Cooling System Service Campaign

[swjacks]

Hello all

Just had the motor replaced in my 2013 Triton with 160000kms on the clock all covered by MA. Many many thanks to all you lot,if this forum hadn't had all the information I would have been going down a completely different path.

[Laoatian]

Hey for what it's worth, Just did a complete flush of my MN Triton 2014.

Thought while I was at it I may as well do the thermostat too - to my surprise I found a temporary clear plastic blanking plug floating around in the radiator pipe between the thermostat and radiator. Looks like it would have been fitted to the radiator to prevent anything getting inside before fitment to the car on the production line. I'd guess the line operator forgot to remove it before fitting the radiator, and upon first engine crank it probably blew off the radiator and into the pipe. It's diameter is a nice fit, just narrower than the radiator pipe inside diameter.

So this temporary cap has spent 150K's smashing itself against the thermostat, looks like it's had a hard life. Over time it has developed a hole in it which has probably allowed coolant to still flow during the times that its orientation would have completely blocked the flow.

If I was a betting man I'd say there's one reason for a Triton's eventual engine failure due to overheating, I was just lucky to have found it through randomly looking down the pipe while removed from the thermostat housing.

Look out for it next time you do a coolant flush, you never know !

[RHKTriton]

Wouldn't be a far stretch that an assembler could have missed that part during a whole shift and multiple vehicles left with the problem.

If he'd had an "Oh Shit!" moment the problem could have been dealt with along the line.

Luckily diesels run cooler, a petrol unit would probably cooked.

[bzhang]

Hi if there is still any owner like me having the similar MN triton/chanllenger overheating issue and can't have a satisfactory result from MMAL, please contact me at boz.pty.ltd@gmail.com. We need to group together and see if we can protect our interest and get MMAL rectify this defect for us properly.

My MN triton is still overheating intermittently and I am still dealing with the dealer and MMAL at the same time.

Also regarding this cooling system service campaign, I do have some thoughts of why MMAL carried out this campaign which could be the ugly truth.

Mean while please contact MMAL and send your car to their dealer for assessment first.

[stretch08]

It was November 2019 I had my engine replaced and now 4 years later it'd doing the same thing again overheating and bubbling coolant into overflow bottle. It's a 2010 mn glxr

[NowForThe5th]

Have you taken it back to the dealer?

[stretch08]

It's booked in for a diagnosis on the 1st of December but all I got told by the dealership is that the replacement engine has a 12 month warranty. I told them I know of others that have had multiple replacement engines and all they have told me is they won't know anything until they take a look at it so here's hoping I won't get screwed around.

[DibbyDibbyDJ]

There is a current shortage of long motors, so if you get it approved you will likely get a short block and new head. Ask you dealer what they will be fitting, and if you can wait for a long motor

[stretch08]

Cheers ill see how it all goes when they take a look at it

[stretch08]

How many people have had more than one replacement engine and how long out of the replacement engine warranty before going back with the same problem and what happened for them to approve another replacement engine? I'm 4 years since they replaced mine so I'm a little worried they will say it's only the head gasket and not the whole engine that needs replacing.

[Longranger1]

It would be interesting to know just how many engines failed due to poor air purging by technicians with this campaign.

[DibbyDibbyDJ]

If the first repair was done under the recall, then it is very likely and subsequent repairs will also be done under the same recall.

A nodified engine was available in 2019, and this has had no recurring failures due to the recall. A head gasket failure is possible, but there would likely be an external factor to cause this.

If your engine code currently is 4D56UCDX#### then it is a good engine. If it is CDY or CDZ or has any other combination of letters before the final 4 digits it is suspect for failure.

[explorer.dave]

If your engine code currently is 4D56UCDX#### then it is a good engine. If it is CDY or CDZ or has any other combination of letters before the final 4 digits it is suspect for failure.

Do those codes only apply to replacement engines Diddy or for original motors as well?

Cheers

[DibbyDibbyDJ]

CD denotes replacement long notors. Z or Y after the CD means it could fail. If it is CDX there is no realistic chance of a failure due to the same concern. Original motors could have any combination of letters

[stretch08]

Mine is 4D56UCZY#### so im not sure what engine they put in when they replaced it

[DibbyDibbyDJ]

So it was a new motor, but it was the second version, which MAY still have a weakness which could cause pressurization

[stretch08]

Yes it was a new replacement motor but now it's doing the same thing as the original motor before it was replaced

[DibbyDibbyDJ]

you need to go back to a dealer for them to assess it

[stretch08]

Can I leave my catch can on aswell as my idrive throttle controller or will they not like them on there when I drop it off for them to look at it?

[RHKTriton]

If it's easy to make it look straight, I'd remove anything that they may try to use against you.

[stretch08]

I have just taken it in now just waiting to hear back from them.

[wildmane]

I have just taken it in now just waiting to hear back from them.

How did you go? I think mine has recently gone down this path however I wasn't aware of this longstanding issue.

[stretch08]

It's been 4 months and no phone calls from them other than me calling them and asking for an update only to be told that they have fitted a short engine and after test driving it that it broke down so back it went again then after all the waiting I called again and was told I needed to pay out of my own pocket $270 for a belt tensioner adjuster pulley as it wasn't a serviceable or warranty part then hadn't heard from them so I called back up only to be told I would be receiving a long term loan car and they needed to further diagnose the problem. A week later I called back up and they told me they had received some parts and needed to send parts away to be machined. I rang two weeks later and was told it failed the test drive now they have pulled the radiator out and sent it off for a flow test and have been told after sending an email to the head service manager and he got back to me that I might have to pay out of my own pocket for a new radiator if it fails the flow test. All in all I haven't had my car for 4 months thats after dropping it off on the 1st of December 2023 and the only time I know what is going on is if I call them so very unhappy.

[DibbyDibbyDJ]

That is one of the downsides of the short motor and head replacement. But even if you had a long motor, the tensioner would not be renewed unless you paid for it.

Every motor we replace under warranty gets a list of all the parts that SHOULD be replaced at the same time, and if customer rejects this, then that exonerates us from any failures post replacement.

Investing a couple of grand in your vehicle, when you are getting a 15000 engine for free in makes sense, but it can be a tough sell for some.

[JasonMc]

That is one of the downsides of the short motor and head replacement. But even if you had a long motor, the tensioner would not be renewed unless you paid for it.

Every motor we replace under warranty gets a list of all the parts that SHOULD be replaced at the same time, and if customer rejects this, then that exonerates us from any failures post replacement.

Investing a couple of grand in your vehicle, when you are getting a 15000 engine for free in makes sense, but it can be a tough sell for some.

Hey Dibby, are they only fitting the revised UCDX engines, or are some of the old ones still being fitted?