After having the crankshaft front seal replaced and an oil change, it shut off while driving, why?

Tiny
MICHELLE912
  • MEMBER
  • 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU
  • 1.8L
  • 4 CYL
  • TURBO
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 281,000 MILES
So, I had a mechanic put a crankshaft front seal in and an oil change. When it was all done, I drove off and a half mile down the road it shut down on me. Why is that?
Saturday, September 24th, 2022 AT 9:38 AM

11 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
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Hi,

Were you able to restart the vehicle? Did this happen while you were traveling or while at a stop?

Let me know as much as you can.

Take care,

Joe
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Saturday, September 24th, 2022 AT 10:32 PM
Tiny
MICHELLE912
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I got in the car a literally drove a mile down the road it shuttered and lost my RPMs and smoked everywhere, total loss of power.
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Sunday, September 25th, 2022 AT 12:06 PM
Tiny
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But when I checked the car cooled down, I checked the oil, and nothing was on the oil dip stick at all. However, out of the blue it gets towed to the shop, and he showed me the dip stick and it's full of oil.
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Sunday, September 25th, 2022 AT 12:15 PM
Tiny
MICHELLE912
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And when I was travelling.
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Sunday, September 25th, 2022 AT 2:48 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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Hi,

Has anyone been able to identify the cause of the smoke? That is my biggest concern. As far as it not starting, we can figure that out, but I would like to know about the smoke, so we don't further damage something.

When you had the issue, did the smoke have an oil smell or something different?

Joe
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Sunday, September 25th, 2022 AT 7:03 PM
Tiny
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No, it did not smell like oil.
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Sunday, September 25th, 2022 AT 8:48 PM
Tiny
MICHELLE912
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It was where my radiator was.
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Sunday, September 25th, 2022 AT 8:49 PM
Tiny
MICHELLE912
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Can a bad battery have something to do with it? Because they have had to jump it off a few times as well.
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Sunday, September 25th, 2022 AT 8:55 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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Hi,

Okay, the smoke was likely from engine coolant steaming. As far as the battery is concerned, it can cause it. However, it wouldn't have caused the smoke. It sounds like it may have stalled because of overheating. Did you check the temperature gauge when this was happening?

Joe
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Sunday, September 25th, 2022 AT 9:00 PM
Tiny
MICHELLE912
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It was normal that I seen.
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Sunday, September 25th, 2022 AT 11:09 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
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Hi,

Okay. Then one other thing at the radiator may have been transmission fluid. The transmission cooler is integral to the radiator. There is a supply and return that may have leaked.

I attached a pic below showing the supply line. The return looks the same but is lower on the radiator. Has the transmission fluid level been checked?

Let me know.

Joe

See pic below.
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Monday, September 26th, 2022 AT 6:05 PM

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