Running on low oil

[Dantheman365]

Gents,
I am new to the Bronco community. Purchased a 73 about a month ago and my friend and I have put in some hard work on it. I am moving to Hawaii and was driving it to ATL to ship it. I got about 70 miles down the road and the engine began making a chugging noise and began loosing power. My buddy was following me in my other car. We pulled over and popped the hood. The engine was obviously overheating. Coolant was spewing out of the radiator. We figured it may be a thermostat issue. Didn't think to check the oil because I had just gotten the oil changed at sears 48hrs prior and throughout the month that I owned it it never leaked oil or emitted blue smoke. We let it cool and drove to the nearest automotive establishment. As we neared the garage the engine began to knock and there was a pinging noise. It died and we pushed it the last few hundred feet to the garage. Upon examination the dipstick did not even register oil in the oil pan. There were vapors exiting the valve cover and the mechanic suspected that a piston head had been thrown. They are currently investigating further to survey the damage. My suspicions are that sears did not put a sufficient amount of oil back in the engine. please let me know what you guys think. I may have a legal issue on my hand. My bronco has a 302ci

 

[Bronco Junkie]

I AM NOT A LAWYER. You can suspect all you want...but if you did not check the oil immediately after you got it back from Sears....I don't think you have much of a case. Sorry.

You drove it for 70 miles. In court...Sears could speculate a number of things could have happened during that time...all YOUR fault.

Don't you have an oil pressure gauge?

 

[Dantheman365]

I do have an oil pressure gauge. Thought it worked, but apparently not. Any idea what could have consumed approximately 5 quarts of oil in such a short distance? never let off a puff of blue smoke

 

[patterdale]

I'd bet it never had any oil in it. They do warranty their work so it might not be too hard to get satisfaction.

 

[DirtDonk]

Guessing no signs of leakage at the drain plug then?

Any signs that oil and water are mixing in the radiator?

Paul

 

[Bronco Junkie]

If your motor "consumed" the oil...you would most likely know somehow. Either smoke from exhaust or major puddle or oil all over your motor.

Have you drained the oil pan? I have to agree with Patterdale that they never even put oil in it.

 

[Dantheman365]

No signs of leakage. My buddy was driving behind me the whole time and didn't see any smoke. Not sure about the radiator. When we pulled over I smelled the radiator and it smelled like coolant, no signs of exhaust or oil. when the coolant was coming out of the radiator there was no discoloration either.

I left it with a reputable mechanic,however it is 80 miles form here. They checked the oil pan and said there was very little.

It concerns me more that this was a free oil change I redeemed as a result of poor service experienced prior. The mechanic asked me if it had a 460 in it when I picked it up. Wouldn't he have noticed if he changed the oil? additionally I asked them to do a courtesy check because I had just bought it. If there was a leak or any major issues I would think they would have caught it. they said everything looked good

 

[half cab]

If he thought that 302 was a 460 then he never raised the hood!!!Or he is an IDIOT!!!Someone let the oil out and never filled it back up!

 

[JSBX]

Sears may have cameras in there service bays. You might want to check on this. I had an oil change place change my oil and air filter in my F-150. I drove a few miles down the road and it died and would not start. I found the air filter box cover had not been snapped closed. Finally got the truck started but ran like crap. They wound up towing to a shop and made the repairs needed. They admitted the tech. did not close the cover because his work was recorded on camera. Hope this helps.

 

[Bronco Junkie]

They checked the oil pan and said there was very little.

The mechanic asked me if it had a 460 in it when I picked it up. Wouldn't he have noticed if he changed the oil? additionally I asked them to do a courtesy check because I had just bought it. If there was a leak or any major issues I would think they would have caught it. they said everything looked good

Yeah, you would have been better taking your car to a group of chimps and letting them work on it.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Sustained highway driving is one of the hardest things for oil consumption. I know several engines that otherwse don't consume oil, but long highway drives will suck it down. But not so fast that it makes a smokescreen or even stinks.

If Sears didn't add any oil there is no way you would have made it as far as you did.

Hate to state it, but I think you just ran the engine til it's death.

As for the oil pressure gauge, that wouldn't necessarly have saved you. I blew an engine in a company car a few years back. Maintance was transfered from one to another but never actually was transfered. So none was done. A few tens of thousands of miles later and it ran low on oil. Gauge never moved and started making a "pinging" sound which I was going to take it in for the next day to get checked out. It lasted another hour until the it spun a rod bearing. No symptoms of low oil until it was too late. Of course there was the problem of no one actually checking the oil like it was suppose to be. There were some schudeuling issues that were changed after that.

 

[Jdgephar]

Herein lies the reason I don't trust anyone but myself when it comes to changing critical items on my vehicles like brakes, oil, coolant....well, pretty much anything.

 

[Dantheman365]

Agreed Jdgephar, looks like i have learned my lesson. At least if I do it my self there is no question and no one to blame but myself. At any rate I am in the market for a new engine. Been looking into a jasper. I would be willing to shell out some additional dough if the bang is worth the buck. Any suggestions? I am running the stock 3 spd manual transmission and 3" lift on 33x12.5 tires.

 

[scrapman1971]

did they leave the old oil filter o-ring on by mistake? happens some times. unscrew the old filter and o-ring stays on the block. screw on new filter and down the road the o-rings blow out. just a thought

 

[patterdale]

Sustained highway driving is one of the hardest things for oil consumption. I know several engines that otherwse don't consume oil, but long highway drives will suck it down. But not so fast that it makes a smokescreen or even stinks.

If Sears didn't add any oil there is no way you would have made it as far as you did.

Hate to state it, but I think you just ran the engine til it's death.

As for the oil pressure gauge, that wouldn't necessarly have saved you. I blew an engine in a company car a few years back. Maintance was transfered from one to another but never actually was transfered. So none was done. A few tens of thousands of miles later and it ran low on oil. Gauge never moved and started making a "pinging" sound which I was going to take it in for the next day to get checked out. It lasted another hour until the it spun a rod bearing. No symptoms of low oil until it was too late. Of course there was the problem of no one actually checking the oil like it was suppose to be. There were some schudeuling issues that were changed after that.

He could have made it 70 miles no problem. We did a test in tech school to see how long an engine would go without oil or water. Stuck a 360/390 on a stand with 1 qt of oil in it and no radiator. Wired the throttle back to full on and waited. It took the better part of 20 minutes for it to begin to sputter and wind down. The residual oil and cooling system would let the engine run a long time before it crapped.

 

[half cab]

He could have made it 70 miles no problem. We did a test in tech school to see how long an engine would go without oil or water. Stuck a 360/390 on a stand with 1 qt of oil in it and no radiator. Wired the throttle back to full on and waited. It took the better part of 20 minutes for it to begin to sputter and wind down. The residual oil and cooling system would let the engine run a long time before it crapped.

Yea I was gonna say my son knocked a hole in the oil pan of his car once and lost all the oil and drove several miles(don't remember how far,but was a good ways)home and the next mrn. it wouldn't move.

ps son's car was a cheby

 

[Bronco Junkie]

Agreed Jdgephar, looks like i have learned my lesson. At least if I do it my self there is no question and no one to blame but myself. At any rate I am in the market for a new engine. Been looking into a jasper. I would be willing to shell out some additional dough if the bang is worth the buck. Any suggestions? I am running the stock 3 spd manual transmission and 3" lift on 33x12.5 tires.

If you got the $$$...get a new Ford crate motor.

 

[Dantheman365]

Yea I was gonna say my son knocked a hole in the oil pan of his car once and lost all the oil and drove several miles(don't remember how far,but was a good ways)home and the next mrn. it wouldn't move.

I really believe i could have driven 70 miles on 1-2 quarts. Even when the dipstick registered no oil what so ever, the engine still cranked. Seems like one tough SOB

 

[Skiddy]

I really believe i could have driven 70 miles on 1-2 quarts. Even when the dipstick registered no oil what so ever, the engine still cranked. Seems like one tough SOB

that is because it is a ford

 

[half cab]

that is because it is a ford

Right on Skid....I've seen some ole 289's left for dead and the next day fill'em up with water and or oil and fire up and "Keep on Truckin";D