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Oil Cooler Ruptured (Page 1)

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Author	Topic: Oil Cooler Ruptured
KRU-ZNN POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:North Palm Beach, FL USA Registered: Jul 2000 Admin Use	posted 08-02-2005 10:33 PM A weekend trip from West Palm Beach to Atlanta (600 miles) went perfect for 575 miles. We were in the middle lane of I 75 with extremely heavy traffic, when all of a sudden a LARGE Piece of Steel appears in the middle of the road. With no room for an escape maneuver, we had no choice but to ride over it. The nose cleared it but then there was a Loud Bang & a Cloud of Smoke in the rear end. (As seen in the rear view mirror) Got over to the shoulder & found the oil cooler had been ruptured. Within 5 minutes an 18 wheeler stopped & asked if I would like to see what we ran over. He proceeded to pull a Large commercial conduit bender from his cab. He had seen what had happened, stopped his rig & traffic to retrieve the object. It was 2 PM, & 90 degrees, unable to start the car for the AC ( so Marji would not melt!!) we waited three hours for a flat bed tow truck. We were taken for a one hour (lost tour) ride to the countries smallest Dodge Dealer in Griffin, GA!!! Dealer searched for a new cooler found one in Texas & Ohio. To get back on the road I thought we might by-pass the cooler & tie the inlet & outlet lines together. Anxious to get approval for this brilliant idea I decided to call the Best Prowler Tech in Florida, Jim Bradley. Jim said this would NOT be an acceptable fix for the following reason. The transmission has an internal temp probe connected to the computer which will put the car into limp mode if excess trans heat is generated. The only way to get the car out of second gear is to correct the problem. Needless to say, the thought of being on the shoulder of I 75 at 2 am in Limp Mode negated my original optimistic solution to get out of Griffin. The next idea was to get any size generic oil cooler & hang it up at the rear end. The service manager was not enthused with this idea & said that they had no local source for a cooler. They wanted me to Leave the car & return in two weeks when the part would be in. With 45 minutes left before the dealer closed I jumped in the rental car & went to an auto parts store down the street. I had a choice of 2 coolers, bought one, went back & demanded that they hang it on the rear end. They relented, made me sign a release absolving them of any responsibility & we got outta Grifffin. We drove a very nerve wracking 600 miles back & avoided the dreadful Limp Mode !!!! Also a word of Caution, Prowler Trans Fluid ATF-4 can only be purchase at a Chrysler Dealer, (so we were told) No Auto Parts stores have it available. THANKS for letting me rant !! TED
ALLEY CAT POA Lifetime Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:mesa, az, USA Registered: Jul 2000 Admin Use	posted 08-02-2005 11:12 PM Ted and Marji - sorry to hear of your dreadful experience,,,but glad to hear you both are OK. The cat can be repaired, and back on the road again. PS - are you sure Marji didn't leave that there on her long walk back home after the Dells? That looks like the anchor off one of the DUCKS in Wisconsin.
CJ POA Lifetime Site Supporter Prowler Junkie Personal ScrapBook From:Rochester Hills, MI USA Registered: Jul 2000 Admin Use	posted 08-02-2005 11:16 PM Wow!! That's unbelievable!! So sorry to hear that but at least you two are okay. Cars can be fixed.
ed monahan POA Lifetime Site Supporter Prowler Junkie Personal ScrapBook From:Cincinnati, Oh, USA Registered: Jul 2000 Admin Use	posted 08-02-2005 11:20 PM Bad Luck but you made it home. Hopefully the local dealer can get the part in less that 2 weeks. What the heck is up with that! Good luck and hope it all works out for the best.
KRU-ZNN POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:North Palm Beach, FL USA Registered: Jul 2000 Admin Use	posted 08-02-2005 11:29 PM AC I agree that does look like something from the Dells Ducks !! Would make a great anchor too!! Thanks CJ yes, so many things could have been much worse. Who ever was behind us must have a windshield full of our oil!! This dealership was so small. The mechanics had no idea what a Prowler was. The service manager said he did!! They really were not the greatest of help. With saying the part would not be there for two weeks & they said they had called local parts stores, notttttttt when we walked in and found them sitting on a shelf. I think they wanted it for Display for two weeks!! Since they could not drive it...
jd2ksilver POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie Personal ScrapBook From:Mt. View, CA Registered: Jul 2000 Admin Use	posted 08-02-2005 11:31 PM You can blame some electrician, or construction truck for the problem. That is a pipe bender for conduit. Glad your safe.
KRU-ZNN POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:North Palm Beach, FL USA Registered: Jul 2000 Admin Use	posted 08-02-2005 11:36 PM I was hoping to find a company name on the bender but no luck, generic I guess. The trucker held up traffic to get it and told us that could have damaged his tires or could have flipped up through someones windshield Marji
Fat Pat POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Blue Springs, Missouri, USA Registered: Dec 2004 Admin Use	posted 08-03-2005 04:42 AM WOW...what a nightmare! Glad ya got it home.
dbudner Prowler Junkie From:Dallas, Ga. USA Registered: Sep 2002 Admin Use	posted 08-03-2005 07:34 AM When you travel through Georgia you will find more trash on the road than anywhere I can really think of (and I don't mean behind the wheel ). Glad you were able to escape from Griffin and didn't hurt any body work or yourselves. This message has been edited by dbudner on 08-03-2005 at 07:34 AM
Kraut POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Plymouth, MI Registered: Oct 2002 Admin Use	posted 08-03-2005 07:37 AM Sorry to hear about your problem, but I admire your ingenuity in getting back on the road. Too bad, the service guys didn't try to help you solve the problem.
Marty Usher POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:San Antonio, Texas, United States Registered: Jun 2001 Admin Use	posted 08-03-2005 07:48 AM At least glad to hear you made it home. There are few things worse than being stuck in a strange town with car problems. Thank goodness you got home OK. Why couldn't the dealer get the parts overnighted from either Texas or Ohio? Two weeks seems like WAY too long if oarts are available somewhere!
MDProwler POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Fallston,MD USA Registered: Jul 2003 Admin Use	posted 08-03-2005 07:49 AM ATF-4 is available in parts stores but not everyone carrys it. Good thinking to get out of a pinch.
KOL CAT POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Palm Beach Gardens,Florida Registered: Sep 2003 Admin Use	posted 08-03-2005 09:41 AM See what happens when you take your Cat out of Florida. Glad to see you made it home safe. Kol Cat, Gene
DUSTI unregistered Admin Use	posted 08-03-2005 10:42 AM WOW I'm glad you guys are all right ! I can only imagine the 'BANG' that thing did and from looking at the damage it must have been quite a bang ! Glad you made it back home............GREAT thinking with the 'temporary' cooler
Dale Beaman POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Aug 2002 Admin Use	posted 08-03-2005 10:58 AM Valvoline MaxLife ATF will work as a replacement for ATF+4 and can be found in most stores.
spoons POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie Personal ScrapBook From:West Palm Beach, FL Registered: Sep 2000 Admin Use	posted 08-03-2005 11:24 AM Ted & Marji, Sorry you had a bad experience on your road trip. I worry about the oil cooler getting puncture by road debris all the time. Glad that you were able to continue motoring and you did not have to wait a full day for parts. Keep us updated on what Prowler Jim does and the cost of part & labor. Brian
SILVRKAT POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Capon Bridge, WV USA Registered: Jan 2005 Admin Use	posted 08-03-2005 04:30 PM Readers Digest did a story last month on how many people are killed each year from this kind of crap laying in the roads. It could have been much worse from the looks of that pipe bender. You might try running a found ad in the local paper and see if some company truck tries to claim it. Long long shot, but wouldn't that be cool if they did. I see junk like this all the time up here in West Virginia, logging and dump trucks are famous for dropping junk !
SuperKat POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Atlanta, Georgia, USA Registered: Nov 2001 Admin Use	posted 08-03-2005 09:36 PM Glad you made it home. So sorry that the we GA kats were not able to assist. I cannot understand why it takes two weeks to get a part small enough to fed ex. Gordon
BeWare POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Acworth , Georgia , USA Registered: Jul 2000 Admin Use	posted 08-03-2005 10:23 PM I have had (in separate incidents) to have a total car repaint, a damaged trailer bra , a cracked trailer fender, broken tailpipe hanger and lost some neon all from hitting road debris. The Prowler is unfortunately more susceptible to road debris damage than most cars. Glad you made it home. Quick thinking on your part.
ed monahan POA Lifetime Site Supporter Prowler Junkie Personal ScrapBook From:Cincinnati, Oh, USA Registered: Jul 2000 Admin Use	posted 08-03-2005 11:18 PM There was a story on the local news on Tue. A pick up was dropping parts on I-275 and damaged two cars. One of them had to be towed. It is not just in GA.
toys POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:kensington Conn, USA Registered: Dec 2003 Admin Use	posted 08-04-2005 07:31 AM Can you imagine if the 4 foot or so pipe handle was still attached and caught under the car. Toys
Black Tie 161 POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:MD, USA Registered: Jul 2002 Admin Use	posted 08-05-2005 10:32 AM Glad you are Ok and stuck to your guns to get your car back on the road. I hate the fact that parts are so hard to get for this car. As for road hazards..one of my friends flipped his SUV trying to avoid A COUCH that was sitting in the middle of rte 301 on his way back from the shore...Luckily it was at night and there was not any traffic and his family was sleeping when the truck rolled...everyone was basically OK. But a whole $#@! COUCH in the road?!?
Prowler2000 Prowler Enthusiast From:St. Louis, MO Registered: Jul 2004 Admin Use	posted 08-05-2005 10:41 AM WOW! What an incredible story. ------------------
quincy POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Fairfield Glade, TN. USA Registered: May 2004 Admin Use	posted 08-05-2005 11:29 AM Sorry to hear about your mishap, but glad you were not injured! Please have the undercarriage inspected by your local Chrysler dealer/Prowler tech. There are a pair of nylon type belts/straps that are a secondary body hold down which are subject to tearing/ripping if hit by nasty objects. It would be bad if these got damaged, potentially worse if you needed them in the advent of a crash.
RADCAT RICH POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:SUGAR LAND, TX. USA Registered: Dec 2003 Admin Use	posted 08-05-2005 11:44 AM quote: Originally posted by Prowler2000: WOW! What an incredible story. glad you werent hurt........ i too had to avoid a couch in the middle of the freeway, that a truck was in front of me that was blocking my forward view, and he abruptly changed lanes, and THERE IT WAS directly in front of me, i S swirved, and just missed it by about 2 inches!!!, my heart was pounding.

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