Hole in Engine Block

[KathyD]

Greetings All,

We have a problem with our 2003 Cruiser...before it was out of warranty, we noticed anti-freeze leaking. Took it into our mechanic and they said there was a hole in the engine block. So, we took it into the dealer to get it fixed. They put in a new water pump. (My husband handles this, so I don't know why he didn't ask them about the hole...or maybe he did.) So, the leak stopped...for some time. Then we had the same thing happen...took it to our mechanic and they said the hole had never been repaired. Back to dealer who said, it's out of warranty...it'll cost you @ $4200.00 to get this fixed. Even though we told them about the hole while it was STILL under warranty. Contacted Atty General's office...not much help there.

So, our mechanic says it was a manufacturing problem and should be covered. Has anyone experienced this? What else can we do? Concerned about going into winter months (IL) with this situation. Also, is there some type of interim fix, like a sealant? The car has @90M miles on it.

Thanks for any assist!

Kathy

[CREWZIN]

Kathy,

Welcome to the forum.

Start with your husband. Did he or did he not say anything to the dealer about the hole or the block as the mechanic had mentioned or did he just tell them it's leaking antifreeze?

If he only mentioned a leak and nothing else, you can't blame the dealer for saying they never saw it before your warranty ran out.

What was your warranty ...7/70 ? Did you go 20,000+ miles between the first mechanic diagnosis and when it starting leaking again and you ran out of warranty?

There's other things to find out also. You said the leak stopped after they replaced the water pump. If the block was cracked before you took it in, changing the water pump (why did they do that if it was leaking from the block) wouldn't have stopped the leak unless they saw the crack and did a temporary repair.

Back to your question. Will your mechanic back you up 100% on the crack being there before the warranty ran out? The dealer is the one saying it's out of warranty. You can try contacting the Chrysler area rep with the whole story and your mechanic's name saying it should have been diagnosed by the dealer while it was still under warranty.

[BLUEH20]

Kathy,

The block developed a hole???--generally blocks do not develop holes. Things hit them and crack them either from the inside or the outside. A hole usually just does not develop.

The leak stopped when the water pump was replaced and did not return for some period of time. Case of the temporary self healing hole in the block. How long did the leak heal itself?

Can you get the location of this hole--we could give you a lot better help with a bit more specific information.

Also--the dealer is constrained by Chrysler as to when warranty expires--it is not an arbitary date or mileage. By all means call 1-800-992-1997 and see if the Customer Assistance Group can help you out.

We really could use some firm information as to what was found, when it was found, where it is, what does the repair order state as the customer statement your husband provided at the time the repair order was written up. That statement is the drivering force as to what was reported by your husband and repaired by the dealership.