my car has had antifreeze mixed. I was told this gumed up so now they say I need a new engine.

Judy_F

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Dec 6, 2015
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I had a water pump replaced in my car it had 50,000 miles on it. At 59,000 miles it started over heating again, I took it to the dealer they are saying the antifreeze has been mixed and has gummed up in my motor and they also said engine got very hot that I need A new engine I'm not sure what questions to ask because this car still has the power train warranty The dealer is insisting that the motor is shot! They are not replaceing motor because of the antifreeze.The car still starts and is driveable?
 

mymutter

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Dec 23, 2014
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The Engine is part of the PowerTrain warranty from Mopar, GM, Hyundai, Toyota, Honda, Kia, Suzuki, Jaguar, etc.

What happened from my understanding is that his car has Dexcool, and the person who replaced the water pump added Ethylene Glycol (the green) which is not compatible with Dexcool. When you mix Dexcool with Ethylene Glycol, they form a gel-like substance that stops coolant flow and causes the engine to overheat due to non flowing coolant.

It will gum up everywhere. When you shut it down due to it over heating, the substances are usually mixed, and it gels up into a hard jello like substance everywhere there is coolant. Everywhere from your Radiator to heater core, and of course, the engine block.

If a shop replaced your water pump, they should be legally liable to fix the problem since they are the cause of it. Dextron has been used for many many years now, and any reputable shop should be aware of it. There is a chance that the engine could be saved. (well, not the radiator or heater core) using a high pressure system to try to flush the engine block. This has a high rate of success once the engine is removed from the vehicle.

as far as the dealer goes, the engine warranty was voided by the use of a non-approved coolant. it would be the same if you put diesel gas in your tank. Water pumps, brakes, axles, and most "wear" parts are not included in the drivetrain warranty of most places. However, if the vehicle is under a factory warranty sometimes its worth still going to the dealer to have repairs done (and none of this would have happened, and they may have possibly performed any recall work that you were unaware of)
 
I would tend to agree, the shop did the water pump replacement would be responsible possibly if they added plain green AF to a dexcool system. Why didn't you take the car to the dealer for the water pump replacement? It should have been under warranty and it will depend on the dealer and the shop you went to. Some shops are approved to do warranty work and others are not. If the shop wasn't you may be fighting a tough case for going to a 3rd party shop rather than the dealer under the warranty period.

Personally if it was actually a case of dexcool I'd say flush it and switch to green anyway. That stuff is nasty and causes more headaches and more leaks. It may void the warranty but would be much better for the car. The only reason I loved dexcool was working as an auto tech. Job security for all the gummed up water pumps, failed intake manifold gaskets and everything else meant $$$.
 

SKIPPY PB

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Jan 9, 2015
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As a mechanic you can't really answer any questions without knowing what car you have. Different cars require different fluids to run properly. To break this down simply, you saw a problem at 50K and the service center recommended a water pump. Did I over heat and that is why you brought it in?

At 59K your saying it overheated again? If it did overheat severely enough depending on the motor it could have "warped/cracked" the block and or cylinder head among other parts. This could require a new cylinder head or the old one repaired. The amount of $ in labor could warrant an entire new motor at that service location.

Im assuming the 2nd posted knows the first, my questions are still what car and warranty do you have? Powertrain doesn't tell you anything because there a hundred of variations to which specific warranty you have which change randomly over time. If the car is under warranty why was a repair done by an outside shop? If this is an outside shop and it was done properly with paper work you may have a chance in accusing them depending on the scenario.

How long ago did they do the repair. If it took you 2 years to drive that additional 9K miles your mostlikely out of luck.

Really to answer this question accurately anyone will need to know, what car you are talking about? What warranty it has, is it valid and the time period on it? What work you had performed outside of the shop even if unrelated, sometimes installing thinks such as an aftermarket radio will void say an electrical warranty for the car depending on how the warranty you agreed too was written, etc.

Sounds like a tricky situation.