Low oil pressure light, then noise, then turned off.

[NDBronco]

I haven't posted in a while due to being busy at work and enjoying my bronco, but I had to post today as I am looking to hear thoughts on what happened.

I was driving away from my parents house on the highway and around 3 miles later I started getting a "low oil pressure" warning on the dash. First thing I did was slow down and pull over at the next approach. Then it started making knocking noises and the check engine light came on so I turned it off. I jumped out and found oil all over the bottom of the vehicle from front to back, even on the spare tire on the tailgate. I opened the hood and a little smoke was coming out and I saw oil on both sides and front of the engine. It was almost splashed to the top of the engine so I couldn't tell where it was coming from. All the hoses and lines looked ok but there are a lot of them, this is a 2.7. I checked the dipstick and nothing was on it. I have a Sasquach so underneath I can't see anything but wet skid plates. So from what I can tell I lost all my oil on the highway and I have no idea why or if the engine is ok.

For a little background, this vehicle has just turned over 5,000 miles. It is a 2021 and was built in November of 2021. To my knowledge it is not a part of the "bad valve" batch. Also, just a couple hundred miles ago I had the oil changed at a Ford dealer. It has been great in every respect until now.

Lastly, when I got a ride back to the parents place I did see oil on the highway starting about a mile or two from their house. It looks like brown fresh oil and it is mostly by the passenger tire side of the road. Now the issue is, no towing company will tow it to a Ford dealer til Monday and the local dealer, who is small, is not listed by Ford roadside assistance so they are making me pay for the tow. They are about 25 miles away. The nearest other one is around an hour away. This happened yesterday and I am waiting for Monday morning to hopefully get it towed to the dealer I bought it from. The dealer that changed the oil is a large dealer 2.5 hours away where I live.

Does anyone have any idea what could have done this and is there a good chance my engine has serious damage at this point?
I can't see where the oil plug is so I'm not sure if that is it or not.

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[iamcris]

Oil fill cap is on the driver side of the engine. The drain plug is yellow and on the bottom of the engine passenger side. While I personally disagree with a disposable drain plug the design is very good. You almost have to try to install it wrong, there is a physical stop tab integrated into the oil pan. Having said that, anyone, and I mean anyone can tamper with it if they know how it works. Whereas as the old industry standard drain plug resembled a short bolt and you'd at least have to have a wrench or socket and ratchet to remove or tamper with it. Lastly, while you're going to want to know what exactly is wrong with it I would not touch any part of it due to warranty concerns. Not even wipe or wash it down. Leave it as is, this will protect you and assist the technician in their diagnosis. Terribly sorry to hear about this happening to you and your Bronco. Keep us posted.

 

[NDBronco]

Oil fill cap is on the driver side of the engine. The drain plug is yellow and on the bottom of the engine passenger side. While I personally disagree with a disposable drain plug the design is very good. You almost have to try to install it wrong, there is a physical stop tab integrated into the oil pan. Having said that, anyone, and I mean anyone can tamper with it if they know how it works. Whereas as the old industry standard drain plug resembled a short bolt and you'd at least have to have a wrench or socket and ratchet to remove or tamper with it. Lastly, while you're going to want to know what exactly is wrong with it I would not touch any part of it due to warranty concerns. Not even wipe or wash it down. Leave it as is, this will protect you and assist the technician in their diagnosis. Terribly sorry to hear about this happening to you and your Bronco. Keep us posted.

Thanks for the info. I had a 2017 F150 3.5 and that oil drain plug was yellow and plastic. I am assuming these are similar or the same. I could not see it from under the vehicle so I might look again. I was able to flat tow it with an F-150 to my parents yard just to get it off the highway. I have not touched the vehicle as I assume the dealer will want to see it as is to diagnose the issue. I have not washed it or done anything to it. Just upset that this might be a major ordeal on an otherwise great vehicle. Tampering I don't think is an issue due to it being inside a garage all the time and where it was parked but who knows. I am surprised this is a one off issue. Is there an oil line going to each turbo that could have leaked? I am just spitballing here but I guess I just need to wait and see what the dealer says. And has anyone dealt with roadside assistance? I thought they cover towing to the nearest ford dealer but they told me on the phone that the dealer I bought from is not on their list of dealers so I need to pay for the towing. I know they are small but Ford must know who they have for dealers of new vehicles.

 

[Razorbak86]

The dealer that changed the oil may have some liability here and may want to be the first party to examine the damage, so you should consider contacting them to see if they’ll tow it to their shop gratis.

 

[iamcris]

Thanks for the info. I had a 2017 F150 3.5 and that oil drain plug was yellow and plastic. I am assuming these are similar or the same. I could not see it from under the vehicle so I might look again. I was able to flat tow it with an F-150 to my parents yard just to get it off the highway. I have not touched the vehicle as I assume the dealer will want to see it as is to diagnose the issue. I have not washed it or done anything to it. Just upset that this might be a major ordeal on an otherwise great vehicle. Tampering I don't think is an issue due to it being inside a garage all the time and where it was parked but who knows. I am surprised this is a one off issue. Is there an oil line going to each turbo that could have leaked? I am just spitballing here but I guess I just need to wait and see what the dealer says. And has anyone dealt with roadside assistance? I thought they cover towing to the nearest ford dealer but they told me on the phone that the dealer I bought from is not on their list of dealers so I need to pay for the towing. I know they are small but Ford must know who they have for dealers of new vehicles.

Just for the purpose of I don't know if you know but if you do know please afford my editing skills your pardon. Attached are pictures of fill cap and drain plug (even though mine is aftermarket Ronin from Amazon because I think plastic drain plugs are stupid). I'll have to see if I have a factory drawing of turbo parts breakdown to post.

 

[NDBronco]

Thanks for the pics. I do know where the oil fill and dip stick are. The drain plug I have a good idea but it is hidden by my skid plate I believe. I will go look. I should contact the oil change dealer, thanks for that info. I didn't think of that because they are 2.5 hours away.

 

[Roger123]

Contact the dealer that changed the oil and explain what happened. They should offer to have it towed to their dealership. If not, then strongly suggest they do as they touched it last and there's really no other explanation other than they messed something up.

Document the oil slick with pictures. Do not offer the info that you tried to start the car with no oil. The motor was already toast at that point but offer nothing that they can try and use against you.

Unfortunately you are now in situation of you against them. They probably don't want to pay for your new engine which you are probably going to need. They don't get "better" after being run with no oil.

 

[iamcris]

Thanks for the pics. I do know where the oil fill and dip stick are. The drain plug I have a good idea but it is hidden by my skid plate I believe. I will go look. I should contact the oil change dealer, thanks for that info. I didn't think of that because they are 2.5 hours away.

Yeah bummed out for you. I'm attaching some pics I found of the turbo oil supply/drain. Hope it helps to give you an idea of location.

 

[mountainbronco]

I would not have it inspected at the location that did the oil change, just in case it is related, they will never admit fault.

Bring it to the nearest larger dealership. Remember, your $50k vehicle likely has a bad engine, so a few $ for towing would be well invested.

Be sure to give the mechanic your camera, and have him take before/after pictures of everything he touches!

 

[mcinfantry]

I would not have it inspected at the location that did the oil change, just in case it is related, they will never admit fault.

Bring it to the nearest larger dealership. Remember, your $50k vehicle likely has a bad engine, so a few $ for towing would be well invested.

Be sure to give the mechanic your camera, and have him take before/after pictures of everything he touches!

Agreed! They won’t want to accept any of this

Google independent auto adjuster
I’m a licensed PI, auto insurance adjuster, and accident reconstructionist, and a mechanic by trade. I’m sure someone near you for a fee would document it all
I do consulting work

 

[NDBronco]

Thanks everyone. It seems like this might be a huge headache. I just hope ford will help me out. I will get it to the local dealer and have them check it out and document everything. Just have to hope for the best at this point.

 

[Silver-Bolt]

Whoever did the oil change owes you a new engine. Good luck getting them to admit the wrong doing and take care of it. You have a battle on your hands.

 

[Gotdesl]

Your best hope is for it to be something obvious, and warrantable. It could potentially be difficult/impossible to prove that a dealer fucked up an oil change. You need something provable. Until then, I wouldn't expect much "help" from Ford. Unfortunately, by the time the low oil pressure light comes on that engine is already starved. It would be great to walk away undamaged, but extremely unlikely. I definitely wouldn't take it to the party potentially liable. Try a different dealer, and depending on what they find and whether you are in agreement with them, an entirely independent shop without anything ties to Ford. The tow bills are going to be a drop in the bucket and potentially money well spent. I wish and hope the best for you. Be ready to chase this one to ground and fight for it. No one wants to be left holding the bill for a new engine.

 

[mcinfantry]

Your best hope is for it to be something obvious, and warrantable. It could potentially be difficult/impossible to prove that a dealer fucked up an oil change. You need something provable. Until then, I wouldn't expect much "help" from Ford. Unfortunately, by the time the low oil pressure light comes on that engine is already starved. It would be great to walk away undamaged, but extremely unlikely. I definitely wouldn't take it to the party potentially liable. Try a different dealer, and depending on what they find and whether you are in agreement with them, an entirely independent shop without anything ties to Ford. The tow bills are going to be a drop in the bucket and potentially money well spent. I wish and hope the best for you. Be ready to chase this one to ground and fight for it. No one wants to be left holding the bill for a new engine.

THIS

 

[Taltyman]

A loss of oil pressure in modern engines will likely cause a lot of components to be destroyed or damaged. Just from experiencing a similar situation in remote New Mexico. I didn't lose oil just oil pressure and I had to tow it to Colorado and get a new engine installed This was a FJ Cruiser with 60k miles). They couldn't find the cause but the friction from no oil pressure basically ate up a lot of parts. So I would think if the oil drain plug is still there and tight that the warranty will kick in. If it isn't then ...

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