I have a 2000 Toyota Echo. It’s started to make a sound like the one it’s made before when it’s been low on oil, and the oil light has been flashing on and off somewhat randomly. However, the oil level is fine; just barely under full. I took to to my favorite service station, and they listened to it and said it sounds like internal engine damage and would need a new motor. (And that they don’t do that there.) Does this make sense for the symptoms? And, more importantly, how much is this going to cost me to fix? How urgent is it to fix… Is my car going to just up and die on me some day; is it going to damage the car further to drive it in this condition, or is it just going to make a nasty noise until I fix it?
Thanks in advance for any help.
It does sound like the engine is going belly up.
Considering it has noise, the oil light coming on would be caused by low oil pressure due to worn crankshaft, cam bearings, etc.
Changing to a heavier oil may buy you some more time.
No idea on repair costs. That would depend on used or new engine, labor rates, locale, etc.
My suggestion would be to find a good used engine at a salvage yard. Some yards will even install the engine for you at a much cheaper rate than a regular shop.
Many salvage yards are on a parts locating system such as Eden and if they don’t have a particualar engine the parts locator may find one at another yard and it can be shipped in.
Considering you have a shaky engine at this point, I would advise running heavier oil (or a couple of bottles of STP) and don’t take any out of town trips.
I have a friend who bought a used Japanese motor from Noyan USA. DO a google search and ask them for a quote. They shipped it to Pennsylvania and he has had good luck with the replacement motor.
If you’ve run it low on oil before, then you may have done internal damage. If its been a while since your last oil change, then get the oil and filter changed, I’ve seen filters get to old and do this, but when they do, the oil needs changing too.
As for the rest of your questions, it could die suddenly or go many more thousands of miles if you keep the oil topped off. Use 10w30 oil instead of 5w30. You could be looking at $1500 to $6000 to replace this engine, depending on the route you take.
The oil light is responding to oil pressure, not level. And, since the engine was run low on oil to the point it was making the same noise, I also suspect major engine damage. When it was run low on oil, the main bearings and rod bearings were most likely damaged, and it just took this long to finally develop into a noticeable problem.
I like the previous reply of looking for a used engine from Japan. Japan requires engines to be replaced at a ridiculously early age. It has become marketable to bring the engines here to be used as replacement engines.
This can also be a place to find an engine; especially if it happens to be near your neighborhood.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ENGINE-2000-ECHO_W0QQitemZ230161910697QQihZ013QQcategoryZ33615QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem
Something for consideration anyway. 