LHS oil change disaster

Yesterday, I took my 96 LHS for an oil change at a tire and lube center
(Tires Plus). The car ran perfectly prior to the oil change. But after the
oil change, the car stalled twice in the one mile trip back home from Tires
Plus. The car starts and runs rough for a brief time, then stalls. "Check
Engine" light is on. In the past two months, I changed the spark plugs and
wires, cleaned the injectors, new air filter, etc. so the car ran great
prior to the oil change yesterday. Any ideas as to what cound have
happened? What Tires Plus may have done to cause this?

Thanks in advance.

 

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Find out what the fault code is stored in the modules memory. I would guess
its a cam crank code not related to oil change

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

 

Three times in a row an oil change center failed to secure my Cruiser's air
filter.

Richard.

 

And you keep going there for service because.......?

 

Update...

Car starts, but won't stay running. It'll turn over, but then immediately
stall. If I feather the gas, it'll stall as soon as I release the gas
pedal. "Check Engine" light is on, as well as the "Oil" light. So I
checked spark plugs and wires, make sure one didn't get knocked loose or
whatever, checked oil level, etc. I just find it odd that the car ran
perfectly fine until the oil change.

I would have changed the oil myself if allowed to. My apartment complex
doesn't allow working on cars on premises (liability reasons), except for
simple routine stuff. So I'm looking at the possibility of a routine oil
change at a service center costing me a lot more money to remedy.

 

That doesn't make sense... When you say "turn over" do you actually mean
that it STARTS? "Turning over" just means that the starter turns the engine.

Of course the oil light will come on when it stalls- but does it stay on
when you keep it running by feathering the gas?

 

engine.

It starts, but immediately (after about 1 second) stalls.

No

 

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Hey I was gonna ask that!!

 

Ahh, Gotcha. My guess is they knocked a sensor connection loose
somewhere. I'd see what code has been set to turn on the CEL, and then
go from there. You can pull the codes by cycling the ignition switch 3
times without starting the car (ending in the "run" position" and then
counting flashes of the CEL. see http://www.allpar.com/fix/80s-codes.html
for a good description of how to do it, and the basic codes (some may be
different, but most didn't change until around '97 or '98).

 

Why did you go back after the first mistake? Why would they need to mess
with the air filter when changing the oil?

 

An oil change is simple routine stuff. It only takes a 15 minutes or
so. Most of that time is waiting for the oil to drip out.

 

Yeah, I know. I guess it comes down to their opinion of "simple routine".
Perhaps I should've added "potentially messy stuff" (in their opinion) ;-)
Basically, if your hood is up, you'd better be just filling your washer
fluid or they'd give you grief over it. Someone from the lease office came
over and gave me a "warning" the day I changed my spark plugs.

 

Thanks to all that replied!

Here's what transpired today... When I called Tires Plus and informed them
about the situation, they said they'd send a tow truck to pick it up and
check it out. If it was their fault, no charge for me. After about 10
minutes, they said the problem was due to a bad MAP sensor. $270 was my
repair cost.

 

How the hell did they drive it out of the oil change stall??

 

Well, as they say if there's a will there's a way. When I was living
in an apartment complex I used to change oil all the time on the
street. Sometimes I'd do it in the parking lot at work on my lunch hour.
Just carry a set of old clothes with you and a box of rubber gloves
and just remember to leave the used oil sitting in it's milk jug outside of
the car until you leave to go home, otherwise the inside of your car
will stink of oil.

As for liability, that's a laugh. Ask them next time you see them if
they are liable if your car gets broken into. Haw haw!

Ted

 

Here's another trick- drive one side onto a curb (not the sidewalk!) for
room to crawl under. That's better than a jack.

 

You remind me one the once I took my '95 Concord into Mr. Lube for a
quick change. I had been doing most of my own oil changes.
It wasn't quick, taking 1.5 hrs. while one chap did 3 vehicles at once
while I sat in my car. I have a friend who experienced the same slow
service during the weekday morning.
They wanted to do far more than an oil change, but I eventually got out
of there even though they warned me of very serious trouble if I didn't
let them do the extras.
Over the next few months I noticed my oil level dropping much faster
than usual. I still don't add oil between changes, getting about 6,000
miles per Liter.
So I got under and had a look. There was a film of oil leading back
from the oil pan and shocking to me the oil drain plug was only finger
tight. How lucky I was that it didn't fall out.
That was the end of my Mr. Lube experiences. Due to the painful wait
for the oil change I wasn't planning on returning anyway.

 

Cause it wouldn't do any good to go to a Toyota dealer?

 

A toyota dealer once delivered a toyota tercel to me with oil gushing from
the plug.