Had oil pan replaced...on way home car overheated and sprayed water and steam and stoppe running

Asked by deloyd Jan 15, 2015 at 10:48 PM about the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Touring Convertible FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

had it towed to dealer.  turns over, will not run.  Dealer says we must have jumped the timing belt on way home.  What could have happened in the shop?  Does a jumped timing belt cause these symptoms?  is the timing belt exposed during a pan and gasket replacement?

4 Answers

19,845

belt is not exposed during oil pan replacement. Does eng just whir when cranking, or does it sound like it has compression? If oil gets on the belt, it can soften it, allowing for it to break. Now the overheating may be due to a bad elect. cooling fan. (common problem) Was it overheating going down the road or like sitting at idle? If at idle, fan problem. If running down the road, low coolant, water pump leaking, clogged radiator.

2 people found this helpful.

Sounds like it is just turning over. The mechanic said it sounded like it kicked over briefly, then just turned over. As wife driving home from a $700 oil pan replacement for a stripped drain plug, it started to loose power. She stopped and car kept running. Started home and entering our drive car died. Steam and gurgling form boiling water poured out leaked a reddish fluid from all over bottom of car. did not seem to be the synthetic oil he put in. Anything the pan change could have caused any of this? do they drain fluids beside water?

915

Your problem should have little to nothing to do with the oil pan replacement. Could be bad cooling fan, clogged radiator, bad water pump, bad thermostat, bad head gasket, or a combination of these. Recently had to replace my water pump and head gasket because of symptoms similar to yours. Have a reputable repair shop diagnose the problems for you (preferably not the one who stripped your oil pan threads). Recommend having the car towed rather than risking a cracked block. If your water pump proves a need for replacement, recommend having the timing belt changed at the same time, especially if your Cruiser is anywhere near 100k mileage. While the combination of repairs can run you from $1300 to $2100, depending on what needs replacement, having the car off the road and into the shop a second time for even more money, will prove less expensive in the long run. Hope this was helpful. Good luck and low expense to you.

1 people found this helpful.
915

Sorry...having the car in the shop twice instead of once to address all these potentials will prove more, not less, expensive.

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