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Chrysler Pacifica Oil Problems

245

Comments

  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,889
    well, i can't speak as to whether or not they will fess up to the oil problem, but I go to Seaview Chrysler in Ocean, NJ and we've gotten fairly good service there.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • badpacificabadpacifica Member Posts: 3
    How did you find out it was a bad batch of 0 rings? and how do I know if that is the issue w/ my 04? would love documentation to bring to a dealer here. Was this covered under warranty? if not what was the cost to you? you must have felt the cost outweighed getting a new vehicle...... I live in NC and would love to fix the problem if I could instead of trading. thanks!
  • ctaylor2ctaylor2 Member Posts: 6
    Thank you for your reply. I guess I can give them a try. If I get any assistance from a dealer or a lawyer, I will be sure to post it. Thanks again.
  • ctaylor2ctaylor2 Member Posts: 6
    Just like to let everyone know that I have traded in my headache. So watch out prospected buyers DON"T BUY THIS ONE!!!!!!
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,889
    what did you trade for?

    and, if you don't mind me asking, what did they give you for the Pac? What were the details on yours again?

    I'm surprised you didn't give another service department a shot, but you did what you were happy with, so that's all that matters.

    We still really like our Pac, but we won't be buying it at the end of the lease. 9 months to go and it goes back to Chrysler. Sometimes the actions of the transmission make me worry. That's the primary reason. Second is the gas mileage. We just aren't happy getting 18-19 mpg. Not that this second reason is a complaint. We knew we'd get around that when we bought it. But our priorities (not to mention the price of gas) have changed since then.

    Based on these posts, I did check the oil recently. The car doesn't burn any, as far as I can tell. I'll check again closer to oil change time, however.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • ctaylor2ctaylor2 Member Posts: 6
    I traded for a 07 Saturn Aura. Hope to have much better luck with this one. They gave me 11,750 for the pac. I paid 17,500. I took the loss upfront instead of putting the money in the terrible gas mileage and oil consumption. I did speak to other Chysler dealers over the phone who also told me it was ok to burn oil. I was back to the Saturn dealer yesterday (had a chip in windsheild which they fixed, no questions asked) and saw the pac out for sale . I wanted to see how much they were asking but thought that would add to the wound. I spoke with a mechanic there and he told me "It was just a matter of time before the transmission goes". What an expensive lesson!!! It's a good thing you leased this one. So far I love my Saturn and took an extened warranty just in case. Good luck
  • nelsonlanelsonla Member Posts: 2
    I bought a 2005 Pacifica two years ago and I've had nothing but problems. In the past 4.5 months its been in the shop 3 times = 4months. It has been a nightmare. I've called every number I can find connected to Chrysler to get help. I got the run around where one department sent me to the other. The cars engine was burning too much oil but I didn't know it. I live alone (female) and I am not a mechanic. The dealership replaced many parts (including the rings) costing several thousand dollars. Fortunately I bought a full warranty on top of the warranty that came with the car. Again it began having problems - back to the dealership we go - oil was pouring out of the engine. I took it in and they replace the cam shaft and tried to tell me it was an entirely separte problem. Again it begain having problems- back to the dealership we go - It is now in the shop and the motor has to be replaced. During this ridiculous amount of time the warranty provides for 5 days rental.
    I WARN anyone buying a car to stay away from Chrysler - RUN FOR YOUR LIFE !!!! Odessa TX
    Problems: engine sluggish
    car jerks when changes gears
    engine light comes on frequently
    makes rattling noise from engine - sounds like flapping
    steering is loose
    steering pulls to the right
    will jump into over drive for no reason - nearly hit other cars
    oil pouring from engine
    rattling noise has grown worse with every visit to dealership
    stalling over and over
    problems starting - make several attempts
    cruise control works off and on, loses speed and kicks in over drive
    for no reason - dealership continues to claim there is no problem.

    NOTE: Recent problems, car is at dealership - Just to TRYING and get HELP

    1. MAKES THE SAME RATTLING NOISE AS THE 1ST TIME I BROUGHT
    IT IN FOR REPAIRS
    2. KICKS INTO OVER DRIVE WHEN USING CRUISE CONTROL
    3. KICKS INTO OVER DRIVE WHEN NOT USING CRUISE CONTROL
    4. KICKS INTO OVER DRIVE WHEN SLOWING WITH BRAKES
    a. HAVE TO SLAM ON BREAKS SEVERAL TIMES
    5. USING EXCESSIVE GAS
    6. JERKS WHEN CHANGING GEARS

    I WAS SLOWING AT AN INTERSECTION WITH A CAR IN FRONT OF ME. AS I NEARED THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME MY CAR KICKED INTO OVER DRIVE AND I NEARLY RAN INTO IT. I HAD TO SLAM ON MY BREAKS 2 TIMES TO MAKE IT STOP.

    I am not blaming the dealership - I blame Chrysler who acts as though it is MY PROBLEM....
  • nelsonlanelsonla Member Posts: 2
    Does anyone know of a class action lawsuit?
    please email me at msnelsonmab@yahoo.com
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,889
    why not just talk to a lawyer about the lemon law in your state??

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • waterdrwaterdr Member Posts: 307
    A car should not burn oil.....NOT EVER! if they do, you have a problem with the rings. The rings wrap around the pistons and keep the oil where the oil is supposed to stay. Burning oil is bad in many ways, not to mention the fact that you will ruin the O2 sensors, cats, and fill the combustion chamber with carbon. Burning oil means bad motor. No ethical mechanic would ever say what some of you people have been saying.

    I have a 500 hp Mustang......it never burns oil. I have had cars with 100k miles...that never burn oil.

    Get a lawyer and and utilize the lemon law. If your car has been into the shop more then 30 days in a year, you qualify, or have returned more then 4 times for the same problem.

    I used the lemon law on a Chrysler back in 1992. I had the car for two years and got all my money back plus interest.

    I have been driving Chryslers ever since actually, because my company uses them as company cars. The list includes, Intrepids, Caravans, and Magnums. Never had problems with any of them except they go through brakes too fast which I blame on the cheap brakes Firestone uses that my employer insists on installing.

    BTW, I also own a 2007 Pacifica. The 2007's come with a lifetime Power Train warranty and the car has the much better 4.0L motor. I sure hope I have better luck then you folks have had on the '05's.
  • dcgnlmgdcgnlmg Member Posts: 14
    After a year of battling, we found the problem! The piston rings were bad. There are two rings on each piston that have notches in them. Those notches are supposed to be offset from one another, but mine were lined up which allowed the oil to come through. The rings were also compressed which made it worse. They dealership had to take my engine apart and replace the rings, which is a hard and long process. But when they got into it, they found a lot of carbon, an oil by-product, which was a great confirmation of the problem! Good luck!
  • msmearesmsmeares Member Posts: 3
    I've read all the previous posts and notice that most of you have 2005 models. I have a 2004 with 57,000 miles and have this same problem. Last 2 oil changes they have remarked that the oil is low and asked if I had noticed leaking (No!) However, I did call about a very loud knocking (not ticking) noise I got one cold morning when trying to start the car. They found the oil problem this last time ... a faulty pcv that was blowing the oil back into my air filter (thus no leaks on my garage floor). OK, so $105 later (pcv, filter & labor) and now I'm going in every 500 miles to have them check the oil level. At 1500 miles (of 3000 oil change schedule), I am 1/2 qt low. I questioned this (daughter of mechanic) and was told that "1 qt. per 1000 miles is normal." I have further questioned this with almost every mechanic I know who claim it's BS. I did buy the platinum extended warranty so will look to see if new O rings are covered. For those who have had the repair, has it solved the problem? Like many of you, we love this car and since it's paid for, the thought of putting out more $$ for something else is not what we want to do ... yet. I'm not sure what the dealer will say when I bring this up to them. Unfortunately, we live in a small midwest town with only one Chrylser dealership. On the flip side, I'm very glad that all of my car maintenance has been done at the dealer and thus, there is record of it.
  • badpacificabadpacifica Member Posts: 3
    Yes I DID have a 2004 Pacifica, Loved it except did not like the insecurity that I would run out of oil at any time , nor did not like having to check it so often....I too could barely go 500 miles w/ out having to add .... Also had a huge puddle of water on my passenger side floor one morning during the rain, I assume a leak from the front window... so that was it for us.... we traded and bought a more dependable foreign made Honda Pilot.... good luck w/ your oil issues....
  • happytrails07happytrails07 Member Posts: 12
    Yes, when they replaced my o-rings about 8,000 miles ago I have not had any problems since then. I just checked it again about two weeks ago and it is still full. Please stay after your dealer and make sure they do an oil consumption test and document the findings. I am sure a recall will eventually happen, but in the meantime you have fight for something that is so crazy........for a dealership to stay is ok for a car to burn 1 quart of oil every 1,000 is absurd..............Good luck
  • msmearesmsmeares Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the feedback. I expect some resistance while trying to resolve the issue but will take all advice to "stay the course" before throwing in the towel on this car that I really like. Thanks again.
  • grugergruger Member Posts: 15
    The Concept is simple "Wear and Tear". The more you drive your car, the more carbon you will have build up in the engine, the more your pistons will wear at the same time.
    You all are thowing 1000's of dollars at what a $1 product can do. I sound like a oxymoron to you right now, but YOU WILL THANK ME LATER. I had the same problem of oil consumption in my PAC '05. Saw the same oil build up.
    Simple Solution.

    1) Change your Oil !!!
    2) Buy any additive oil "lubricator" product and add it to your motor oil when its WARM!!!.
    The product I added is "Howes Lubricator Miracle Master" ENGINE BLOCK SEALER & CONDITIONER. It's a 12 oz bottle for 89 cents. But like I said ANY lubricator product can do. And you DO NOT have to do this at every oil change. I have done it twice and have since seen a tremendous difference in engine performance and oil consumption. Can be used on Gas or Diesel Engines.

    Thank me later :shades:
  • pssimonpssimon Member Posts: 144
    For whatever reason, which isn't important at this point, I am in need of a new oil pan for my 2004 FWD 3.5L Pacifica. The threads are shot on the drain spout. Even though they plugged the drain spout when the damage occurred so I could keep using the car, it is not usable anymore. I need to replace the pan, so I can get a functioning drain spout. These pans are not available anywhere!!!

    I find it hard to believe that they aren't around. My dealer told me it is back ordered through Chrysler till at least June! I have been waiting since early April! Sad thing is I need an oil change now. At about 500 miles a week it adds up quickly. Once they remove that plug they say they won't be able to close it up again!

    If anyone knows where I can obtain a new oil pan I would be very grateful.

    Thanks in advance...

    ---Paul in Southern NJ
  • pssimonpssimon Member Posts: 144
  • waterdrwaterdr Member Posts: 307
    All cars will burn a little oil....it is actually part of the emissions system. Vaporized oil will get sucked back into the intake and litteraly burned in the combustion chamber. You should never burn so much that you see any large loss between oil changes. I would think a half a quart every 6,000 miles might be in the range of "normal" for some cars....even on the extreme end.

    You can buy an oil separator which will actually capture the oil prior to putting back into the intake. These can be built with parts frm Home Depot for about $20 or you can buy complete for $60 to $100. Not sure if anyone has built any for PAC's, but the concept is the same no matter the car.

    The separator will actually capture the oil so you can actually measure the loss. I have one for my Mustang. The motor is all stock, but the car make 450 fwhp which is nearly double what the car made from the factory. The separator allows me to do two things:

    1 - Establish a baseline for oil loss (which is currently very little). That way, if the amount of oil increases, I will know if I have a problem and then would need to perform a compression test.

    2 - Burning oil can caused knock and ping when pushing 10 psi of boost on a car like this. So, separating the oil prevents this issue.
  • qpowerqpower Member Posts: 34
    Just couldn't stand the potential for trouble with this beast anymore! Traded it today for a new 08 T&C Touring Signature Edition - got a fine cash price ($27273) for the new vehicle and $13500 for the 05 Pacifica AWD Touring, DVD, Moonroof, and 46000 miles... that was well above auction prices for these cars. In retrospect, I had real concerns with the oil consumption of this engine and didn't want to wait for the inevitable.

    Good luck to the rest of you - if only Chrysler had acted in the best interests of its customers, I might still be driving the Pac...

    Geoff
  • yaknow9yaknow9 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2005 AWD Touring Pacifica, in Dec 07 had Converter replaced!!! This to me is a result of the 3 qts low issues which was not really apparent to me until I had this work done. Now i'm doing the every 1000 mile oil consumption check pain!! I have the extended warranty until 100000 miles I'm at approx 61,000 now. I too love this car but now have my doubts. Why dosent Chrysler do a recall on this?? Maybe we all have to complian to get that going.
  • dcgnlmgdcgnlmg Member Posts: 14
    I started out with my 05 AWD Touring Pacifica burning a qt of oil ever 800 miles. I was jerked around by the company for about a year. They finally went in and found out that the rings at the bottom of the pistons were bad. It was a manufacturer issue. About 4000 miles after the rebuild my engine blew up: a piston broke in to tiny pieces, two rods broke and the block cracked. A new (re manufactured) engine was then put in the car and about 350 miles later the engine light came on. The dealership (a different one than the one who rebuilt the engine) did not install it correctly. Now, my car is at a third dealership getting ready to have the engine taken out for a third time in six months. This is getting ridiculous. Thank God I bought the extended warranty, but that doesn't provide coverage for all of the hassle and stress that my family has had to put up with. Chrysler needs to step up and do something, but they are not. It is just sad.
  • hozzhozz Member Posts: 1
    I too have the same problem with my 2006 Pacifica Touring....under 28k miles and it BURNS OIL. Check out my blog on what I have dealt with:

    http://home.comcast.net/~rjv76/site/
  • qpowerqpower Member Posts: 34
    I read your blog posts and you need to step up to the reality of owning a large, complex mechanical device!

    You do need to check oil levels every time you fill the gas tank, I am sure that this advice is within the owner's manual. You need to check tire pressures frequently too!
    This isn't to say that you need to like the exercise, rather that it is a function of ownership and maintenance of the vehicle. It may be too tiresome for you to own this vehicle!

    That said, I have posted here about my own 2005 Pacifica oil consumption issues and there is NO Doubt that Chrysler is hiding from their responsibilities to step up and claim this oil over-consumption as a function of poor engineering or faulty engine construction, you can take your pick...

    I solved the situation after running around with the local dealers over the issue by trading the vehicle back and buying a 2008 T&C van with a strong trade-in value. It is not an ideal situation and I liked some aspects of the vehicle, but frankly, there was more wrong with the ride handling too, that I decided to move on -

    Sooner or later, you will decide to move on, you need to make that choice!

    The whole incident is painful and egregious corporate behavior, especially as I had a VW New Beetle with oil overuse and VW absolutely fixed that!

    You can not fight them if they are intransigent, but you could hire big city lawyers and start a class action suit.... maybe...

    I got 46K miles use in less than three years and took the exit, receiving 13,5K for the trade on a $29K cost... good considering they started out at 11,2!

    Good Luck,

    Geoff
  • badpacbadpac Member Posts: 1
    This beast alone seems to be propping up the artificially high price of oil all by itself... My 04 Pac w/76K uses a quart every 800 mi. now. Hadn't realized when it started, probably around 70K. Having just gone over my extended warranty limit (70K) I will dump it unless anyone can tell me that chrysler is owning up to the debacle. Can anyone give a price as to what the o-ring replacement cost has been?
    Thanks.
  • angypangyp Member Posts: 1
    HI, my husband and I found this site after having the same oil consumption issues with our 2005 AWD Pacifica. Our dealership has been completely useless and downright awful to us since our engine seized up while we were driving.
    A couple issues we are having is that we had brought the car back to the dealership for its last oil change, and one of the very bright guys over there had miscalculated our oil change sticker by 2000 miles!!! We were over our change by what we thought was 500 miles, and came to find out it was really 2,500.
    We are still under 36,000 miles on this car, and from what we are reading, this should be a warrenty issue. ( we did also purchase the extended warrenty). We were just denied this morning, and don't know what to do. We live in a small town in Colorado, that doesn't have many dealerships, can we bring this car somewhere else and try and get it covered. Like I said, our dealership is not owning up, and when my husband went to meet with the mechanic, they had taken the sticker off the window!! We are not sure where to go from here, but obviously many of you are getting this covered under warrenty. I would appreciate any advice
  • bgyakobgyako Member Posts: 6
    Hi All,

    I have been reading these posts for months, and no one is being helped from Chrysler. I spoke to the dealer, the dealer sent me to customer service, they don't handle technical issues, I need to speak to STAR for technical issues, and only dealers are allowed to speak with star, and so on and so on. Here what I found out so far. Everyone on this post needs to:
    A) request from the dealer to speak to the District Manager (DMM) and file a complaint.
    B) File a CAR (pronounced care) case with a level 2 support (USA rep not India) rep 800-992-1997.
    C) I got the actual star#, call them everyday and complain. 800-850-Star.
    D) Lastly, get a ASE certified mechanic to confirm oil consumption issue, and file a small case law suit. It's simple and each case has to be represented by Chrysler in every county/state. This ill cause Chrysler to find a simpler resolution then paying attorneys to run around the country.
    By the way I to have a 2005 Pacifica touring with 2 QTS of oil consumption every 3K miles. I am on step D next......LOL
  • bgyakobgyako Member Posts: 6
    What's the site.
  • qpowerqpower Member Posts: 34
    Ah, revenge is sweet!

    The dealer was forced to offer me a superior trade-in value of $13,500 for my 2005 Touring with DVD and 46,000 miles towards a 2008 T&C Touring which has been trouble free so far.

    Revenge is knowing that our trade-in is still sitting unsold on the dealers lot now marked down to $13,495 !!

    Who got the best of that?

    We deserve better than the quality we've gotten out of this modern engine. I found the exit door, but someone needs to start a class action suit. There seems little doubt that many folks are very disappointed with the quality of this vehicle. :sick:
  • neuroman3neuroman3 Member Posts: 1
    I just found this site and was appalled to read so many complaints about Pacifica's high usage of oil. I have a 2005 AWD model which I bought used from a dealer in Feb. 2007 after it was supposedly turned in on a lease. It had 17,890 miles on it. We love the vehicle's ride and overall performance, but I've noticed over the past year that in city and light highway driving it went through a quart or so of oil between oil changes. More recently, we started using it for long highway trips. That's when I noticed oil usage of 2 quarts or more between oil changes at 3000 miles.

    Since I bought an extended warranty with the vehicle, I brought it to my dealer, who services it routinely. They admitted that Chrysler has had this type of problem with the 3.6 liter engine for some time, but not owned up to it. They tested the engine and want to change the rings next Monday. Since this won't cost me more than the $100 deductible, I'm prepared to do that. But, some of you on this site have indicated nightmare scenarios of continuing engine problems, even after having that kind of repair was done.

    Is it worth my time and energy to do this, or simply try to trade the car in? It's only got 28,800 miles on it, plus the warranty, which lasts to 2011, is transferable (though God only knows if Chyrsler will be in business then!).

    Any suggestions?
  • happytrails07happytrails07 Member Posts: 12
    Once Chrysler owns up to the problem and fixes the rings, the oil consumption should be done with. I think my car was done almost two years ago and the car is running fine and not burning oil. The problem has been we are the lucky ones and have found dealerships who will fix the problem. Most folks on this site are not in the same position and stuggle with their local dealerships. Good luck.
  • 2005limited2005limited Member Posts: 1
    I had the same problem. It took months and months for chrysler to fix. I went on a trip and arrived home to find our chrysler was out of oil !! I took it to the dealership and they handed me a memo from Chrysler that said it is normal useage. Under 30000 miles it could use 1 quart every 1000 and over 30000 it could use 1 quart every 800 miles..you know what I told them.. so they checked the oil every 1000 miles. They just kept handing me this memo. I didn't give up. I told them I paid $30,000.00 + and it was paid for and I would spend more every month on a attorney. There is not a car made that uses oil. They checked the oil consumption for months and then they replaced the valve guides. Then checked the useage again and again we wait.. and it did not work. They finally said they knew of the problem and but a long block in not just rings. This all started at under 18,000 miles. The problem is know to chrysler. It is the rings..
    People write that the factory warranty is 3 years or 36,000 miles. 2005 was the last year for 5 years or 100,00 miles,, I also bought a extended warranty.

    Good luck!!
  • 04pac04pac Member Posts: 4
    I didnt get through all of the posts but here is my story. I had a similar issue, to the point where my oil light came on and took 3.5 quarts. What I found is that the 5w30 they recomend is not correct. I changed to 10w30 Mobil 1 synthetic and my consumtion went from 1000 miles per quart to 2500 per 1/2 quart. I also checked the AMSOIL website for the 04 Pac specs and they say 10w30 also. So, change to 10w30 Mobil 1 and track it weekly.
  • 614jj614jj Member Posts: 2
    same thing happened on my 2004 Pacifica AWD. they "plugged it", but when I have to get my oil changed it is a big deal to not break the pan. Let me know if you find a source.
  • Trucker56Trucker56 Member Posts: 1
    Do you know what the part number is for the oil pan that you need? I bought one for my daughters 2004 Pacifica but didn't use it. The number is 04792662AB.
  • Merk6Merk6 Member Posts: 1
    After reading the 80 plus blogs it's obvious that we are all experiencing the same oil consumption issues on our 2005 PACIFICA'S.

    I purchased my AWD, Touring last October with 6800 miles. I noticed from the start that it was using approx. 1 quart of oil every 1200 miles so I went to the dealer and they began to record it. We discovered that it is using approx. 2 quarts of oil between 3000 mile oil changes. They agreed that it was excessive so they contacted Chrysler. Chrysler replied with "unless a quart of oil is used every 750 miles they do not consider it to be excessive".

    What a shame that we are being treated this way, and the Big 3 wonder why they are losing market share to Toyota, Honda and why they can not turn a profit. For me, I going to call the Star line, which was listed on a previous blog, every day until resolution. If that is not successful, I will be trading mine in for a Toyota.
  • browthudbrowthud Member Posts: 1
    i have a 05 with 54000 on it. i am having the same issues as everyone else here. the dealer pulled out the 1 qt per 1000 mile s on me today as expected. what i was wondering was is there any special wording to use to actually get them to seriously look into the problem, or does the dealership never own up to it. i have notice that some of you guys were able to get a new engine or an over hual of the piston rings. i am freaking out because my warrenty is up in 16000 miles. thanks
  • msmearesmsmeares Member Posts: 3
    I sent a letter to my local dealer manager and the district manager with my dissatisfaction over their handling of the oil issue. I told them that I would never consider buying another product from them since they (and Chrysler) were not willing to stand behind a service contract we purchased in good faith (I am well past the mfg's warranty). I also told them that I would make sure people knew my story and their lack of interest in helping us. I indicated that I had talked to several certified mechanics (including their own) and also could not find any reference from SAE that 1 qt for every 1000 miles was "standard". I requested that they contact STAR to get my repair authorized. The response was almost immediate and I was surprised to find out from the service guy that STAR was only providing "guidance" and not making the final decision to proceed with the issue. He told me they can "inhouse" do service contract repairs up to $5000 without having to have it preauthorized. I told them I wanted new piston rings ... but they dug into the valves first and found that my valves were loose on one side of the heads. There was burnt oil on the walls which indicated it was passing through there and burning. I believe they said it was something to do with the exhaust system. Somebody who knows engines can decipher what I mean. In any case, they gave me a new "top end" replacing both heads, all the valves, springs, seals and such. That was about 3 weeks ago. I just got a new oil change today and will be doing my own oil consumption tests to see how it is working. Before the repair, I was using 2.5 + quarts between 3000 mile oil changes. I hope this was the fix because I don't know that they will dig in again for the pistons, if not. At least there was proof that it was not "consuming" oil. I will post results of my usage as they occur.
  • grugergruger Member Posts: 15
    You will be fine in burning oil as long the oil light does not come on or you ignore the maintainance message the car gives you for every 3000 or 7000 miles for a oil change. Today, oil additives are very much better than yesterday oil that builts up on your enigine. The engine today are well design not to allow castrophe of yesterday. Stop worrying, just follow the 3000 miles oil change as usual.
  • chetjchetj Member Posts: 324
    buy a jug of supertech for $9.50 and keep it in trunk...i have a 05 sunfire and 07 ford focus and they might go thru a 1/4 quart every 6k...i work for a supplier and i wish this wouldnt happen, it hurts sales
  • brakenbraken Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2005 Chry Pacifica with a 3.8L Motor. The oil light will flicker at idle. I have replaced the oil Pressure Sending Unit, I have changed the oil. I have dropped the oil pan and checked the Oil Screen for Gunk. I have also hooked up a computer and the oil pressure goes from 148 psi to 0 psi and then back to 148 psi. Is this a wiring problem?? I read where the 2.7L motor had this issue and the suggestion was to put a Wire Terminal Vent in the Oil Pressure Sending unit wiring. Any additional thoughts... has anyone ran into this?
  • jpfjpf Member Posts: 496
    I see a lot of oil consumption complaints, but what engine sizes have the problem? 3.5, 3.8, or 4.0 liters?
  • searaider1searaider1 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2005 Pacifica w/ 3.5L engine that has 55k miles, this morning I noticed a bluish cloud of smoke on start up, the smoke stopped right away. When restarting the cloud was back. Have never had this problem before, we bought the car in feb 2007 and have had all services performed by a local Chrysler dealer.

    After reading some of the messages about oil consumption I am wondering if anyone had this happen too.

    Thanks
  • jtg61jtg61 Member Posts: 43
    Your 2005 Pacifica should have the 7/70 transferable powertrain warranty as long as you paid the transfer fee when you bought it in Feb '07. The '05s were the only year with the 7/70 transferable powertrain warranty until they introduced the lifetime powertrain warranty in '07 which only applies to the original owner. Maybe you can have this serviced under warranty if you're lucky.
  • jtg61jtg61 Member Posts: 43
    Most of the oil consumption complaints I've seen have been with the 3.5L. The 3.8L seems to be pretty reliable and the 4.0L hasn't been around long enough to reveal many problems yet.
  • mstwan68mstwan68 Member Posts: 7
    I purchased my 2005 PAC in August 2008. It only had 21,000 miles on it and seemed like a reliable car. I should have done my homework before I brought it after seeing all the things that have gone wrong with others. We decided to go on a road trip(500 miles 1 way) in December of 2008. Roads were icy and weather of course, was cold. The driver high beam headlight went out while going through a foggy area of Tennessee(Gorge) didn't notice and didn't pull over since we(everyone) was driving around 35 to 40 miles per hour. This lasted for abut 2 hours and then I needed gas. I pulled into a station and got out the car. I immediately heard a tapping noise(I had heard this noise before on my much older 1995 Blazer). I had taken the vehicle to the dealership to have things topped off and full oil change 3 weeks prior. I live 10 minutes from work and travel 10 minutes to church and back home on Sundays with an additional 5 miles added Monday through Friday to pick the kids up from day care. Everything else we need to have is within walking range or 3 to five minute drive. So I drive around 8 to 10 miles per day. This is normal activity. So when I called my husband and let him know what was happening, I had already checked the oil at the station and determined there was NOTHING on the stick!! I put in 4 quarts of oil in the car as my husband suggested and continued the rest of the way stopping for gas once only to recognize a slow tire leak. We ended up pulling over for the night, having the tire checked in the morning and continued on our trip. We called the place we purchased the vehicle from and reported what was going on the next day and they told us to just keep oil in it checking routinely and bring it in when we got back. WELL!! When we got back it was a different story as far as caring goes. My husband took the car and was told that quote "burning a lot of oil on a 1000 mile trip is not so bad". He immediately told the mechanic he couldn't possibly be serious and that he wanted to do an oil consumption test. The mechanic said that was fine, changed the oil, oil filter and spark plugs along with whatever else needed to be changed and said to bring it back in 1000 miles. Needless to say, we didn't make it that far, only drove for 489 miles before there was less than an inch of oil on the dipstick when checked. They still haven't found an answer to that. While the oil consumption thing is happening, I am driving home from work at 2 am in the morning and get to a stop light and stop. All the lights go out on my car as well as the CD player. for about 10 seconds and then they come on. The car didn't stall. I thought I might have hit the light switch and since it didn't happen again I kinda shrugged it off. STILL hadn't look out here to hear everyones opinions(dumb me!) Well about 2 days after this a dinging(like the ding you hear when there is low gas) starts. Just intermittently out of the blue. With full tank or half tank. No oil lamp ever came on. Then the flashing of all interior lights and radio going off at the same time along with the introductory 'ding' started. This is all happening from a Monday to a Friday afternoon when we could drop the car off to Chrysler. They took it on Friday and kept it calling us back on Monday and saying they couldn't duplicate the problem and that there was nothing wrong. I told them to KEEP it until it did what it was doing to me. The problems were getting to be everyday more than 4 or five times while I drove and it was scaring me. They kept the car for 14 days calling me back on a Thursday to say I could pick up the car on friday. The problem the "Harnest over the transmission was taunt and causing problems." They loosened it and said the problem had reoccurred when he drove it a full day after the fix. I said, very skeptically, Alright. Paid the diagnostic fee and left only to bring it back 5 days later with not only the lights flashing on and off the same time as the stereo but with the car now stalling as well. I am so up set. Guess where the car is as of right now? Yep, back at Chrysler and it'll stay there till they get it right or find a solution. Keep posting. I saw some good things that I'm going to swing by and ask that they check for.
  • probpacificaprobpacifica Member Posts: 3
    well hopefully you have already resolved your problems.
    I had similar issues. I had to have the computer on the car "updated". Of course it is not covered under warranty. $150. This solved my electrical problems.
    In terms of the oil. Well that took me 4 years of fighting. I printed off a bunch of these posts and took them to the service manager. Finally a new engine. Haven't gone more than 1000 miles yet so we'll see if it helped. But if you do get a new engine, I suggest you have them replace the motor mounts at the same time. They are very well known for going bad. (two service advisers and manager told me)
    Also make sure there are not any odd noises when you drive away. Commonly the crossover pipe (part of the exhaust system) gets damaged internally during the engine replacement. My dealer tried to charge me for the repair, again not under warranty. Luckily a mechanic at another shop told me of the common damage and I got the dealer to repair for free. Also watch for clicking noises during turning. It is also common for the axle nuts to loosen over time. I'm currently waiting for a new front axle. Good Luck!
  • probpacificaprobpacifica Member Posts: 3
    I have had many of the same issues posted here on my Pacifica. Here are some of the things I have learned.
    1) Oil Consumption test--make sure you go all the way through the 3000miles before you give up. My car consumed more oil in the final 1500 miles than in the first. I am told that this is common. Between 1500 mi and 2000 mi I consumed ¾ of a quart, however during the first 1500 mi, I only consumed a ½ a quart. I now have a new engine.
    Engine Replacement Issues
    1) Motor Mounts- Have them replace the motor mounts during engine replacement. Broken motor mounts are the most common issue with the Pacifica according to the dealer and not covered under your extended warranty. Upon inspection before they removed the engine, they determined I had two broken and a third was cracking. This will save labor costs down the road, as you will only have to pay for parts.
    2) Crossover Pipe- Commonly, during an engine replacement, the crossover pipe in the exhaust system will get damaged internally. The mechanic on visual inspection of the outside does not see this. Your engine will make a rough, rattle like noise during acceleration. According to the mechanic foreman, the inner layer will separate from the outer layer during take apart and reinstallation. The dealer will try to get you to pay for the repairs don't let them.
    3) Control Arm/Front Axle- Listen for a clicking and popping noise during turning. I hear it most pulling in and out of parking spaces. This is a damaged control arm and loose axle nuts. I am also told that this is very common on the Pacifica. I now have a new control arm and am waiting for a new right front axle.
    **Keep in mind that service advisers are paid on commission. Take the shop foreman on a test drive pre and post engine replacement. Listen for and document any noises. The dealer will try to get you to pay for any repairs after engine replacement. Also bring the service manager in on any issues. Advisers want the commission!
    [non-permissible content removed] Luck!
  • mstwan68mstwan68 Member Posts: 7
    Thanks for all the information. I am about to pick the car up today. They replaced the alternator. I don't know what to expect now.
  • needsometiresneedsometires Member Posts: 2
    i'm sorry i can't come up with the right word, i even went out into the cold in my bare feet to get the owner's manual, but anyway, i have a severe oil leak in my wife's pacifica. when my fiend who helps me work on cars went to check it, we found there was oil EVERYWHERE to the right of the engine block, but not apparently any on the engine block. my friend thinks it's whatever (here's the word i can't come up with :] ) is right behind the grill. he figures a rock got kicked in there and broke something. wondering if you've seen or heard of anything like that before we try to mess around with replacing that part.

    thanks.
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