[abhi_gupta76]

Good Day,

This is my first post. I would like to thank the moderators for including me as a member.

At present I am not home and I need advice for a problem with my Ford Endeavour 3.2L. My nephew was driving the SUV, suddenly there was an oil leak from the cylinder cover and some smoke. He drove the car about 1 km to our house and parked it. During this time, the rpm was not increasing beyond 2000.

The oil level had dropped in the sump, but still visible in the dipstick. The cylinder cover seal was changed by Ford at my house, but upon restarting the SUV, we found oil coming out of the dipstick and white smoke from the exhaust. Ford is saying that the piston rings have burnt and need to be renewed, cost approx 3 Lakh.

My question is that before this incident, there was no smoke in the exhaust. If the rings or the liner was wearing out, there should have been a prior indication. Also the guys at Ford Jabalpur don't seem to have much knowledge of the Endeavour.

Could it be a choked PCV or defective turbocharger?

There was one more problem a few days earlier after an over enthusiastic attendant at the car wash - the car would occasionally not stop even with the key in stop condition, fuse would have to be pulled out to stop the engine. Ford guys changed a few relays for that.

Please advise me. As the car is out of warranty and Ford is quoting a lot.

[WIMR]

Back in the old days before PCV it was usual for cars to pass blow by gasses past gasket and for oil to be found outside the engine and some dripping through to the floor. My first check would be the PCV Valve and Hose. Having said that I would also do a full engine check including the Piston Rings, EGR and valves. Get the vehicle checked by a reliable independent garage to seek a second opinion. Get your car towed to the final destination where you intend to get our car serviced.

Coming to the cause - hope you have been doing the oil change as advised in service manual? Preferably use fully synthetic oil which tend to be better for the seals and moving parts in the engine if you have not being doing that already. Ensure that the right amount of Engine oil is added as per Ford specification every time you service the car - you don't want to run your engine on less or more oil.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by abhi_gupta76

At present I am not home and I need advice for a problem with my Ford Endeavour 3.2L. My nephew was driving the SUV, suddenly there was an oil leak from the cylinder cover and some smoke. He drove the car about 1 km to our house and parked it. During this time, the rpm was not increasing beyond 2000.

The oil level had dropped in the sump, but still visible in the dipstick. The cylinder cover seal was changed by Ford at my house, but upon restarting the SUV, we found oil coming out of the dipstick and white smoke from the exhaust. Ford is saying that the piston rings have burnt and need to be renewed, cost approx 3 Lakh.

How much has the car run so far?

Did they check the coolant condition and if there is any contamination in the engine oil? Asking to see if they rule out head gasket going bust.

Did they do any other checks like compression?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by abhi_gupta76

...suddenly there was an oil leak from the cylinder cover and some smoke.

Any pics of where the oil leak happened from? When was it detected?

He drove the car about 1 km to our house and parked it. During this time, the rpm was not increasing beyond 2000.

Was the low rpm (limp mode) detected before or after the oil leak and smoke was detected?

The cylinder cover seal was changed by Ford at my house

You mean the head gasket?

...but upon restarting the SUV, we found oil coming out of the dipstick and white smoke from the exhaust.

So before this work by Ford, when the engine ran on limp mode soon after the oil leak was detected, there was no white smoke from the exhaust or oil from the dipstick?

Could it be a choked PCV or defective turbocharger?

Is the engine revving normally after the 'cylinder cover seal' was changed?

There was one more problem a few days earlier after an over enthusiastic attendant at the car wash - the car would occasionally not stop even with the key in stop condition, fuse would have to be pulled out to stop the engine. Ford guys changed a few relays for that.

Was there a 'runaway' condition where the engine revs kept on increasing on its own? Reference thread... (Diesel Engine Runaway - What it is, and how to stop it). Which fuse was pulled?

[abhi_gupta76]

Good Day Gentlemen,

Thank you for taking time out for helping me with my problem.

At the onset I would apologise as I had not presented all the facts relating to the problem in a clear manner and have been chastised by the administrator for the same. Please find below all the facts and some which I have not been very clear about or had missed out on the previous post.

Vehicle: Ford Endeavour: 3.2L, late 2016 model.

Vehicle under warranty: No

Km run: 90000

Service and Oil Change: Servicing carried out as recommended by the manual and synthetic oil filled at each service. As I am working in the merchant navy and my wife is more comfortable using the Dzire I get the Endeavour serviced and the System oil , fuel and Lub oil filters changed every time I come back from my ship ( so servicing done every 5 months ). I do this as the suv is mostly in a standstill condition while I am away.

Brief Description of the problem

1.After a weekly wash at the neighbourhood garage the engine was not stopping even after turning the ignition to off position. We had to stop the engine by pulling out a fuse. The Ford work shop traced the problem to a few defective relays which were replaced.

2.There was no smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe before the incident. One day after having driven the car for approximately 20kms, heard a thump and found fumes coming out from the bonnet. Upon opening the hood found oil leaking from the cylinder cover area. The car was driven home (about 1km). During this time the engine was in the limp mode. No smoke was coming from the exhaust during this time.

3.After the car had been parked at my house the Sump oil level was checked and found it to be at the lowermost marking on the dipstick.

4.Mechanic from Ford work shop visited our home, filled in some top up lub oil (old oil) and started the engine to ascertain the source of the leak and replaced the cylinder cover rubber seal from where they suspected the leak to be emanating.

5.System oil was drained out and fresh oil refilled. The oil was refilled to the top of the dipstick(more than the prescribed limit).

Upon starting the engine found the following issues:

1.No oil leakages from the cylinder cover area.

2.Oil and vapour found to be escaping from the dipstick cover.

3.White smoke coming out of the exhaust.
Upon depressing the accelerator pedal the Rpm was found to be increasing however the amount of smoke coming out was increasing with the increase of rpm.

4.Able to stop the engine using the ignition key.

Advice by the Ford mechanics
1.The are unwilling to even consider that the PCV or a damaged cylinder head gasket could be the problem.

2. They have not checked the compression or peak pressure of the units.

3.No checks done for checking the cross contamination between the Coolant and the Lubricating oil.
They are insisting that we have to order for a half engine block which consists of the gaskets, seals and piston rings (approx. 2lakh excluding labour charges) and if further damage is located then to go for a full engine block (4lakh excluding labour charges).
They say that as the car was purchased from Dehradun and is now at Jabalpur we need to make our own arrangements to flatbed it to the workshop.

At present the vehicle is in Jabalpur and there are not many private garages with the skill set to investigate and remedy the problem. The nearest good private garage is in Bhopal (7hrs by road).

Please find below the replies to the questions asked regarding my post.

WIMR Oil change and service is being done at a shorter interval than that given in the manual as the SUV stays in a standstill condition for many months. Synthetic Lub Oil is used. Usually the correct amount of engine oil is added , however this time it was added to the highest level in the dipstick.

Jaggu The car has run approx. 90000 kms. The coolant condition and compression and peak pressure have not been checked.

SS-Traveller – As I am sailing at the moment and the internet on board is very slow I would not be able to provide any pictures. However hope to be home by the 25th of June and will upload the picture and video.

Limp mode was detected after the oil leak and smoke.

No, the cylinder head gasket has not been changed; the rubber ring for the cylinder cover has been changed.

There was no smoke coming from the exhaust and no oil coming from the dipstick while the engine was running on the limp mode.

At present the engine is revving normally after the oil leak had been arrested from the cover.

The engine has not run in a runaway condition.

[Intelsingh]

That's a tricky situation to be in. Seems to be a case of back compression- a complete engine overhaul would be the ideal thing. For a Ford, finding a right place to get that done. Not too sure of that.

Still, I would recommend to get the vehicle scanned from Ford before you take a call. Maybe it's just a case of some broken seal somewhere, Fords engine architecture is making the oil leak from the dip stick. If it's not a damaged seal. Then the situation is tricky.

This problem has nothing to do with the car wash experience. It's just coincidence to be happening at the same time.

[ajmat]

It could be that the EGR valve is stuck, hence the white smoke. Is the car running smoothly or is it erratic?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by abhi_gupta76

SS-Traveller – As I am sailing at the moment and the internet on board is very slow I would not be able to provide any pictures. However hope to be home by the 25th of June and will upload the picture and video.

I'm sure the repair can wait a week more, till you are home. You should be able to diagnose what's wrong exactly, given your qualifications.

No, the cylinder head gasket has not been changed; the rubber ring for the cylinder cover has been changed.

...i.e. the cam cover gasket?

There was no smoke coming from the exhaust and no oil coming from the dipstick while the engine was running on the limp mode.

At present the engine is revving normally after the oil leak had been arrested from the cover.

The engine has not run in a runaway condition.

Sounds like a head gasket failure. The oil and coolant need to be checked for contamination with each other. I would expect someone in Jabalpur can do a compression test to rule out piston ring failure - but in that case the engine would have knocked on revving, and not just emitted white smoke from the tailpipe.

Originally Posted by ajmat

It could be that the EGR valve is stuck, hence the white smoke. Is the car running smoothly or is it erratic?

EGR valve stuck open = black smoke. EGR valve stuck closed = better engine performance!

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

EGR valve stuck closed = better engine performance!

Not in my Jetta's case, it was a pig to drive!

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Not in my Jetta's case, it was a pig to drive!

Jettas don't do well with an EGR delete?

[WIMR]

To me it seems like a failed gasket, cracked head/engine block or cracked EGR cooler that is resulting in burning of coolant and causing the resultant white smoke. Check for white gooey deposit under the engine oil filler cap or a muddy coolant. These indications usually point to a failed gasket or a cracked block. If that is negative then check for presence/signs of coolant in EGR pipe.

[hserus]

Before that, first do check the PCV valve / oil separator. I had a similar issue in my Scorpio (blowby from the dipstick, but no oil spraying, no limp home mode, no pick up loss, dipstick levels reduced @ about 1.25 litres in 10k km). Cleaning out the oil separator stopped this problem entirely.

Cylinder head etc failing in an under 3 year old Endy? Weird. Also how come the relays etc failed, did you get your engine bay washed or something?

[abhi_gupta76]

Good Day Hserus,
I will get the oil separator checked.
You are right, the relay fault started after a wash which included an engine bay wash

[hserus]

Originally Posted by abhi_gupta76

Good Day Hserus,
I will get the oil separator checked.
You are right, the relay fault started after a wash which included an engine bay wash

Also your air filter, fuel filter and oil filter please. All three are paper in the ford engines and may have been damaged by water having been sprayed on them.

[Living2Drive]

Just a wild guess with my limited knowledge. There could have been water ingress to the combustion chamber during water wash which could have caused engine failure. i assume most of the authorized dealers will play safe during engine bay wash unlike outside garage. Garages will usually have 3 to 4 bar pressure which will be risky to most of the components on the engine bay. i guess new Endy has air suction just beside the headlamp facing front. thinking he's doing good job, the wash guy shoots good amount of water on the condenser / radiator, to clean the dust, then there's a high chance of water getting accumulated in the air box and then getting sucked into the intake once you start. I friend of mine who owns and runs classic Fiesta as taxi had issues in injector removal and was told that there's rust on the injector area, he also had frequent battery draining and battery light intermittent on issues. dealer spent weeks to identify the electrical problem, then some representative from Ford came over and concluded that its due to high pressure washing and improper cleaning of water from engine bay causing water stagnation around the valve cover and in the electrical components. during the conversation my friend was advised not to pressure wash the engine bay, should there be a critical need then it should not be more than a gentle bathroom shower and must immediately air blown to dry. Now the vehicle only gets air blown to remove dust and surprisingly the electrical concern did not surface after that.