[jimfocus]

Looking for interpretations/advice. I have a 2012 SE sedan with 2.0 liter & DCT. It has 74,655 miles. Six days/372 miles ago I changed the oil myself with Penzoil full synthetic 5-20 and a Bosch 3300 filter. It was a "deal" from Autozone. It is their specified filter part number. I am an experienced do it yourselfer. The filter seemed smaller than other brands. I installed it the way I always do. Coated the gasket with oil and pre-filled the filter. I did it hand tight then 1/4 turn with the wrench. I checked it after. No leaks, oil level correct. Last night on the way home from work about 2 miles into my ride I heard a "pop" and the oil light came on. I stopped when safe about a mile. The oil filter was burst and was gone-oil everywhere. Nothing on the dip stick. I had it towed home.

Today I replaced the filter with a new Motorcraft FL910S and Mobil 1 5-20. The car starts and runs but rough with ticking (sounds like valve train noise). Very low on power. Initially there were no codes or CEL light. No oil light. After a test drive I disconnected the battery to clear any codes or try to reset "limp mode." After I did that, then the engine light came on. I took it to Autozone to read the codes: P0087 (low fuel pressure), P0012 (variable valve timing/over retarded) and P0014(VCT oil control solenoid,camshaft position). Those are my interpretations on the code from the search feature here & AutoZone's printout.

I am out of factory warranty. I do have a half assed after market extended warranty but I anticipate a battle for coverage seen how I did the oil change myself.. I'm trying to diagnose and weigh my options. I think valve train/variable valve timing damage. My options: dealer service dept. would be most knowledgeable but expensive. Independent mechanic cheaper but might not have specific special tools, diagnostics etc. What about used engine or head/valve train assembly? Any ideas or advice?

 

[ELCouz]

I am out of factory warranty. I do have a half assed after market extended warranty but I anticipate a battle for coverage seen how I did the oil change myself.. I'm trying to diagnose and weigh my options. I think valve train/variable valve timing damage. My options: dealer service dept. would be most knowledgeable but expensive. Independent mechanic cheaper but might not have specific special tools, diagnostics etc. What about used engine or head/valve train assembly? Any ideas or advice?

IMO I wouldn't talk about your problem this detailed if you entering a battle since Ford are monitoring this forum regularly... this can affect the outcome of your battle...

 

[Frosted Glass]

Ouch!!!! I had something similar happen to a different car about 10 years ago. I can only talk about my experience. We had a Ford Taurus with 74,000 miles. The engine light came on. My husband did not immediately pull over. He wanted to wait for a safe spot, maybe it took a mile. We were traveling on the interstate so the car was towed to a unknown to us Ford dealership. We had the ESP plan on the transmission and engine so I thought we were covered for anything big. The service department told us the serpentine belt broke and the engine got ruined because the oil wasn't circulating. The next thing they told us was the ESP plan would not cover the repair or replacement of the engine. I was incredulous! They said the serpentine belt was a maintenance item and not covered by the ESP plan. The fact that the belt caused the engine problem didn't matter. The recommended replacement for the serpentine belt was 70,000 miles so yes we were 4000 miles over that but really? I was not buying it and made them have a higher up representative from Ford come out and inspect the car and render his opinion. Mind you we were traveling to see relatives and had to leave the car there and talk all this through over the phone. Higher up came out, inspected, said there will be no help from Ford ESP. We promptly cancelled the ESP. Ford did refund us the unused amount. We ultimately bought another Ford Fusion rather then have the dealership put in a new engine or have our car towed to some unknown independent mechanic in a strange town over 100 miles from home. Since then we have NEVER bought any kind of extended warranty plan. You may be find a better solution because this happened in your home area.

 

[StingRay]

Just based on the codes it could be a camshaft actuator problem, possibly a camshaft issue. Of course it would require further diag but those vct solenoids dont like being deprived of oil at all.

 

[Frosted Glass]

I don't want to leave you with the impression dealers won't help you. Just talk to the one nicely in your area and see what they say. A long time ago we had a Honda Civic that we bought because Honda's are suppose to have great reliability. The engine/transmission warranty was 3 years/36,000 miles. Just before 36,000 miles I had the car checked out throughly by the dealer.
At 40,000 the transmission completely, suddenly failed. That car would not move! We had an independent transmission shop we trusted put in a rebuilt transmission. I was upset but went to the dealers service department and calmly told them about the situation, told them we paid for a rebuilt transmission, and how we are very disappointed in Honda's quality especially since we bought that car on their reputation. The service manager said we should have brought it to them but he said he would see what he could do. Honda corporate ended up reimbursing us for the transmission. I did not know it at the time but Honda had a reputation for bad transmissions. Maybe they were just trying to keep us quiet. But you never know, they may have been showing good will. So talk to Ford service CALMLY and NICELY and see if they will do anything for you.

 

[jimfocus]

Thanks for all the response thus far. I have no intent of attempting a Ford warranty claim at more than double the 36K. My aftermarket warranty I don't have much faith in because of the way it unfolded but it can be used anywhere that will agree to their procedures. I am just inclined to seek a reputable dealer because I don't know if an independent garage has the diagnostic equipment and experience to deal with engine internals/variable valve timing. I hope it involves just valve train and not bottom end.

 

[Duffman355]

just out of curiosity, how much did you pay for said aftermarket warranty? I bought the aftermarket warranty through Ford for under $1100 on my 2012.

 

[Mr.N00bLaR]

Good luck

 

[wavsine]

Looking for interpretations/advice. I have a 2012 SE sedan with 2.0 liter & DCT. It has 74,655 miles. Six days/372 miles ago I changed the oil myself with Penzoil full synthetic 5-20 and a Bosch 3300 filter. It was a "deal" from Autozone. It is their specified filter part number. I am an experienced do it yourselfer. The filter seemed smaller than other brands. I installed it the way I always do. Coated the gasket with oil and pre-filled the filter. I did it hand tight then 1/4 turn with the wrench. I checked it after. No leaks, oil level correct. Last night on the way home from work about 2 miles into my ride I heard a "pop" and the oil light came on.

Unless it is a typo, Autozone sold you the wrong Bosch filter. The filter selector on their website correctly calls out a Bosch 3330 oil filter which is the equivalent of a Motorcraft FL-910S filter. The Bosch 3300 is a smaller filter. The main cause of a burst oil filter is a faulty oil pressure regulating valve but it is significant that this happened shortly after you changed to presumably the wrong smaller filter.

Here is the difference in the specs.

Filter you installed: Bosch 3300
Oil Filter Height (in): 2.93 in
Relief Valve P.S.I.: 14-18

Correct Bosch filter for 2012 Focus: Bosch 3330
Oil Filter Height (in): 3.36 in
Relief Valve P.S.I.: 12-15

I stopped when safe about a mile.

This is the part that concerns me. A mile without oil pressure is brutal.

The oil filter was burst and was gone-oil everywhere.

Did you save the burst oil filter or what was left of it? Not to be macabre but I would like to see a pic of that.

Do you have the Autozone receipt showing it was a Bosch 3300?

 

[Frosted Glass]

Maybe Ford will help you collect from Bosch or AutoZone. You never know unless you ask. Maybe they would give you a good deal on another car because they value you as a customer. I do want to say one thing. When something BAD happens you can not always IMMEDIATELY pull over. All the blame should not all fall on you for not immediately pulling over. In fact that may be the responsible thing to do. It would be nice if that was somehow recognized.

 

[amc49]

Yes and sometimes one must do what one can to not cause accidents. However the mile thing IS brutal, even 500 feet is with no oil. There are things one can do like kill engine to coast but the suddenness of the situation generally makes the mind stop working.

I'm curious about oil filter, I'd be running down that exact number to see what it goes to, may not even have a bypass or something other to make it blow like that. Sure as hell if turns out that way I'd be pressuring AZ with a lawsuit. Maybe you can get some consideration there.

 

[CriticalMass]

Sadly, your engine is going to need a lot of work. You might have saved it had you shut it off immediately.

 

[kam327]

I don't see why Ford or the dealer should help out at all.

I would pursue a claim against Autozone. Why not go sit down with the manager of the store you bought it from. If he / she won't help, find the district manager. Of course it all depends on the exact circumstances around the purchase. If you said "I need a filter for my 2012 Focus" and the cashier said "Here you go" but gave you the wrong one, you might have a pretty good case and maybe the manager will try to settle with you. These stores must have liability insurance for just such an occaision.

 

[Tigeo]

^^^Agree 100% You are on your own here w/r to Ford being involved..but Autozone could be on the hook. Was this in the book that hangs by the filters or given to you by the clerk? You need to prove that you were given the wrong filter to have any hope of getting them involved.

 

[Frosted Glass]

Yes talk to AutoZone. If their printed guide in the store has the wrong number listed that really strengthens your case against them. Ford may or may not help you in some way if you talk to them. They may be interested to know AutoZone is selling people the wrong filter based on printed information. Unhappy people may be soured by the whole experience and not buy Ford next time, especially if Autozone tells people that Ford gave them the wrong info. I see great case for finger pointing all the way around. If the OP is set on having Ford fix it maybe he can get a partial refund on his extended warranty to apply to the repair. I don't know if Ford does rebuilt engines or salvage engines. I don't know how reliable rebuilt engines are. My rebuilt transmission on my Honda Civic lasted 160,000 miles so a good rebuild may be okay. Let us know the outcome of your situation.

 

[sailor]

I'm not seeing the OP looking for a repair from Ford, just asking about what might be currently wrong & the best way to get it fixed. (finger crossing included)

Peeking in the cylinders, compression check & looking under the valve cover come to mind....

I had a Boat engine blow a filter off the first start of the season years ago (filter & oil changed at layup). Rod knock was the outcome, bottom end bearings saved it with no other appreciable damage (ran fine for years afterwards).

 

[wavsine]

I'm not seeing the OP looking for a repair from Ford, just asking about what might be currently wrong & the best way to get it fixed. (finger crossing included)

Peeking in the cylinders, compression check & looking under the valve cover come to mind....

I had a Boat engine blow a filter off the first start of the season years ago (filter & oil changed at layup). Rod knock was the outcome, bottom end bearings saved it with no other appreciable damage (ran fine for years afterwards).

I am starting to suspect that the 3300 was a typo. I took a picture of a Bosch 3300 beside a Bosch 3330. Not only is it a shorter filter, the shell and gasket diameter are much smaller and it doesn't look like it would mate up to the 2.0 Ti-VCT oil filter mount.

 

[schrodingersbox]

If it did made it'd juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust barely. By a half a hair, and would leave a lot of the seal surface on the mount obviously exposed.

 

[chemistkremer]

If the OP is going to pursue recourse from Autozone, I would go back to the store that recommended you buy that filter and have them pull up the information again (don't go in there accusing them of selling the wrong one, etc.). If they cannot grab a screenshot, take a picture of the screen and save that somewhere secure along with your original receipt.

This may be obvious, but it's also wise to save the blown filter and to not attempt any work on the engine if you plan on seeking recourse. If you can't wait that long, take it to a trusted mechanic and have them diagnose the problem. Chances are, what's under your valve cover may not look too hot.

A quick search of Autozone's website correctly identifies the Bosch 3330 as the filter for a 2012 Focus SE. I have yet to find a year/trim combination which would show the 3300 as the correct one on the website.

Speaking to a regional manager or even higher would be the first step to take, just to see how far you can get. Get an estimate from your trusted mechanic on what needs to be done and talk to them. If you're nice, and they're nice, you may be able to work out an agreement. If not, consider small claims court (in Texas, you can be awarded up to $10,000). Read up on it a little here: How (And When) To Take Someone To Small Claims Court

In any case, your situation is unfortunate but hopefully it can be resolved.

 

[doublej]

Are not these filters just off the public shelves. I would think you just grabbed the wrong package. In these stores some clutzes cant put things back on the right hooks after looking at them. Unless it was a clerk sale i would think you are out of luck on this one. To the wrecking yard for a replacement. Sorry for your predicament.