Bad engine after 100 miles on new clutch
Bad engine after 100 miles on new clutch
Help! We've got a very sick terc in northern Georgia. It's about 600 miles from home with a mechanic telling me that there's water in the oil. Now we're looking for a replacement engine. Any extras laying around? Thanks!
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Neu
- Highest Ranking Member
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- Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:59 am
- My tercel:: 1985 SR5 No Mods
- Location: Hillsboro, Oregon, USA
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Re: Bad engine after 100 miles on new clutch
Junkyard. I found my engine for 350 from a local junkyard. i haven't had any problems with it and I've abused it...bad.
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Petros
- Highest Ranking Member
- Posts: 11941
- Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
- My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
- Location: Arlington WA USA
Re: Bad engine after 100 miles on new clutch
A self service wrecking yard is much cheaper than buying an engine from a wrecking yard, something like a Pull-a-part, Pull-your-part, U-pull-it, etc. (check your area) whole engines are typically about $100-150. when you pull it yourself. You can use any 3a, 3ac or even a 4ac engine that comes in any model '83-87 Tercel and the 4ac comes in the '84(?)-'87 Corollas.
If it is just a head gasket you need, these can be replaced for only about $40 worth of parts and perhaps 4-5 hours worth of work (I can do it in about 3 hours with a hand full of the correct hand tools). It would be best to tow it home and fix it there, either the engine replacement or the head gasket. You may get taken advantage of by unscrupulous or incompetent mechanics far from home, there is little or no incentive to be honest with you, especially if they know you have nowhere else to go. For example, yesterday my wife called the local Ford dealership to see if they knew why the door ajar dinger would not stop, it was also causing the battery to run down overnight. They wanted $135 to just diagnose it, fixing it would be another charge. I found a defective door switch (Ford damaged in when it was installed) in about 3 min, Ford wanted $35 for the part (but I think they should give us a replacement for free), AutoZone can get the same factory switch for $17, but I got a used one from the local Pull-A-part for $1. In less time it takes to drive to the Ford dealership I have it fix and save us over $169.
So I suggest rent a dolly and tow the car home if you can not find a place to fix it where it sits now. BTW, it is far less work to replace the head gasket than replace the whole engine. There are other things to check once the head is off of course, but cracks in Toyota heads or blocks are very rare (and unlikely). The head may have to be resurfaced, this costs about $40 or so at a local machine shop, some will do it while you wait.
A shop would likely charge you $500 or swap and engine out (plus the cost of the engine), and may would not want to warranty their work if you put in a used engine, a head gasket change would cost about the same, perhaps $600 if they also resurface the head and have it crack check. So if the rest of the engine is in good working order the head gasket replacement is less expensive whether you do it yourself or pay a shop to do it. At least with a local shop you are likely to have better results, and have a place to take it for follow up service.
There are plenty of people on this list that can walk you through the repair (including myself) and give you a list of the tools and parts you will need.
Oil in the water is almost certainly a bad head gasket, was the car recently overheated? How many miles are on the engine? What year is it?
Good luck.
If it is just a head gasket you need, these can be replaced for only about $40 worth of parts and perhaps 4-5 hours worth of work (I can do it in about 3 hours with a hand full of the correct hand tools). It would be best to tow it home and fix it there, either the engine replacement or the head gasket. You may get taken advantage of by unscrupulous or incompetent mechanics far from home, there is little or no incentive to be honest with you, especially if they know you have nowhere else to go. For example, yesterday my wife called the local Ford dealership to see if they knew why the door ajar dinger would not stop, it was also causing the battery to run down overnight. They wanted $135 to just diagnose it, fixing it would be another charge. I found a defective door switch (Ford damaged in when it was installed) in about 3 min, Ford wanted $35 for the part (but I think they should give us a replacement for free), AutoZone can get the same factory switch for $17, but I got a used one from the local Pull-A-part for $1. In less time it takes to drive to the Ford dealership I have it fix and save us over $169.
So I suggest rent a dolly and tow the car home if you can not find a place to fix it where it sits now. BTW, it is far less work to replace the head gasket than replace the whole engine. There are other things to check once the head is off of course, but cracks in Toyota heads or blocks are very rare (and unlikely). The head may have to be resurfaced, this costs about $40 or so at a local machine shop, some will do it while you wait.
A shop would likely charge you $500 or swap and engine out (plus the cost of the engine), and may would not want to warranty their work if you put in a used engine, a head gasket change would cost about the same, perhaps $600 if they also resurface the head and have it crack check. So if the rest of the engine is in good working order the head gasket replacement is less expensive whether you do it yourself or pay a shop to do it. At least with a local shop you are likely to have better results, and have a place to take it for follow up service.
There are plenty of people on this list that can walk you through the repair (including myself) and give you a list of the tools and parts you will need.
Oil in the water is almost certainly a bad head gasket, was the car recently overheated? How many miles are on the engine? What year is it?
Good luck.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
Re: Bad engine after 100 miles on new clutch
Oh, there's hope! The car's an '87 with 195K miles.
I'll take your advice & go tow it home. Also thanks for the offer to walk us through it. It will be June though, before we can really get to it. The body is solid all the way around...no rust on, in or under it. There's one 10" scratch low near the passenger rear wheel well. Paint's faded but the upholstery is great.
Our son's been in love with the 4wd terc wagon since we had an '86 for about 3 years...just when he was learning to drive. It was "the tank." Another nickname (when it was our daughter's college wheels) was "Silver Space Rocket." Should 'a' kept that one.
When I found this one on Craigslist for $450 near Atlanta, GA, I bought it over the phone since it ran and only needed a clutch. We put in the clutch and exchanged the trans oil. The next day our son changed the engine oil/filter and off he went to (toward) Milligan College, TN.
Who designed the fill system for the tranny? That's not nice. We used one of the screw on tubes designed for oil/coolant + an extension tube to reach the tranny from the wheel well + an air compressor at 5 psi + a sport ball needle stuck into a "new" hole the oil jug. It worked great.
I'll take your advice & go tow it home. Also thanks for the offer to walk us through it. It will be June though, before we can really get to it. The body is solid all the way around...no rust on, in or under it. There's one 10" scratch low near the passenger rear wheel well. Paint's faded but the upholstery is great.
Our son's been in love with the 4wd terc wagon since we had an '86 for about 3 years...just when he was learning to drive. It was "the tank." Another nickname (when it was our daughter's college wheels) was "Silver Space Rocket." Should 'a' kept that one.
When I found this one on Craigslist for $450 near Atlanta, GA, I bought it over the phone since it ran and only needed a clutch. We put in the clutch and exchanged the trans oil. The next day our son changed the engine oil/filter and off he went to (toward) Milligan College, TN.
Who designed the fill system for the tranny? That's not nice. We used one of the screw on tubes designed for oil/coolant + an extension tube to reach the tranny from the wheel well + an air compressor at 5 psi + a sport ball needle stuck into a "new" hole the oil jug. It worked great.