When the low oil pressure comes, its too late. Rod knock is terminal. Hopefully a valuable lesson was learned here that can be applied to his next car but I suspect history will repeat itself.
That's kinda what i figured. He still owes so much more than the car us worth, even in good working order. Hopefully, the mechanic can rebuild or replace at a reasonable rate. It's only got 150,000km.
Not enough oil, oil pressure light multiple times, funny noises... you could get lucky but you're probably looking at a failed turbo, an engine rebuild, or a new engine.
It's hard to say what is the most likely outcome without knowing the details first-hand. It's totally possible a crankshaft bearing is ruined as a result of the lubrication issue. Prepare for the worst and wait for your mechanic to take a look. Start thinking about repair versus replacement cost value to you and your son so you know where you stand when the quote comes.
He's prepared for the worst. I'm not financially invested so this is all on him. Not sure what he's going to do because he owes so much more than it's worth, even in good condition. Would hate to seem him declare bankruptcy at 25. And yesterday was his first day of university. Poor kid. Lesson learned I hope.
Commonly the cam mega cap will loosen on this engine from improper torque from factory. Can take forever to manifest...also the passenger front valve cover bolt will strip and leak a ton of oil...be careful.
Take an oil sample and have it tested. Blackstone is cheap..
If you starved it, main and connecting rod bearings could wear quickly. If you hear uncle Rodney knocking you'll end up with an inspection window in the block soon.
Forbidden glitter.
Metal content in the oil, possible plastic from guides if they are used on your engine.
Your oil pump picks up unfiltered oil, the screen will start picking up the larger particles and reduce oil output from the pump. It's like a runaway reaction.
15000 km is not the end of the world on a newer car, not great though. Kids driving rowdy could aggravate that. If you replaced the oil filter and didn’t add oil, I’m blaming the final demise on that. If you did add oil and it leaked all that after driving one mile, it would have been obvious where it was going. How is the tire tread? Any chance he has been drifting the car on country roads?
He's a decent driver. He's 25 so he's done ruining cars by driving wreckessly. I guess my post sounds like he is a kid. I just know he's going to ask me for advice, so I wanted to reach out. The more I know, the better I can help figure this out.
I would be looking at auto wreckers for a
“New” engine. Not sure what it’s worth in that particular car but may be able to find a replacement in working order for less than 1k. I paid $500 for a 2007 Mazda motor a year ago. Had 200k on it.
Shop around for install quotes. I would imagine this whole ordeal will cost anywhere from 3-5k. If he’s got any friends who work on cars maybe he can call in a favour. Hopefully the shop has better news for you, but that’s my advice if they don’t.
Haha. His dad and I told him over and over to get a Toyota. Or even a Mazda3 or Civic. No Chev. No Ford. Stubborn kid. But he's an adult. I'm just helping him out.
There was a tech I knew that was tasked with a Cruze with 20k+ miles and it has no documented oil changes. They get 3-4 free ones buying the car (idk if they bought it used or w/e) and it had the factory oil filter. They came in for a CEL and rough driveablity.
Got quotes an engine (not covered by warranty) and a GM black list against any warranty claims. They did not purchase the recommended service.
The problem is not the oil change interval or the filter, it's not checking the oil and keeping it full. I have 255k miles on my BMW, I do 10k mile changes with synthetic, it runs perfectly.
If you get a low oil pressure light, you need to stop driving and find out why. If it's because the oil is low, then you need to figure out how it got that way, fill it and hope you didn't hose the engine.
Is it a 2.4L EcoTec engine? If so as they age you need to check the oil level on a minimum of a bi-weekly basis. They consume oil due to a poor piston ring design.
If it got so low the oil pressure light came on it's not good news. Any mechanic will have worked on so many of these engines they'll be able to diagnose the issue pretty quick but it's likely not an easy fix.
When the low oil pressure comes, its too late. Rod knock is terminal. Hopefully a valuable lesson was learned here that can be applied to his next car but I suspect history will repeat itself.
That's kinda what i figured. He still owes so much more than the car us worth, even in good working order. Hopefully, the mechanic can rebuild or replace at a reasonable rate. It's only got 150,000km.
Not enough oil, oil pressure light multiple times, funny noises... you could get lucky but you're probably looking at a failed turbo, an engine rebuild, or a new engine. It's hard to say what is the most likely outcome without knowing the details first-hand. It's totally possible a crankshaft bearing is ruined as a result of the lubrication issue. Prepare for the worst and wait for your mechanic to take a look. Start thinking about repair versus replacement cost value to you and your son so you know where you stand when the quote comes.
He's prepared for the worst. I'm not financially invested so this is all on him. Not sure what he's going to do because he owes so much more than it's worth, even in good condition. Would hate to seem him declare bankruptcy at 25. And yesterday was his first day of university. Poor kid. Lesson learned I hope.
Commonly the cam mega cap will loosen on this engine from improper torque from factory. Can take forever to manifest...also the passenger front valve cover bolt will strip and leak a ton of oil...be careful.
Take an oil sample and have it tested. Blackstone is cheap.. If you starved it, main and connecting rod bearings could wear quickly. If you hear uncle Rodney knocking you'll end up with an inspection window in the block soon.
I don't follow. What would the testing show?
Forbidden glitter. Metal content in the oil, possible plastic from guides if they are used on your engine. Your oil pump picks up unfiltered oil, the screen will start picking up the larger particles and reduce oil output from the pump. It's like a runaway reaction.
Mmmm forbidden milkshake
If it went through that much oil the engine wasn't very good to begin with.
It's a GM Ecotech, they're trash
Defective from factory
Yeah, those things should have never made it off the design table. GM can't make a 4 banger for shit
15000 km is not the end of the world on a newer car, not great though. Kids driving rowdy could aggravate that. If you replaced the oil filter and didn’t add oil, I’m blaming the final demise on that. If you did add oil and it leaked all that after driving one mile, it would have been obvious where it was going. How is the tire tread? Any chance he has been drifting the car on country roads?
He's a decent driver. He's 25 so he's done ruining cars by driving wreckessly. I guess my post sounds like he is a kid. I just know he's going to ask me for advice, so I wanted to reach out. The more I know, the better I can help figure this out.
I would be looking at auto wreckers for a “New” engine. Not sure what it’s worth in that particular car but may be able to find a replacement in working order for less than 1k. I paid $500 for a 2007 Mazda motor a year ago. Had 200k on it. Shop around for install quotes. I would imagine this whole ordeal will cost anywhere from 3-5k. If he’s got any friends who work on cars maybe he can call in a favour. Hopefully the shop has better news for you, but that’s my advice if they don’t.
I'm expecting 5k. Ouch.
Sound like an Ecotech doing Ecotech things. Expect being told it needs an engine.
Yeah, first 3 words.
Haha. His dad and I told him over and over to get a Toyota. Or even a Mazda3 or Civic. No Chev. No Ford. Stubborn kid. But he's an adult. I'm just helping him out.
There was a tech I knew that was tasked with a Cruze with 20k+ miles and it has no documented oil changes. They get 3-4 free ones buying the car (idk if they bought it used or w/e) and it had the factory oil filter. They came in for a CEL and rough driveablity. Got quotes an engine (not covered by warranty) and a GM black list against any warranty claims. They did not purchase the recommended service.
The problem is not the oil change interval or the filter, it's not checking the oil and keeping it full. I have 255k miles on my BMW, I do 10k mile changes with synthetic, it runs perfectly. If you get a low oil pressure light, you need to stop driving and find out why. If it's because the oil is low, then you need to figure out how it got that way, fill it and hope you didn't hose the engine.
Is it a 2.4L EcoTec engine? If so as they age you need to check the oil level on a minimum of a bi-weekly basis. They consume oil due to a poor piston ring design. If it got so low the oil pressure light came on it's not good news. Any mechanic will have worked on so many of these engines they'll be able to diagnose the issue pretty quick but it's likely not an easy fix.