a GM engine...........

This one:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Duratec_engine#Duratec_35

I'm not that familiar with all of the various names for engines and didn't know if there's another name for the NA V6 in the explorer. I was under the impression that the turbocharged V6 was called an ecoboost.

 

[FresnoRog]

According to the work order, the mechanic had to add 4.7 quarts of oil. How long was the engine running with 1.3 quarts of oil in it? I would be concerned about engine damage. May not show up right away but could be a problem down the road. If your father plans on keeping the vehicle for at least 100,000 miles, having the dealer provide an extended drive train warranty to 100,000 miles would be a good idea.

He said it happened very suddenly and he pulled off at the next exit less than a quarter mile away. He said there had been no oil underneath the car the morning he started it up so we're pretty sure he lost all 4.7 quarts on that short stretch of highway.

I think asking for an extended warranty is a good idea I hadn't thought of, may not hurt to see what the dealership offers.

 

[1995E]

Ford doesn't make a DuraTec engine that's a GM engine...........

Ford actually makes the Duratec,

Ford Interceptor Utility use a 3.7L Duratec,

Ford Explorer 3.5L is a Duratec.

 

[sheltonfilms]

Ford doesn't make a DuraTec engine that's a GM engine...........

You are thinking of Duramax

 

[Sgt1411]

Wow I have never heard of that Duratec name before, engineers never used that name on the Police Program.

 

[1995E]

Wow I have never heard of that Duratec name before, engineers never used that name on the Police Program.

They also call it the cyclone. MZI for Mazda versions. Turbo versions are Ecoboost

 

[Halwg]

Yep, I agree with Sgt1411, this whole post is BS.

 

[Odrapnew]

I originally thought this was BS, but now I’m not so sure. If he does have the tow package with a remote oil cooler(does the tow package include that?), I could see one of the lines possibly coming off(if they are held on by clamps). Similar to the Ecoboost with the turbo piping coming off. Maybe one of the clamps wasn’t tight enough and finally slipped off. It could purge the system of oil in a short amount of time if that happened.

If this is true, it sounds like a one-off issue not widespread. Maybe check your clamps?