Broken Oil pan?

I have a 2001 Beetle with a 1.9 TDI engine. My Daughter hit an object in the road and broke the oil pan. The engine ran out of oil in less that 1/4 mile and the motor shut off. The motor did not knock it just shut off. I know that I need a new oil pan. Is it possible that the ecm shut down the motor and once I replace the oil pan I can just clear the ecm codes and the car will start?

Try to turn the engine over with the 19mm crank bolt. If it turns, at least the engine is not seized.

Also you can check the turbo to see if it spins freely. That would probably be the first thing to go with oil starvation.

Motor is toast if it shut off...

turbocharged798 said:

Motor is toast if it shut off...

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You are probably right.
I am just thinking, maybe something electrical got hit when the oil pan did and hopefully the engine is still good.

Turn it over by hand and see if its seized as previous poster suggested.

I purchased a golf for parts that the previous owner had smashed the pan. The ran car for a bit before realizing. The po owner had a mechanic replace the pan hoping that it would be ok, he was unlucky. Your migt be different if you replace the the pan and try it totally up to you. To be 100 percent sure you'll have to dig into the engine and inspect.

With the Oil pan off, remove #4 rod bearing cap.......... if the bearing insert is red, scored, etc., your engine is pretty much shot!

I don't know if the 01 NB has low oil shut-down or not!

marshalldanielp said:

Turn it over by hand and see if its seized as previous poster suggested.

I purchased a golf for parts that the previous owner had smashed the pan. The ran car for a bit before realizing. The po owner had a mechanic replace the pan hoping that it would be ok, he was unlucky. Your migt be different if you replace the the pan and try it totally up to you. To be 100 percent sure you'll have to dig into the engine and inspect.

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I also bought a parts Jetta that the PO did the same and threw a rod 2 miles down the road after new oil pan and fresh oil.

they usually seize because the number one cam journal welds itself to the head ... pulling main or rod caps won't reveal this damage....it will usually free up after a few tries with the starter and run fine but you'll still be driving around with a galled cam and head

Any word?

Rhills61 said:

I have a 2001 Beetle with a 1.9 TDI engine. My Daughter hit an object in the road and broke the oil pan. The engine ran out of oil in less that 1/4 mile and the motor shut off. The motor did not knock it just shut off. I know that I need a new oil pan. Is it possible that the ecm shut down the motor and once I replace the oil pan I can just clear the ecm codes and the car will start?

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Rhills61 said:

once I replace the oil pan I can just clear the ecm codes and the car will start?

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Umm NO! Well, it might start, but the damage has already been done.

So sad to see this happen so often around here... we need to train anyone who drives our cars... if you hit something and the oil light comes on... they key goes off immediately.

Anytime I've ever hit anything that is remotely near the oil pan I kill the motor and coast to the side and I check it immediately.

Maybe the OP's insurance will cover it, if he still has comp on a 15 year old car.

Broken oil pan

The motor turns over. The car won't start. The oil pan has a sensor in the bottom of it. I am hoping that it shut down the motor and didn't cause any damage. The turbo is free. I am going to get a oil pan and install it, clear the ecm codes and try it. This is cheaper than a motor. The bad thing about all of this is that my daughter had the car only 3 days and put only 299 miles on it.
Worst case scenario is that I have to put a motor in the car. Any way you look at it the car will have a skid plate to protect the oil pan after this.

Rhills61 said:

The motor turns over. The car won't start. The oil pan has a sensor in the bottom of it. I am hoping that it shut down the motor and didn't cause any damage. The turbo is free. I am going to get a oil pan and install it, clear the ecm codes and try it. This is cheaper than a motor. The bad thing about all of this is that my daughter had the car only 3 days and put only 299 miles on it.
Worst case scenario is that I have to put a motor in the car. Any way you look at it the car will have a skid plate to protect the oil pan after this.

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Hopefully the engine will run good, The low oil sensor may have shut down the engine before it was too late.

I recommend a lift, a skid plate lowers the front end even more. And sometimes whatever is on the road will go through the aluminum skid plate plus the oil pan. And skid plates hide leaks.

An engine that ran 1/4 mile with a split oil pan is likely that it didn't turn off soon enough to save the turbo. If it slowly leaked out and if the sensor is actually working, then MAYBE it's ok.

I have to disagree that the #4 cap is the one that will show the damage. The interesting thing about the ALH oil pump is that it is so good that it will drive oil OUT of an engine. The oil pump will pump air. The first place the air will go is to the #1 cam cap, #1 rod and Main bearing. This has been evidenced repeatedly.

The journal which can least stand the strain is the #1 cam cap, as there is only aluminum against the cam itself... no journal bearing. So, that is the FIRST place to look and quite honestly, the easiest.

If the rest of the engine looks good, and there are no bearings that have more heating than a straw-coloration on the journals, reassemble with new bearings and bolts.

If you think the turbo is ok, the best thing is to check it after a few miles after the engine is heat-soaked. If the turbo compressor wheel has turned black with oil or you see that the intercooler is filling with oil, you have lost the cartridge bushing for the turbo. Replace the turbo. It is better to be pre-emptive on this point, as a runaway turbo will very likely end the engine's life dramatically.

X2 if it's an automatic, as there is no way to stop a turbo runaway with the autos.

Rhills61 said:

The motor turns over. The car won't start. The oil pan has a sensor in the bottom of it. I am hoping that it shut down the motor and didn't cause any damage. The turbo is free. I am going to get a oil pan and install it, clear the ecm codes and try it. This is cheaper than a motor. The bad thing about all of this is that my daughter had the car only 3 days and put only 299 miles on it.
Worst case scenario is that I have to put a motor in the car. Any way you look at it the car will have a skid plate to protect the oil pan after this.

Click to expand...

Jesus Is Lord said:

Hopefully the engine will run good, The low oil sensor may have shut down the engine before it was too late.
I recommend a lift, a skid plate lowers the front end even more. And sometimes whatever is on the road will go through the aluminum skid plate plus the oil pan. And skid plates hide leaks.

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there is no low oil shutdown on any vw period!... the pan sensor is just that, it only warns you that oil in the sump is running low and will not "kill" the engine ... if an engine dies because it's low or out of oil it dies because it seized up !

jimbote said:

there is no low oil shutdown on any vw period!... the pan sensor is just that, it only warns you that oil in the sump is running low and will not "kill" the engine ... if an engine dies because it's low or out of oil it dies because it seized up !

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I thought that too... We have friends with an '06 like our Jetta but it is a gasser and she broke the pan and drove with it running rough and terrible up their hill straining to get to their house then it died as she pulled into the driveway. I told my wife, the engine does not have a shut off and is more than likely seized... Her husband had the pan replaced and it is running... I don't believe they even pulled the valve cover or anything else just put a pan on it filled it with oil and started it up. I wonder how long until it strands her and their kids on the side of the road???

So sad to see this happen so often around here... we need to train anyone who drives our cars... if you hit something and the oil light comes on... they key goes off immediately.

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I've always tried to warn people that if you hit something that makes you cringe a little bit stop and check for leaks.

Jesus Is Lord said:

And sometimes whatever is on the road will go through the aluminum skid plate plus the oil pan.

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Wow, have you personally seen this? My Evolution skid plate has taken one hell of a beating over the years. It's got plenty of dents and gouges, but never gave any indication it might be close to failing. Short of a bad wreck, I can't imagine the type of shock that would be necessary to break through that plate and kill the oil pan.

There have been quite a number of reports of oil pans damaged even though an Evolution or Panzer plate has been installed... (my car is one of the victims...)

Yuri

running a steel or aluminum skid plate it's like wearing safety glasses or a hard hat ... they will save your vision or your ability to feed yourself most of the time.... but sometimes a pallet of bricks falls on your head! ...that "sometimes" event is not going to stop you from protecting yourself is it ? .... wear your safety glasses !

Franko6 said:

An engine that ran 1/4 mile with a split oil pan is likely that it didn't turn off soon enough to save the turbo. If it slowly leaked out and if the sensor is actually working, then MAYBE it's ok.

I have to disagree that the #4 cap is the one that will show the damage. The interesting thing about the ALH oil pump is that it is so good that it will drive oil OUT of an engine. The oil pump will pump air. The first place the air will go is to the #1 cam cap, #1 rod and Main bearing. This has been evidenced repeatedly.

The journal which can least stand the strain is the #1 cam cap, as there is only aluminum against the cam itself... no journal bearing. So, that is the FIRST place to look and quite honestly, the easiest.

If the rest of the engine looks good, and there are no bearings that have more heating than a straw-coloration on the journals, reassemble with new bearings and bolts.

If you think the turbo is ok, the best thing is to check it after a few miles after the engine is heat-soaked. If the turbo compressor wheel has turned black with oil or you see that the intercooler is filling with oil, you have lost the cartridge bushing for the turbo. Replace the turbo. It is better to be pre-emptive on this point, as a runaway turbo will very likely end the engine's life dramatically.

X2 if it's an automatic, as there is no way to stop a turbo runaway with the autos.

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Now Frank, you know I meant the "other" #4 rod bearing....

And, if the dude had been running some snake oil additive, this Thread would never have been started!

We want to see pics!

jimbote said:

running a steel or aluminum skid plate it's like wearing safety glasses or a hard hat ... they will save your vision or your ability to feed yourself most of the time.... but sometimes a pallet of bricks falls on your head! ...that "sometimes" event is not going to stop you from protecting yourself is it ? .... wear your safety glasses !

Click to expand...

Truer words have never been spoke. We were required to wear steel toed boots at work, but many didn't believing that they would cut off your toes. Well, after a Mythbusters episode where they tested that, it was obvious that any situation was better with steel toes. I just ordered my Panzer plate yesterday, will be here Friday and will be installed Saturday...Mark

I find this season to be most dangerous for oil pans, in New Hampshire, with rock hard ice chunks all over the roads, right after frost heaves and dips... sometimes unavoidable... Panzer plates on both TDIs

ymz said:

There have been quite a number of reports of oil pans damaged even though an Evolution or Panzer plate has been installed... (my car is one of the victims...)

Yuri

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I can relate to your comment since I have the Evolution Osiris plate on my 2006. I noticed that the plate is so close to the oil pan that it almost touches and it wouldn't take much deflection for it to make contact. As a result I made up some nylon spacer bushings about 3/4 of an inch thick and spaced it down to give it more clearance when I installed it.

A couple of years ago when I had the car serviced at the dealer they either lost or deliberately left out my spacers and it darn near wore a hole in my oil pan from rubbing.

With the spacers in place I've hit a fairly big rock that I could not swerve to avoid making a horrendous noise under the car as I hit it. I was afraid to look but thankfully only had a gouge and small dent in my skid plate.

icecap said:

I can relate to your comment since I have the Evolution Osiris plate on my 2006. I noticed that the plate is so close to the oil pan that it almost touches and it wouldn't take much deflection for it to make contact. As a result I made up some nylon spacer bushings about 3/4 of an inch thick and spaced it down to give it more clearance when I installed it.

A couple of years ago when I had the car serviced at the dealer they either lost or deliberately left out my spacers and it darn near wore a hole in my oil pan from rubbing.

With the spacers in place I've hit a fairly big rock that I could not swerve to avoid making a horrendous noise under the car as I hit it. I was afraid to look but thankfully only had a gouge and small dent in my skid plate.

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I'm confused, whats the moral or the story now. Any self responsibility or common sense learned here? if relevant that is.