Hi experts, my car is a Toyota Corolla 1996, 175Kmiles, I changed timing belt 3 months ago. After that, I found it always leaking engine oil, and the shop guy told me they need to change gasket inside engine, which would cost me 1400$. I said no, and went auto part and bought some anti-leaking chemicals and went to oil change shop. They changed my engine oil. After that, leaking is almost gone, but 2 months later, I checked engine oil level. I had to refill some engine oil, so it seems minor leaking problem is still there.
Recently, another problem is coming, oil pressure light is on sometimes when I push down brake using my foot, but the light is not continuously on, After awhile, it is off, but after another while, it is on again. Could someone please help me who understands what is going on, and what I should do.
Many thanks!
Achen
You should take your car to a local mechanic with a good reputation and have him/her put an actual pressure gauge on the engine to check out your oil pressure. If you do indeed have an oil pressure problem then your engine won’t last much longer.
What kind of gunk did you pour in that engine? There’s a chance that whatever it was is now the source of a new problem.
DO NOT wait 2 months between checking your oil. Check it about once/wk and/or every 500 miles or so.
Just because you get low on oil between changes doesn’t mean that it is leaking. At 175K the car is almost certainly burning some.
What gasket “inside” of the engine did someone want to change? There aren’t any. If this was a reference to a head gasket it sounds like it may be time to let this car go.
The oil seal in question is located behind the timing belt, so all that work would have to be redone, that is why it cost so much. But oil leaks in this engine at that age and mileage are normal. The oil light is a big concern though.
You should have the oil pressure checked with a gauge. You might just need a sending unit, or the sealers you used might have clogged up the oil filter. Maybe start with a new filter, then get an actual oil pressure check. You might be OK. If not, you will be better off with a reman engine if you like the car.