Garage blown my engine - where do I stand?

[anonymous-user]

All they would have had to do is stuff something into the air intake, if it was running away on engine oil then "removing the fuel pipe" obviously wouldn't have achieved anything that switching the ignition off wouldn't have done. I thought most modern diesels had a butterfly valve in the inlet that closed when you switch the ignition off to stop a runaway engine?

[xRIEx]

Randomthoughts said:

You stand hoping they have proper professional indemnity insurance

PI insurance is nothing to do with this situation, it covers advice given; it falls squarely on the garage's shoulders.

[bosshog]

dme123 said:

All they would have had to do is stuff something into the air intake, if it was running away on engine oil then "removing the fuel pipe" obviously wouldn't have achieved anything that switching the ignition off wouldn't have done. I thought most modern diesels had a butterfly valve in the inlet that closed when you switch the ignition off to stop a runaway engine?

Who knows what actually happened - I'm sure I won't ever know. Now its a case of how bad the damage is, and whether they will repair without charge me. Oh happy days.

[BorkFactor]

I have seen a diesel runaway once, it is quite spectacular and unnerving at the same time. Have a look on YouTube...

Hope you get it sorted OP, someone I used to work with had a similar thing happen and the garage (main dealer) replaced the engine FOC.

[PositronicRay]

skyrover said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zx3qKX_Pno

I'm impressed

[A.J.M]

You need a new engine.

As others have said, the engine was no longer running on diesel, it was running on oil.
It won't have any rev limiter either so it will just rev higher and higher till it runs out of oil, has the air shut off, is stalled or it grenades itself.

Someone will be along with proper knowledge of what to do next but that engine is fit for being a boat anchor now.

[r11co]

dme123 said:

I thought most modern diesels had a butterfly valve in the inlet that closed when you switch the ignition off to stop a runaway engine?

They do, but a fair amount still don't, plus this engine was having a turbo replaced so there's a fair chance that bits of the intake system had not been refitted prior to a test-fire.

[stevesingo]

dme123 said:

All they would have had to do is stuff something into the air intake

What exactly? whatever is used to block off the intake will have to be very robust. You are risking whatever you put over the intake being sucked in, causing even more carnage. The engine is probably consuming near to 5000lt/min based on a 2lt at 5k rpm!

Stalling it using top gear or CO2 extinguisher is the best bet.

Of course, any competant garage should clean out the intake manifold and intercooler when replacing a failed turbo to remove and potential unmetered fuel (engine oil) before restarting, and have a plan for stopping the engine just in case.

OP, insist on a replacement engine!

[bosshog]

stevesingo said:

Of course, any competant garage should clean out the intake manifold and intercooler when replacing a failed turbo to remove and potential unmetered fuel (engine oil) before restarting, and have a plan for stopping the engine just in case.

Yes clearly they didn't

stevesingo said:

OP, insist on a replacement engine!

They won't in a million years - too local and too small. The best I can hope for is they repair it for free. It however will never ever be the same.

[PhillipM]

stevesingo said:

What exactly? whatever is used to block off the intake will have to be very robust. You are risking whatever you put over the intake being sucked in, causing even more carnage. The engine is probably consuming near to 5000lt/min based on a 2lt at 5k rpm!

Maybe, but it's only got atmospheric pressure to hold against. I can attest to a nearby Haynes manual doing the job perfectly fine.

[thelawnet]

bosshog said:

They won't in a million years - too local and too small. The best I can hope for is they repair it for free. It however will never ever be the same.

Sue them for a cost of a new car. How much is was the car worth?

[cwis]

stevesingo said:

What exactly? whatever is used to block off the intake will have to be very robust. You are risking whatever you put over the intake being sucked in, causing even more carnage. The engine is probably consuming near to 5000lt/min based on a 2lt at 5k rpm!

Stalling it using top gear or CO2 extinguisher is the best bet.

Of course, any competant garage should clean out the intake manifold and intercooler when replacing a failed turbo to remove and potential unmetered fuel (engine oil) before restarting, and have a plan for stopping the engine just in case.

OP, insist on a replacement engine!

The blockage only has to overcome atmospheric pressure - about 5PSI. 3 inch diameter inlet? Area is 7 square inches, force would be 35 pounds. About 15Kg for metric heads.

You could use your hand, but it would sting a bit. Just don't use a rag - that'll get sucked in. Aerosol container top, paint tin lid, bit of cardboard, anything would do really.

[Playsatan]

Sounds like a massive PITA but just be thankful it didn't happen when you were driving it, particularly if you have an automatic.

Out of interest (as a large derv/auto owner) what is the strategy if this were to happen?

[TA14]

What happened to the big Yankie V8?

[ikarl]

is it repairable though? or (as I expect) is there too much damage within the engine for it to be possible to 'fix'

maybe come to some sort of agreement, you source a replacement engine, they fit it FOC etc.

[dudleybloke]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M1o2rpO_JY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiBxwGQQ8Js

[GreatGranny]

thelawnet said:

Sue them for a cost of a new car. How much is the car worth?

A new car?!?

The engine's buggered, that all.
Why go for replacing the whole car?

OP - I think best you can hope for is a reconditioned engine of similar mileage.
If you offer to pay towards the cost ie. equal to the amount the new turbo would have cost then that will soften the blow to the garage.

[PugwasHDJ80]

My experience of this happeneing:

Oil seal on the turbo going and the turbo sucking oil into the inlet and blowing into the engine- basically sucking the engine dry
Overfilling the engine with oil- the oil sits above the bottom of the oil rings and the engine starts to suck in engine oil- very quickly consuming the whole lot

[Andyjc86]

I best outcome would be a recon engine fitted FOC, however, you'll likely get one straight from a scrapper.

Amateur mistake to make, not sure I would trust them swapping an engine and not damaging anything else tbh.

Your stuck somewhere between a rock and a hard place!

[bosshog]

The Crack Fox said:

What happened to your turbo? When that went pop how can you prove that it didn't (directly or indirectly) cause further damage? Assuming your engine wasn't running when you took it in you have no idea what was and wasn't already knackered. I'd go easy on the blame until the garage give you a full and detailed report on what it wrong, and (most importantly) how much they expect you to pay...

Good luck

The engine was running fine, with no warning lights or anything. Turbo was just wining like a b*tch. Can I prove that? no not unless i have a time machine and a video camera