Without warning, my 2000 Toyota Corolla with 82,000 miles ran out of oil & the engine ceased. The engine conked out just seconds after the “check engine” light came on. My mechanic found a replacement engine with 60,000 miles & installed it. After a few days of tweaking, it seems like the engine & transmission are finally in sync but I’m concerned about an oil problem. I drove 1 tank of gas & the oil was empty. I reported the issue & they dumped some kind of “treatment” in the engine. I’m not happy with this “solution” to the problem. I’ve now driven only 200 miles & the oil is already down a quart. My dad was Teddy Boffa-recognized by GM as a top notch mechanic. (unfortunately dead for over 20 years)I KNOW that additives of this type only buys a little time. I brought the car back this morning because the engine cylinders are misfiring (per the computer). The car still hesitates when I first accelerate. The jackass that works there said that it might be the “foil pack”. He said that the one in the replacement engine was pretty “beat up” but the one in my old engine was fine. (A GOOD mechanic would have switched them out if he saw this wouldn’t they???)
My question is this…Do I tell them to send this engine back? or do I just let them get the car running decent then sell the damned thing? Please help me!!
I Suppose It Has A Lot To Do With The Details Of Your 30 Day Warranty. Is The Warranty In Writing Or What Was The Understanding Between You And The Shop As Far As What Is Covered ?
This detail is usually something that has to be worked out prior to the replacement, not afterwards.
Are you covered for excessive oil consumption / leaks ? How much is “excessive” ?
CSA
You need to read the details of your warranty.
He said “coil pack”, not “foil pack”. A mechanic would not necessarily swap the coil packs out on 10 year old engines unless he had cause to.
And your guy is guessing. He should as a minimum try to ascertain the cause of the oil loss. If the replacement engine is shot, if it fails a compression test, that can cause not only loss of oil but also erratic operation. In addition to the “imbalance” created by poor compression, excess burning oil can cause the plugs to foul.
Coil packs can be easily tested. Guessing is a poor way to determine a bad coil pack.
And by the way, that kind of massive oil loss needs diagnosing. you have something significant going on there. If it’s entering the combustion chambers and being burned at that rate (which WOULD foul the plugs), then that engine is no good.
Do You Know For A Fact That It’s Leaking (You Can See Oil Dripping / Leaking) Or Are You Going By The Fact That The " . . . the oil was empty." ? Engines Can Consume Oil Internally Without Leaking.
When you went back and they put the “treatment” in, did they inspect for leaks and did they find any ?
CSA
Before I reply I’d like to say that the shop owner has been maintaining my car for the past 8 years without incident. This was the most major job he’s ever had to do for me. When I went to pick up the car (they called & said it was “done”), the shop owner said that he hadn’t put the paperwork together yet as he needed time to write it up. Stupidly, I paid the balance. I paid $1800.00 up front so they could purchase the engine, then the remaining balance of $900.00 when the job was “complete”. I immediately brought the car back because the transmission’s timing was TOTALLY off. I was in disbelief that they gave it back to me like that. When I returned to pick up the car the next day, the owner mentioned that he had a bill from the transmission specialist that he had to bring it to. I made it clear that there was nothing wrong with the trans when I brought in. He has not mentioned that transmission bill ever again. FYI-I called my credit card company as soon as I got home & started the proceeding for a grievance just to protect myself. I have not seen any warranty or paperwork to date.
There are numerous oil spots in my driveway at this time but I can’t determine if they were there prior to the car ceasing. I will be sure to put cardboard under it when it comes back.
thanks!
You mentioned the plugs. He replaced my titanium plugs with something else that he says has a 500,000 mile warranty. Don’t titanium plugs have a lifetime warranty? Should I make him put my titanium into this engine? (if he didn’t hock them already)
I just rec’d a call from the shop. He said that the plugs were soaked with oil. He called the seller & they’re sending a replacement engine on Monday.
Thank you so much for your prompt response If the “new” engine doesn’t work out, I’ll be right back here!
Something is going on here. I have never heard of either titanium spark plugs or spark plugs with a 500,000 mile warranty. What kind of spark plug has a 500,000 mile warranty, and who would install them in a Toyota Corolla? NGK copper cores are the way to go for this car, and change them every 30k miles. As for your engine, you may have gotten one that had been poorly maintained or had sat around for years without being sold. Sometimes sitting for a long time will cause the oil rings to stick, resulting in excessive oil consumption. I have an old Chevy truck that sat for four years before I bought it and it uses about a quart of oil every 800-900 miles because of this. I also think you paid way too much for the engine, unless the price of used engines skyrocketed in the last month and nobody bothered to tell me.
Outstanding. Who’s covering the cost of installing the replacement? Now might be a good time to read the warranty. Just in case.
Titanium plugs? Are you sure you don’t mean Iridium or Platinum? And he replaced them with plugs with a 500,000 mile warranty? This sounds quite suspicious to me. Titanium isn’t a particularly conductive metal and wouldn’t make for an effective spark plug.
Just as an FYI, the longest lasting spark plug out there is irridium, 8 times harder than platinum, which is now the old standard. Some new car manufacturers claim irridium electrodes will last 100,000 miles, but leaving them in there that long might leave one stuck with plugs seized into the holes. Even irridium should be changed every 50,000 miles IMHO.
Titanium plugs don’t exist. Titanium is actually not a very hard metal and would not withstand the erosive effect from the high voltage discharge that the plug’s electrodes have to endure. Ti is wonderful if the goal is light weight, but would not be good for sparkplugs. It’s used to coat drill bits because it provide sort of like a lubricating effect, much like milling machines use cutting oils. But it isn’t hard enough to be a cutting edge by itself.
Ahhhh…Titanium/Platinum, foil packs/coil packs. This is why I came to this website.
Thank you for setting me straight on my metals. Platinum is what I meant. Apparently, I’ve been misinformed about “lifetime” expectancy.
I’m a true believer that you learn something new everyday. Today has been a prosperous one!
Thanks Mr. Mountainbike . Have a great weekend!
“let them get the car running decent then sell the damned thing?”
Yes, and be sure to tell the new owner the cars history…
“Without warning, my 2000 Toyota Corolla with 82,000 miles ran out of oil & the engine ceased.”
There was plenty of “warning” had you taken the time to check the oil now and then…
Apparently the disease that prevents people from raising the hood and checking the oil level on a regular basis has reached Bubonic Plague proportions.
It seems like every other day there’s a post about a destroyed or damaged engine due to this malady.