I hit a huge pot hole, within 15 minutes the oil light alerted and under the hood I found a hose(connected to the engine block and visible from the top) with two cracks in it spitting oil? fuel? something?? all over the interior of the engine.
I had the hose replaced; another hose was reconnected that too had come loose- BUT I am now getting just 10-11 mpg ! what do you suspect is the problem?
Car= VW Cabrio 1997 125000 miles.
If you don’t have a check engine light, then I’d suspect that you have a fuel line from the gas tank to the engine compartment leaking.
I suspect that either
something else also came loose or got damaged, like perhaps a temp sensor or oxygen sensor,
a wheel bearing or brake part got damaged and is now creating excess resistance, or
the ceramic honeycomb in your cat converter has crumbled and is causing under resistance to the exhaust stream.
It’s sort of impossible to guess, but I’d suggest you take it in for a good look-see pronto. Whatever is damaged could cause more serious problems, like a wrecked engine.
If you want to look into it yourself, start by (a) jacking up the front wheel and spinning it by hand to see if it’s bound up, and (b) having the ECU checked for stored fault codes.
By the way, do you have any operating symptoms? Poor power? Pulling? Steering wheel shaking? Anything?
The engine light is on.
I did take it to the mechanic-that’s where they ran the codes and did the hose repair work. They told me to return to them if the engine light triggered on again-so I’ll go back tomorrow. They are concerned about low oil pressure.? I just wanted to be armed with some sort of knowledge of what might still be going on before I go back to them.
I had my cat converter replaced about a month ago. I certainly hope it is not screwed up or cracked.
The steering is tough and squeals and my alignment is way off. The steering wheel is cocked 20 degrees to the left?
Some coughing during normal driving periods.
You should not be driving the car this way. Consider this vehicle extremely unsafe until it’s fully repaired.
Assuming these symptoms did not exist before the pothole, you have clearly damaged some things underneath. It is very possible that you’ve damaged a ball joint, tie rod end, steering rack link, or who knows what. Your wheel may very well be about to fold up under the car.
Did you describe any of these conditions to the shop?
No, I went in and told them I hit the hole, That the oil light went ON immediately after I hit the hole & I showed them the hose with the two leaks. They did not seemed to think the car was dangerous to drive after they fixed the hoses.
Just told me to return if the engine light went on as they were concerned about the oil pressure.
I agree with TSM. This car is currently not safe to drive, the front suspension needs to be fully inspected.
Thank you. I’ll take the car across the street right now for a full inspection. I am afraid to drive it now & even more afraid of the potential costs for repair,
Do you think the city(Cleveland) is liable for the repair costs?
Is the transmission even shifting ? you should be able to listen and feel that. A transmission stuck a lower gear will ruin mpg too.
No city will pay for pot hole damage that I’ve ever heard of . It’s our responsibility as drivers to notice and avoid obstacles in our path.
Ken, while what you say is, I believe, generally true, it never hurts to check. I have seen articles of towns paying damages for pothole assaults. It can’t hurt to ask.
transmission is shifting fine. I mentioned the city being liable, because just last week, when I told someone I had hit a gigantic pothole, & had car issues result, they said they had just seen on the TV news that week, a story about the abundance of unrepaired potholes in Cleveland and the costly repairs citizens were faced with as a result of hitting them. They provided a link to file claims and were paying some(not all and certainly not most-but some.). I will file a claim w/any and all related repairs I incur-but still-I have to come up with the repair $$$ now because of their street neglect.
I wouldn’t have believed it either, however, my statement was prompted by a TV news story last week telling the citizens of Cleveland that the city was paying for such repairs to cars due to it’s clear neglect of filling the holes & maintaining safe roadways. It provided a link to the claim form as well! Now, it won’t pay ALL of the claims, or even most of the claims, but some will be paid.)
None the less-I’m still stuck with ridiculous repair costs upfront, & time lost from work due to no transportation.
The city of Buffalo NY will pay for pothole caused repairs only if the city has been notified in writing before the damage occurred.
Save all your receipts,file a claim with city,many cities will pay but it might take a real long time to cut a check. If there is no procedure to file a claim,take them to small claims court or file a claim with your insurance company.
The reporters did say the hole(s) in question did have to have been reported prior-which I am checking out & the link to file the claim and the phone numbers were provided by the TV reporters too. It does take up to 8 months to receive reimbursement. Fingers crossed.
I’m pretty convinced that the front suspension, as others have mentioned, is probably damaged. That’s indicated by the steering issues you’ve noted. One of the reasons you’re getting terrible gas mileage is that you’re probably dragging one or more tires sideways while driving. I’me guessing that if you took a look, you’re front tire tread has probably noticeably deteriated since the incident.
Let’s hope somebody checked the oil level.