Hi,
My vehicle hasn’t been working the last week, and I am waiting for my brothers and uncle, who know a little bit about repairing vehicles, to help me out with it.
First thought was that the timing belt has gone. As the car doesn’t turn over but you can hear the starter attempting it.
Now, It’s the night before we are all supposed to get together and I push it into the garage, and there is no oil. After pouring in a bit, there is still nothing showing up on the dipstick, and no leaks underneath.
I would say first, the battery should be checked. Secondly, someone drained the oil out on you. Unless there was very little in it the last time you drove, there is NO place oil in the pan could go that wouldn’t leave a mess.
No one can Drain the oil out on me. Unless they are invisible. We had a jug of oil and poured it in, waited and there is still no mess, or indication on the oil stick.
The battery works. The car attempts to turn over, yet doesn’t. I was thinking it could be the starter, but according to my brothers, the starter sounds like it is working perfectly.
If you mean the starter makes a solid thunk sound when you turn the key then it sounds like the engine is seized up from lack of oil based on your other comments.
When was the last time the oil was changed and when was the last time you checked the oil level before this happened?
The timing belt could not have failed because the Pontiac Sunfire was never offered with an engine that uses a timing belt. I do have a couple questions that may lead us down the path to figuring out what went wrong. First, how frequently do you check the oil level in your car between oil changes? To that end, how often do you change the oil? Have any repairs been done recently or any other fluids turning up low or missing? Lastly, how did the car come into a state of disrepair? Did it just fail to start one day, or did it break down and have to be towed home? Did the car exhibit any unusual behavior or noises prior to it not running?
–Two extra pieces of information Standard and 2004—
What my question is, "Where is the oil going?"
The other answers is Yes, I do replace the oil at regular intervals. The last time I had checked the oil was a month ago. What I was saying in my previous comments was not that I was neglecting my oil or fluids, but that my oil is, just, gone. I’ve poured the correct amount of oil in Just tonight, and it is not showing up on the dip stick.
The events leading up to my car breakdown were
Got off of work drove to gas station – Car works fine
Filled with premium(First time) – Car had trouble starting, made odd noises on the way home.
Home, close to parking (roughly 5-10 km/hr – Engine quit. Doesn’t start up.
The sound it makes now, is not a clunking, more like a whirring noise, as if the starter has failed. But according to others, the starter is fine…
----If what my brothers say is true, Then:
My thoughts are that the timing belt/chain may have ruptured a piece of my engine causing oil to leak into a place it shouldn’t. I know the basics of cars, and trying to gather as much as I can about my vehicle.
I assume you are putting the oil into the correct spot of the engine and not into the transmission. Even so, from what you have stated about the problem so far it sounds to me the engine has been damaged due to running it with lack of oil. You might need to replace the engine sorry to say.
I agree. If the starter appears to be turning, but does not turn the motor by way of the flywheel, the teeth on one or the other don’t or can’t mesh or the starter is not engaging. I would remove the spark plugs and see if the motor tuned over manually with the bolt on the crank shaft or possible the alternator. If it does turn over easily, maybe it’s a starter issue, or not, buy that could give you an element of temporary hope.
Btw, the battery meeds to be tested. There may not be sufficient current to actually engage the starter.
One more thing to consider, if you are adding oil and it is not showing up on the dipstick, it might be stuck in the head if the oil drain back holes are plugged up. That would account for a lot of the issues here.