MY 2002, 6 CYL. FORD ESCAPE STARTED MAKING A VERY LOUD RATTLE AND LOST POWER. i MAAGED TO GET OFF THE ROAD AND WAS TOWER TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. HE TELLS ME THAT I NEED A NEW ENGINE AT A COST OF ABOUT $2,200. I’M FREAKING OUT, THIS CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN GREAT, NEVER ANY PROBLEMS. I GET REGULAR MAINTANCE, WHY DID MY CAR DIE?!?!
What did your mechanic say was wrong?
It would help if we knew more about why the mechanic says it needs a new engine. In any case I am going to make a guess. A 2002 car may have been past due for a new timing belt. If the belt goes, it can total an engine. It is also possible that the oil level was not checked and you did not notice that the engine was low on oil and that can total an engine. Of course there are problems that don’t involve maintenance and can not be predicted. But from here, we really don’t know.
BTW could you eliminate the ALL CAPS, most people find them difficult to read, myself included.
My first question would be - when was the last time the oil was changed and when was the last time you raised the hood to check the oil level?
Sorry about the caps. The the oil was changed two weeks ago, along with the air filter, the car has 87,000 miles. Never gave me any trouble. The mechanic just said there were metal shavings in the oil and said internal failure? How much can I expect this to cost me? BTW, the mechanic said he can replace the engine with a 2003 with 71k miles.
The oil and air filter were changed two weeks ago.
You will have to ask the mechanic the exact reason for the engine failure then.
The reason I brought up the oil change business is because of the annoying number of engine failures caused by failure to properly tighten the oil drain plug. This is especially true of the fast lube facilities.
Just wondering if the oil had been changed recently and it took a few weeks for the plug to work itself loose, leading to total loss of oil and the engine.
If this is what happened then round up the paperwork and hit the Jiffy Lube up about paying for this.
They will balk (that’s normal) but they WILL pay for it. You just have to hold your ground and push the issue.
My mechanic said that the bearings failed, and he raised the question of Jiffy Lube as well. I will certainly address the issu with them. Thanks
Key question-was the oil plug still in? If not, it fell out due to improper installation by JL. Is there oil in the engine? If not they failed to fill it, but hard to believe you’d go 2 weeks without oil. Did any warning lights come on before the failure?
If the mechanic said that there were metal filings in the oil, it would seem like there was oil in the engine. If the oil was low or gone - especially if the plug was missing - you’d think he might have pointed that out.
The big questions are.
A) When the car started running rough was the oil light on?
B) When your mechanic drained the oil how much oil came out? And was there any signs of oil leaking at the drain plug, or oil filter?