Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work!
03-13-2002, 03:53 PM
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Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! This past weekend, I drove the car around all day Saturday with no problems. Saturday night, on my way to go home (I was in VA) I start the car and there is no oil pressure. I quickly shut it down to check for leaks and/or a low oil level.
Everything appears normal, so it may be a sender issue. Start the car back up to see if the gauge was just acting wacky, and it still reads zero. Engine sounds normal, shut the car down.
Call around and find out that this is a known issue, and that it is probably the oil pump that has failed. I leave the car there and in the morning have it flatbedded back home to a local dealer.
Tuesday the dealer calls and says the zone rep looked at my car and says that they will not cover this under warranty because I have added mods to the car. Everyone knows that the mods must have had something to do with the failure for this to be legal, so I asked about them and was not given a straight answer. First they say it was my electrical additions (Laptrax controller, headlight wiring, and Top Down Tech unit). Then they imply it might be the headers.
Either freaking way, NOTHING I did to the car could cause the oil pump to go bad. Further, it's a known issue!
Anyway, Chevy Customer service is of no help, telling me that is the local reps final decision and that he has the final say, and that I may contact the BBB if I don't like it.
All this time I spend trying NOT to void the warranty - never touching the engine, tranny, gears, or drivetrain except for a few bolt-on parts. And for what? Getting the shaft?
So, now I have a car that is not running, a dealer whining for me to get the car "off their property," and GM saying its over and done and I cannot do anything about it.
What now? Should I get a lawyer? The oil pump and labor is no more than $300 total, but the pump failure could have caused engine damage and that would be mighty expensive. So what do I do now. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?
Of course the zone rep. won't talk to me directly and neither will the dealer nor Chevy. They will only tell me I'm SOL.
I'm pursuing some other means of getting help right now, so I won't post any more details until this gets resolved (either in a bad way or a good way).
Til this point, Chevy has done right by me, but getting the shaft on a known issue with an oil pump due to some bolt-on modifications that so obviously have nothing to do with the oil pump is very shocking.
<img border="0" title="" alt="[Mad]" src="gr_images/icons/mad.gif" />
Everything appears normal, so it may be a sender issue. Start the car back up to see if the gauge was just acting wacky, and it still reads zero. Engine sounds normal, shut the car down.
Call around and find out that this is a known issue, and that it is probably the oil pump that has failed. I leave the car there and in the morning have it flatbedded back home to a local dealer.
Tuesday the dealer calls and says the zone rep looked at my car and says that they will not cover this under warranty because I have added mods to the car. Everyone knows that the mods must have had something to do with the failure for this to be legal, so I asked about them and was not given a straight answer. First they say it was my electrical additions (Laptrax controller, headlight wiring, and Top Down Tech unit). Then they imply it might be the headers.
Either freaking way, NOTHING I did to the car could cause the oil pump to go bad. Further, it's a known issue!
Anyway, Chevy Customer service is of no help, telling me that is the local reps final decision and that he has the final say, and that I may contact the BBB if I don't like it.
All this time I spend trying NOT to void the warranty - never touching the engine, tranny, gears, or drivetrain except for a few bolt-on parts. And for what? Getting the shaft?
So, now I have a car that is not running, a dealer whining for me to get the car "off their property," and GM saying its over and done and I cannot do anything about it.
What now? Should I get a lawyer? The oil pump and labor is no more than $300 total, but the pump failure could have caused engine damage and that would be mighty expensive. So what do I do now. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?
Of course the zone rep. won't talk to me directly and neither will the dealer nor Chevy. They will only tell me I'm SOL.
I'm pursuing some other means of getting help right now, so I won't post any more details until this gets resolved (either in a bad way or a good way).
Til this point, Chevy has done right by me, but getting the shaft on a known issue with an oil pump due to some bolt-on modifications that so obviously have nothing to do with the oil pump is very shocking.
<img border="0" title="" alt="[Mad]" src="gr_images/icons/mad.gif" />
03-13-2002, 03:58 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! That sucks man <img border="0" title="" alt="[Sad]" src="gr_sad.gif" /> Most dealers are dicks. That is why I’ve got an ARE ported pump. It’s good insurance...
03-13-2002, 04:13 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! Try a different dealer and see if they give you the same grief. Tell them to put in writing EXACTLY what they believe caused the failure. Make them explain how in the hell a set of headers caused an oil pump failure. The first dealer I took my car to said they wouldn't touch it. I'd had a cam in the car but put the stocker back in after the pump failed. They called me on that and said even if that didn't cause it, my SLP loudmouth could have. I had the car flatbedded to another dealer. They just asked why the first dealer wouldn't cover it & I told them they didn't like my catback exhaust. Also asked for oil change receipts.
Edit: Did the dealer tell you it was a known issue? If they did, who the f#ck cares if you have headers on the car. Those of us who mod our cars are a small percentage of the total number of Camaros on the road. They HAVE to have had at least a few customers with stock cars with oil pump failures...
<small>[ March 13, 2002, 04:16 PM: Message edited by: Jake99SS ]</small>
Edit: Did the dealer tell you it was a known issue? If they did, who the f#ck cares if you have headers on the car. Those of us who mod our cars are a small percentage of the total number of Camaros on the road. They HAVE to have had at least a few customers with stock cars with oil pump failures...
<small>[ March 13, 2002, 04:16 PM: Message edited by: Jake99SS ]</small>
03-13-2002, 04:14 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! I had this happen in a 94 Z but it was the sending switch that went bad are you sure that isnt the case. How did the car sound when it started up. Did it sound as if there was metal to metal contact. If this isnt the case take it to another dealer and see what they say
03-13-2002, 04:18 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! I think if the zone rep who looked at the car really is trying to void my warranty, they will prevent ANY dealer from fixing it. GM VIS says there is NO block on my warranty, but as soon as they call this in to the area manager it will be the same story all over again.
Good thought, but I think it will fail.
As for the sending unit, I believe when the sending unit fails the gauge gets pegged to max. oil pressure, not zero oil pressure.
Good thought, but I think it will fail.
As for the sending unit, I believe when the sending unit fails the gauge gets pegged to max. oil pressure, not zero oil pressure.
03-13-2002, 04:20 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! I suggest that you get the warranty info from SEMA. It has the Supreme Court case reference where a dealer cannot refuse warranty work UNLESS it is proven a Mod caused the direct failure.
Contact an Attorney that handles Comsumer cases. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="gr_grin.gif" />
Contact an Attorney that handles Comsumer cases. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="gr_grin.gif" />
03-13-2002, 04:26 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! The dealer basically laughed at me when I showed them the SEMA documents about warranties. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Sad]" src="gr_sad.gif" />
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03-13-2002, 04:30 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Jake99SS:
<strong>The dealer basically laughed at me when I showed them the SEMA documents about warranties. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Sad]" src="gr_sad.gif" /> </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">where can i get a copy of the sema documents??
<strong>The dealer basically laughed at me when I showed them the SEMA documents about warranties. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Sad]" src="gr_sad.gif" /> </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">where can i get a copy of the sema documents??
03-13-2002, 04:30 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! Thats a bunch of BS. I lost my oil pump 500 miles from home on vacation and had to have it towed in to a dealership that I had no relationship with. My car had every bolton with no cats, a 6500 rpm rev-limiter, shift light and wheel wells ful of rubber, yet they still covered the pump under warranty. I knowe it depends upon the dealership, but they shoudl cover it.
Someone had sent me a internal GM document stating that there is a known problem with the LS1 oil pumps. It had to do with poor quality control from one of their suppliers. I luckily did not have to use this or any other documents. I will try to find it.
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">where can i get a copy of the sema documents?? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Take a look here: http://www.enjoythedrive.com/content/?id=8123
Mark
<small>[ March 13, 2002, 04:35 PM: Message edited by: 1madss ]</small>
Someone had sent me a internal GM document stating that there is a known problem with the LS1 oil pumps. It had to do with poor quality control from one of their suppliers. I luckily did not have to use this or any other documents. I will try to find it.
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">where can i get a copy of the sema documents?? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Take a look here: http://www.enjoythedrive.com/content/?id=8123
Mark
<small>[ March 13, 2002, 04:35 PM: Message edited by: 1madss ]</small>
03-13-2002, 04:34 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! Thanks for everyone's support. I will continue to keep you posted. I know a few people at GM who might be able to help.
03-13-2002, 04:41 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! I may go either way pegged to the max or zero. When his sending unit failed the needle fell to 0 and stayed there
03-14-2002, 01:20 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! Why don't you just buy an ARE ported unit and install it yourself? Yes, it's a hassle, but why drag on a crappy issue. Isn't driving your car more important? There shouldn't be any damage if you shut the car off right away. Something to consider...
03-14-2002, 01:38 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! IF he replaces the oil pump himself and there is engine damage then GM is definitely not going to touch it, since they can say he monkeyed with it. Then you are out +5G's for a new engine.
03-14-2002, 01:41 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! Sorry to hear about your crappy dealer. It's pretty obvious that this is likely not a problem caused by headers, etc.
I pulled this link off the Sema webpage. Maybe it might be helpul:
http://www.sema.org/content/?ID=22237&criteria=warranty
My oil pump began acting up one day while my wife had the car (about 8000 miles on it). She started it and noticed that the oil pressure stayed at 0. She immediately shut it down and called me. I didn't have much in the way of mods then, so I figured we'd try and get it to the dealer. After the third attempt the pressure came up and behaved normally. I called the dealer (one whom I normally have no problems with). My service guy told me that he'd never heard of this with an LS1 before (this was about a year ago) and suggested if it happens another COUPLE of times we should bring it in. At that point I just said "screw it, I'm not taking any chances" and purchased a new LS6 oil pump (which we thought was the answer at the time since there had been no known failures of the 2001 pumps). At any rate I decided to do the cam, etc., at the same time just to make myself feel better <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="gr_grin.gif" /> . Since then I've put about 4000 miles on the car with nary an oil pressure issue. Pressure now runs about 5-10psi higher than with my stock 2000 pump.
Hopefully your situation will get worked out, but I would certainly recommend one of the aftermarket pumps for replacement and peace of mind. I wouldn't be surprised if you had no engine damage since it sounds like you shut it off right away.
I pulled this link off the Sema webpage. Maybe it might be helpul:
http://www.sema.org/content/?ID=22237&criteria=warranty
My oil pump began acting up one day while my wife had the car (about 8000 miles on it). She started it and noticed that the oil pressure stayed at 0. She immediately shut it down and called me. I didn't have much in the way of mods then, so I figured we'd try and get it to the dealer. After the third attempt the pressure came up and behaved normally. I called the dealer (one whom I normally have no problems with). My service guy told me that he'd never heard of this with an LS1 before (this was about a year ago) and suggested if it happens another COUPLE of times we should bring it in. At that point I just said "screw it, I'm not taking any chances" and purchased a new LS6 oil pump (which we thought was the answer at the time since there had been no known failures of the 2001 pumps). At any rate I decided to do the cam, etc., at the same time just to make myself feel better <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="gr_grin.gif" /> . Since then I've put about 4000 miles on the car with nary an oil pressure issue. Pressure now runs about 5-10psi higher than with my stock 2000 pump.
Hopefully your situation will get worked out, but I would certainly recommend one of the aftermarket pumps for replacement and peace of mind. I wouldn't be surprised if you had no engine damage since it sounds like you shut it off right away.
03-14-2002, 02:22 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! Get hold of your local "investigative reporter". Nothing like a little media attention to get the attention of a local dealer <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="gr_grin.gif" />
<small>[ March 14, 2002, 02:22 PM: Message edited by: Reckless ]</small>
<small>[ March 14, 2002, 02:22 PM: Message edited by: Reckless ]</small>
03-14-2002, 02:42 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! Hi all:
Here's the current status:
Spoke to a contact at GM, and it is my understanding that the zone rep. and/or the dealership somehow came to the conclusion that my rev. limiter had been raised ( <img border="0" title="" alt="[Confused]" src="images/icons/confused.gif" /> ) and that this was the main reason for the warranty block. This is pretty silly, as the PCM and engine are bone stock.
I do have a few gizmos like a thing which plugs in to the OBDII port and listens for a key fob press 3 times, then automatically rolls the window down, another that puts the car into competitive mode upon startup, and a headlight harness to convert to European C5 headlights. How any of these could be mistaken for a rev. limiter change is surprising to me, but at least that is where they were coming from on voiding the warranty.
Now I am to take the car to another local dealer who will investigate the damage and determine the cause. If it can be due to something I did I am responsible for the damage. If it is a normal failure they will take care of it.
I hope to get them to look at it tomorrow and find out what is wrong. I may go down there to watch while they perform the diagnosis.
Thanks for your support. I am told that there is a newer designed oil pump for '01+ that does NOT exhibit this same failure, so I feel confident that if they fix it with this new pump, I should not have any further issues.
GM does care, you just have to talk to the right people. So cross your fingers that there is no engine damage, because I am sure once they look at my car they will realize it has a bone stock engine and PCM/electronics.
More details as soon as I have them.
Here's the current status:
Spoke to a contact at GM, and it is my understanding that the zone rep. and/or the dealership somehow came to the conclusion that my rev. limiter had been raised ( <img border="0" title="" alt="[Confused]" src="images/icons/confused.gif" /> ) and that this was the main reason for the warranty block. This is pretty silly, as the PCM and engine are bone stock.
I do have a few gizmos like a thing which plugs in to the OBDII port and listens for a key fob press 3 times, then automatically rolls the window down, another that puts the car into competitive mode upon startup, and a headlight harness to convert to European C5 headlights. How any of these could be mistaken for a rev. limiter change is surprising to me, but at least that is where they were coming from on voiding the warranty.
Now I am to take the car to another local dealer who will investigate the damage and determine the cause. If it can be due to something I did I am responsible for the damage. If it is a normal failure they will take care of it.
I hope to get them to look at it tomorrow and find out what is wrong. I may go down there to watch while they perform the diagnosis.
Thanks for your support. I am told that there is a newer designed oil pump for '01+ that does NOT exhibit this same failure, so I feel confident that if they fix it with this new pump, I should not have any further issues.
GM does care, you just have to talk to the right people. So cross your fingers that there is no engine damage, because I am sure once they look at my car they will realize it has a bone stock engine and PCM/electronics.
More details as soon as I have them.
03-14-2002, 02:52 PM
#17
Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! Just a hint: REMOVE as much non-stock stuff as possible, especially that stuff plugged into your PCM port.
Also, read this letter, might give you some insight about our pumps:
<img src="https://ls1tech.com/misc/oilpump1.jpg" alt="" />
Its amazing what you can find circulating around the internet sometimes <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" />
Tony
Also, read this letter, might give you some insight about our pumps:
<img src="https://ls1tech.com/misc/oilpump1.jpg" alt="" />
Its amazing what you can find circulating around the internet sometimes <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" />
Tony
03-14-2002, 04:58 PM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! I dont know what i would do if they voided my warranty. My buddy just has his voided and he start a fight with the GM, I think he shoved his head down towards the engine to show him something. He was arrested for that.
03-15-2002, 12:16 AM
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Re: Oil pump failure, GM refuses warranty work! Redshift, sorry to hear about your problem. I had the same thing happen to me, oil pump failure. Luckily I did not have any mods at the time. The dealer rebuilt my engine and replaced the pump. But after that it burned oil and they would not do a thing about it. Fast forward a few months.... Took it to a different dealer and had a new crate engine installed under warranty the next week.
There are a lot of Chevy dealers in the area I would try talking to a few. It really boiils down to working with a cool service director. He/she has the final say in what they will warranty. Headers don't have a damn thing to do with an oil pump bypass sticking wide open. I would try to do a search on a couple of sites to get some statistical data on how many pumps have actually failed. I know there are a lot that have failed.
Worst case, take your headers off and go to a different dealer. Thats what I did before I got the crate engine installed. Just wanted to be sure they could bitch about me having any mods and deny me warranty service.
I know you have a Chevy but I had good experience with Pontiac in Apex. I believe they moved to Cary now.
I still have all my warranty receipts for the oil pump failure. If you would like copies and think that would help your case let me know.
Also I think you have talked to my friend Bill Moon about helping you out too. He works next to Rick.
There are a lot of Chevy dealers in the area I would try talking to a few. It really boiils down to working with a cool service director. He/she has the final say in what they will warranty. Headers don't have a damn thing to do with an oil pump bypass sticking wide open. I would try to do a search on a couple of sites to get some statistical data on how many pumps have actually failed. I know there are a lot that have failed.
Worst case, take your headers off and go to a different dealer. Thats what I did before I got the crate engine installed. Just wanted to be sure they could bitch about me having any mods and deny me warranty service.
I know you have a Chevy but I had good experience with Pontiac in Apex. I believe they moved to Cary now.
I still have all my warranty receipts for the oil pump failure. If you would like copies and think that would help your case let me know.
Also I think you have talked to my friend Bill Moon about helping you out too. He works next to Rick.