2012 5.4 engine failure??? Help

[Mangina]

Have you ticked anyone off lately? The only way to get that much water in the oil would be a bad head gasket leak, or someone intentionally put it in there. I cannot believe that condensation could be bad enough to cause engine failure.

+1. Coolant usually shows up as Potassium (K) on a lab report. Did they give you a printout showing the various elements in the oil? Usually they give you one that shows Iron, Aluminum, Lead, Fuel, etc.

I have a hard time believing there was a sh!tload of water in your engine from condensation that caused an engine failure.

 

[stamp11127]

Op, post the lab test results if you can. If the oil had water in it you would expect the milk chocolate color of the oil, not black tar.

For giggles, describe the steps on how you changed the oil & what brand was used in detail. Hot engine or cold engine, flat or angled surface etc.

Back during my college years I knew a guy that had a late 70's Ford LTD. He never changed the oil or filter in 80,000 miles. The oil was the blackest I've ever seen. Not an ounce of trouble at that point. Interesting how things have changed.

 

[Stuart]

I don't think I've irritated anyone to the point that they would sabbotage my Expedition! Oil changes were done in my garage, flat surface. Ford told me that the Motorcraft oil (5w-20 synthetic blend) and filter was good for 7500 miles so that's what I did except for the first oil change, that one was changed around 5000 because that's what i was used to with my other expedition. (i have owned 4 of them) I always made sure the engine was warm so oil would flow out easily. Not sure how to post the results....water level was a 1.47, nothing over .5 is considered safe. I talked to a Ford service manager yesterday and he is suspicious of the PCV system, that it may not have been working correctly, maybe for quite a while. The oil analysis lab said that water in the oil like this would lead to the black junk that is in the oil pan. Interestingly, the oil viscosity was still at a 6.7, new oil is a 7.0. The water works as a repellant, pushing oil away from all metal surfaces.

 

[Stuart]

Oh, by the way. The oil that was tested had 6500 miles on it.

 

[stamp11127]

Conventional or synthetic?

 

[tojohnso]

.........Ford told me that the Motorcraft oil (5w-20 synthetic blend) and filter was good for 7500 miles so that's what I did......

Looks like he used the Motorcraft Synthetic Blend.

 

[stamp11127]

Yea I'm awake.....
I'd keep after Ford by going up the ladder. If the lab can give you documentation on the effects of water mixing with the synthetic oil I would present that to Ford first. If they don't do the right thing then consider the cost of a lawyer vs another engine.

 

[Stuart]

Update:
FORD is not addressing the fact that the oil has water in it. This is unbelievable. There has to be a reason why there would be so much water in the system, no one has an answer. Pretty hard to believe they are just dismissing such a big red flag. Reminder- I have owned 10+ Fords and done all the maintenance on them myself, 4 of them being brand new vehicles. This is NOT a lack of maintenance! Does anyone have ANY thoughts on what could be causing water to be in the oil?????

 

[GaryH2]

Interesting. My sister in law had a similar issue in her Expy. Its a couple years newer than mine (07).

Following these developments.....

 

[Mangina]

Update:
FORD is not addressing the fact that the oil has water in it. This is unbelievable. There has to be a reason why there would be so much water in the system, no one has an answer. Pretty hard to believe they are just dismissing such a big red flag. Reminder- I have owned 10+ Fords and done all the maintenance on them myself, 4 of them being brand new vehicles. This is NOT a lack of maintenance! Does anyone have ANY thoughts on what could be causing water to be in the oil?????

If you're 100% positive its not coolant, then I have no ideas short of someone opening your hood and dumping a bucket of water into your oil cap.

 

[metaldrgn]

Do you live in a humid location? Condensation could have gotten into the engine little by little and over time caused the excess water issue. That means there would have to be an entry point for thd humid air to get in like a gasket that wasn't installed right or failed or the oil fill cap or dipstick. Were you able to provide receipts for all the oil you bought?

You may want to research the dodge 4.7L problems because I want to say the early ones (99-03?) had the exact problem and people were in the same boat as you. You might be able to see how prople there succeeded.

 

[metaldrgn]

I should also point out that unless they specifically showed you or told you about a cap that was left off or some kind of actual findings that would relate to water/moisture entering the system and you have receipts for your oil/filter, I don't see how they can deny you. Like someone else mentioned, if you aren't getting the cooperation you need at the dealership, you should start bugging people higher up the chain. There are multiple possible fail points on their end and it sounds like they can't prove anything right now

 

[Stuart]

Update:
We took our issue to the Better Business Bureau to try to resolve this. They found in our favor and Ford is going to be forced to pay for the engine replacement. It's a shame that someone who has been ford loyal and can prove the maintenance has been done has to go to these lengths to get what they deserve. FYI- If you have a problem with your Ford, you may have to fight harder than you want to to get it resolved.

 

[Mangina]

Update:
We took our issue to the Better Business Bureau to try to resolve this. They found in our favor and Ford is going to be forced to pay for the engine replacement. It's a shame that someone who has been ford loyal and can prove the maintenance has been done has to go to these lengths to get what they deserve. FYI- If you have a problem with your Ford, you may have to fight harder than you want to to get it resolved.

That's too bad.

I don't care if they make a mistake, but not owning up to it is just ******.

Hopefully you've made it easier for the next person, but I doubt it.

 

[FisherPete]

Stuart, throughout this drama, you have been referring to "Ford". I don't think you need to name names, but I'm curious if the trouble reaching a solution is specific to a dealership or an individual who works there. In my experience, the higher up the chain one gets, the less resistant people seem to be. While at the service department level, a big repair may adversely affect someone's budget or their career advancement, thus creating incentive for resistance.
Regardless, I'm glad you were finally able to get a ruling in your favor and hope it all works out for you.