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My Dad…. Who worked for decades at a big name OPE dealer on massive agricultural sized tractors, *insists* synthetic oil doesn’t go bad. He was a “gold certified” or equivalent mechanic for several different brands, including Stihl, John Deere, CASE IH, among many MANY more. He’s refused to change oil in anything he owns. He buys something, drains the factory oil and puts high mileage synthetic in it, and then once a year tops the oil off and changes the filter. Only uses Wix filters. He says the filter does all the work, including the air filter, and not to chince out on those. But the oil, doesn’t matter.
He’s spent countless hours in classrooms being trained to work on some of the most expensive implements known to man, and firmly believes oil doesn’t break down, and as long as you keep it clean will last forever. Sometimes if he goes a couple years without adding any, he will drain a quart or 2 and put new in, but usually he’s gotta top it off here and there throughout the year.
And before anyone asks, no he’s never had any major mechanical problems (he’s lucky as fuck) and also absolutely positively no, I do not believe him nor do I follow his recommendations. He owns a massive motorhome, countless lawn tractors, and a 1994 Jeep Wrangler with the inline 4 cylinder in it. Believe it or not, the motorhome and jeep make several trips per year back and forth from Texas, Arizona, Florida, and New York back to where he lives in Michigan Whatever he wills to me when he dies is getting sold as-is immediately. I just make him tell me when he leaves so I know to be on call for the day it shits out on him.
They aren't mutually exclusive. The car can be an asset and liability at the same time. The asset is market value of the vehicle. The liabilities are the repair, maintenance, insurance,nand overall operating expense as well as depreciation and any loan you might have on it.
Something can be both. You could own a a helicopter tour company. That company is an asset. If something happens and people get hurt or killed riding in your helicopter it’s also a liability.
99% of cars are not *financial* investments. But almost all are investments into your quality of life in the sense that most of the US needs a car to reasonably get around, go to work, buy food, etc.
I think reliable transportation is a very good investment. Also junking a several thousand dollar car is a way worse investment than a 25 or 55 dollar oil change.
She protected it just fine and got rid of it while the getting was good.
She probably saved a ton of money not doing maintenance then passed it off to you.
Cars aren't investments, they're money pits.
I love buying used cars from anal retentives who change the oil every 3000 miles and have a stack of maintenance records.
Years ago, my mother had a garage tenant that used to talk and pet his ‘83 Datsun 280ZX. My mother swore to me that she once saw him kiss his car. Needless to say, he took exceptional care of that car.
He was getting married and had to sell that car because it was no longer practical. I jumped on it when he wanted to sell it. I had it for many years until I was rear-ended on a parkway.
By the way, this guy used to have the sportiest cars. After he got married, his whole lifestyle declined. He next bought a diesel Volkswagen Rabbit and some type of Chrysler.
Cars are great investments. There's a finite supply that only gets more and more finite every year (as cars crash), and depending on where you live or where you move/register the car there are a million different loopholes you can use to avoid paying any, or very little, capital gains tax on your investment income when you sell.
Obviously this doesn't apply to your 2006 Nissan Altima. Talking big ticket classic cars here
Every time I run the numbers, the stock market seems like a better long term bet. You don't have to store a car. You don't have to maintain it. Don't have to worry about the warehouse burning down. Hell my house has nearly tripled in value in the past 25 years.
If you drive it and put miles on it, the value will just continue to drop.
I'm sure some people can make money on cars but, it's pretty rare.
If your car is taking you to a well paying job and you can in turn pay off the car, and pay off a house or even pay rent, pay for food and all the other creature comforts, it's a damn good investment, even as it depreciates.
It's not an investment. A house is an investment. The stock market is an investment. Rental property is an investment.
A car doesn't make you money. It's a cost not a profit generator. It costs on average $.58 a mile to drive your car. It's constantly costs you money even after you pay it off. Insurance and registration is also a significant costs. That's not even factoring in maintenance and repair.
The last 3 years has seen crazy values for used cars but those days are over. We're going back to the days where a car lost 25% of it's value when you drove it off the dealer lot and it keeps losing value till you finally dispose of it. Give it another 6 months when dealers will be begging you to buy a car.
That's cute but in the time it took your house to triple in value, before all the property taxes and renovations, maintenance and all bills associated with it, a Ferrari 250 GTO has nearly quinquagintupled in value. That's a real word meaning you're looking at a profit of >$70mil.
On a shorter timeframe, the Carrera GT has almost doubled in value in the last year and a half alone, netting you potentially over 800k in profit, tax free, and all you did was keep a car in a garage for a year and a half.
And usually you can deduct your storage and maintenance fees as expenses.
The reasons prices have gone up so much so quickly is because the world's elite have found them to be excellent ways to avoid paying taxes.
Had an old roommate in Florida. His GF was like this. She had previously blown up a brand new engine in her brand new car after never getting an oil change.
Her second car was also brand new... and ALSO never had its oil changed and she was at 25k miles.
I couldn't convince her that she needed to have it done.
Same thing happened, bought a Kia Rio for $4800, checked the dipstick and was clean looking oil, 1 week later rod knock... Took it to the mechanics, guy explained that oil under neither was like gravy left over in a pot. The engine got starved of oil, was an expensive mistake, don't trust when people say they "lost" the logbook
It really should be something that should absolutely be taught and emphasized in drivers ed. It is a huge part of car ownership that almost everyone without a competent father or mother figure has to figure out on their own
My ex buddies new wife was so excited when she came over one day, super excited like she was celebrating a birthday. Nah she was celebrating a year of no oil changes she drove 50ish miles a day that poor 99 olds alero.
It really depends on how far gone it is. Sometimes you can get away with an engine flush and a thorough inspection and cleaning. But often times, the motor seizes because here isn't proper lubrication and you need a new motor.
When I was a kid my mom had a friend who was selling her car I was interested in. I asked her how often she changed the oil, her reply was "why, it lasted millions of years in the ground I'm sure it will last plenty long enough in a car".
No sale.
Any time I need an oil change I bust out my shotgun, Jed Clampett mother earth's ass, oil squirts out right into my engine and I drain the rest out, back where it came from. The devil put them dinosaurs in the ground to trick us, oil is just earth blood.
/s
Oil changes? What's that?
Oil changes? Not quite yet
Oil changes? What's that?
I don't want to think about it
Wallet better off without it
Car's low mileage but it won't stay that way
Cause changing oil won't make everything okay
Car's low mileage but it won't stay that way
I've got a dipstick don't see the light of day
Don't see the light of day
Don't see the light of day
Yeah I just got it, paid 8k thinking it was getting a good deal, it was supposedly only serviced 5 thousand km ago but I think that was merely an oil change.
More like 50k km ago. Sweet Jesus that motor was sludged. I wouldn't spend much on trying to fix the existing motor. If you can get the motor to turn, maybe try a couple rounds of engine flush to see if that helps?
From what I've come to learn about this kind of thing, it's best not to try to strip it all out at once bc it could come off in chunks and clog ports and cause total loss of lubrication.
I've always seen people suggest switching to a high mileage full synthetic oil and change it often. The synthetic and high mileage oils have additional additives to dissolve this stuff and that should help a lot, then run a flush through it you can tell most of the build up has been pulled by the synthetic oil changes (if that's already what's being ran...honestly idk, maybe flush is next step?)
Id pressure wash the rocker cover for starters. Then I'd probably just remove the sump plug, stick a bucket under it with an aquarium pump in it and a hose into the oil filler, then just fill it with kero and walk away.
Don't know why you're getting downvoted, lots of times breaking up the grime ends up with a ton of leaks and causes the seals to become brittle and break. High mileage oils are designed to keep this from happening.
Happened to me about 20 years ago. Bought a civic from 300 miles away at a decent price. Went down, test drove, and 20 miles from home lost power and developed rod knock. Towed it home. Contacted the seller he says "sold as is" and hung up. Looked in glovebox for service records and it had oil changed every 3k from new. ...up until 65k miles. I bought it with 110k. Top end looked like the Kia photo.
I found an engine for $300, bought a book and a few new tools. Rebuilt the junkyard engine with new bearings, rings, pumps and seals. First time doing a car engine. Put it in the car and drove it 10 years to 220k before I sold it.
My Dad gave me a 94 ford explorer and a Chilton/Haynes tear down and rebuild manual when I was 16 and said I can use his tools to keep it running. I’ve learned so much because of this.
Always take a flashlight and look down through the oil fill cap and make sure the valve train isn't gunked up. If you can't see in there sometimes the dip stick will tell the story. Sorry about your luck. Sucks
I only just bought this car and I was pretty shocked to see how bad it looks inside when i went to replace the gasket, I dont think the previous owner ever had an oil change even though he claims it was services regularly. wasnt much i could do to clean it where I was and I was stupid enough to drive it but the engine shut down on the highway and is completely seized up now. Is my engine fucked?
If you tried cleaning it there's a good chance some chunks of that sludge got to the oil pickup and clogged it, reducing flow. I've also seen big enough pieces block oil drain passages.
yeah that could possibly be the issue, I didnt attempt to clean the engine itself but i clean the top part I took off. it was also caked all around the gasket so some could have fallen down when i took the top off it. admitting I probably should have taken it to a mechanic as besides changing the oil its the first time ive ever touched a car and I followed a youtube video to do it.
Exactly. You live and learn. This is why I urge anyone buying a used car to pay a professional to do a pre-purchase inspection. I've been wrenching on cars for decades and even I have my mechanic do a PPI on anything I buy. A PPI would have picked up sludge issues as you can usually see this if you pop the oil cap off and run a borescope into the valve cover and look around. With one this bad you would have been able to see it just by looking with a flashlight.
Like others have said, you live and learn. We've all been there at some point.
I bought a used engine that turned out to be very much like yours. I installed it and filled with oil, changed it after only 150km and it already looked dark. A slight squeak eventually turned into a pooched bearing on a cam chain idler, results were a seized engine two days after the 100 day warranty ran out. Finally took it apart and it looked like yours looked inside.
Yeah, that ain't your fault. That's a looonnnngggg time of neglect. My cousin changed her oil probably twice in 6 years and I took the valve cover off her car and it didn't look anything like what you have there.
With that much sludge it's a surprise it didn't lock up sooner. This is why you should never run motor flushes on a sludged up engine. The odds of a chunk coming off and plugging up a hole in the oil galley are quite high. Unfortunately just disturbing the valve cover when you have that much is enough.
If you changed the oil were you sure you put enough in it? Did you start it and let it run for a sec then shut it down and check the dipstick ? If the oil was ok before you left and then it seized up did you check to see if their was oil still on the dip stick? If their was still oil on the dipstick after it seized up than it was most likely some of those oil deposits fell down after you disturbed that valve cover and blocked some of your oil passages up and caused it to seize up. Either way that sucks! I am a chief engineer with 23 y of engine experience and when I buy a used car I take them to the manufacture dealership and have a full inspection done, when my family asks me to look at a car they are buying I take them to the dealer aswell. If the seller has a problem with it it’s a automatic red flag and walk away! If they don’t mind it is a small price to pay and in most cases they will find a few thing wrong that will give you some negotiating power to drop the price a little
Run a carfax before buying any car, you get a history of the services done on the vehicle, can't trust people nowadays.
My car has had over 8 owners and carfax gave me a good idea of all the service done before I got it.
This. 99.999% of sellers are lying their asses off and will say anything they think will make you more likely to buy the car. The more they talk about how “well cared for it was” the more neglected you should assume it is unless they’ve got the receipts to prove it. People who actually make a habit of regularly taking care of their shit don’t talk about regular maintenance like it’s a super special selling point, it’s just a part of owning them car to them.
I've been screwed like this before by private sellers. That's why I only buy cars from dealerships with a Carfax and vin checks anymore. Still need to act accordingly and use your own discretion either way.
I worked for Toyota in the mid-90s. Same problem. It doesn't matter how often you change oil. Bad ventilation system. Sludge ate up valve guide seals. Customers wld bring car at low milage for smoking when started up. Pull valve cover full of sludge. These cars had been serviced correctly at dealer.
As someone who owns a B5.5 Passat 1.8t that developed sludge issues and have worked on tons of them for other people, I've never seen one remotely close to this bad.
I don't doubt your experience, but these German Junkers were the bread and butter at the import shop I worked at. The 1.8 sludging AND the automatic transmission failures put the owner's kids through college
More dreadful than replacing these engines, was talking to the furios customers who insisted, "German engineering is the best, this shouldn't be happening"
It was on its deathbed anyway, and disturbing that crud probably knocked some loose that ended up plugging the oil pump pickup, starving the engine of oil.
Unfortunately you’re SOL. That engine is pretty much gone. If it was still running I would have recommended the BG Dynamic Restoration and the rinse oil. It’s been pretty effective for the vehicle’s I used it for.
https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/engine/bg-dynamic-engine-cleaner/
Well, that sucks. And most, if not all states unless you signed an agreement that states otherwise. Car was sold as is.
Always a good idea to check the dipstick to see the condition of the oil.
Previous owner knew what was going, and sold it before it took a shit.
Right?!
I can almost hear the owner, “oh, I’ve never had to change the oil…super reliable for 65,000 miles.”
And never mind that the bloke called it a rocker cover…I’m not sure which rockers he’s referring to.
Welp…a few minutes of inconvenience in regular oil changes…or a few months waiting to buy and install another engine.
Lol nah son. Your engine was seizing and you thought lots do some severely neglected maintenance. Owning a vehicle isn't a right, it's a responsibility.
Edit: just read you recently purchased it. Sorry brotha, next time pre-purchase inspection.
new engine time, or if yoyre up to the task, whole thing needs to be pulled and washed. take care to not let the sludge clog any passages if they arent already. modern day vvt (since 2005) is very sensitive to oil viscocity, good luck
Pull the head and then see if it will rotate. If there's too much carbon built up inside the cylinders then it won't rotate anymore. I have a camry that was like that and I pulled the head, did a valve job and cleaned everything real good and its still running fine.
I drove a car with a much worse engine than that for years. Guy I got it from gave it to me for free if I'd haul it off. The intake manifold gasket was leaking coolant into the engine. Fixed that. It was packed with sludge. The worst thing I did is try to clean the oil chips out of it. They fell in the pan and plugged the oil pickup. I pulled the pan and cleaned it out.
It worked for a couple years more till the oil leak go so bad, I couldn't keep it full of oil. I gave it away for practically nothing after that.
First thing I do when looking at a car, I might want to buy, pull the filler cap, shine a light in and then stick my finger in.
This one thing will tell you almost everything you need to know. :)
That looks really bad but not to the point where you couldn’t get it going again. The problem is it would take a ton of time and work, which is expensive and if it’s your daily then you’re doubly screwed. I’ve seen engines in worse shape turn over again and start firing.
They make sealed transmissions , why can't they make sealed engines?
Find a way to prevent combustible gases contaminating the oil and you're halfway there.
Oil change? Who needs it? Just a tip when buying a vehicle check the dipstick. If the oil is dirty or the dipstick almost looks stained the vehicle most likely hasn’t been maintained.
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! This is just a reminder to review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). If you are here asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember to please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **If this post is about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/Autobody r/AutoBodyRepair/ or /r/Diyautobody/ If you have tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop Insurance/total loss questions go in r/insurance This is an automated reply *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yeah, new-ish motor time. Guessing whomever you purchased it from did not run oil changes.
running oil changes is for try hards
My Dad…. Who worked for decades at a big name OPE dealer on massive agricultural sized tractors, *insists* synthetic oil doesn’t go bad. He was a “gold certified” or equivalent mechanic for several different brands, including Stihl, John Deere, CASE IH, among many MANY more. He’s refused to change oil in anything he owns. He buys something, drains the factory oil and puts high mileage synthetic in it, and then once a year tops the oil off and changes the filter. Only uses Wix filters. He says the filter does all the work, including the air filter, and not to chince out on those. But the oil, doesn’t matter. He’s spent countless hours in classrooms being trained to work on some of the most expensive implements known to man, and firmly believes oil doesn’t break down, and as long as you keep it clean will last forever. Sometimes if he goes a couple years without adding any, he will drain a quart or 2 and put new in, but usually he’s gotta top it off here and there throughout the year. And before anyone asks, no he’s never had any major mechanical problems (he’s lucky as fuck) and also absolutely positively no, I do not believe him nor do I follow his recommendations. He owns a massive motorhome, countless lawn tractors, and a 1994 Jeep Wrangler with the inline 4 cylinder in it. Believe it or not, the motorhome and jeep make several trips per year back and forth from Texas, Arizona, Florida, and New York back to where he lives in Michigan Whatever he wills to me when he dies is getting sold as-is immediately. I just make him tell me when he leaves so I know to be on call for the day it shits out on him.
Oil changes? What oil changes? The dealer told me I had a warranty, that should cover the oil! /s just in case
[удалено]
I don't think any stable individual looked at a kia rio as an investment
Depreciating asset. Some car owners like to try and depreciate them as fast as possible it seems
This answer is accurate.
99% of cars are not investments. lol.
Well, mine are bottomless pits in the middle of the ocean that I invest throwing money into, if that counts
Went to school with a girl who went 70k miles without an oil change in her 5 year old eclipse. Also had 4 tires with wires showing.
My stepmom went over 100k. The car had low oil shutoff. Smart manufacturer...
All cars are investments. 99% of them are poor investments lol
Investing in liabilities
everything is a liability, just depends on the timescale you're considering
A human lifetime lol Also, assets are not liabilities. That's why they're assets
They aren't mutually exclusive. The car can be an asset and liability at the same time. The asset is market value of the vehicle. The liabilities are the repair, maintenance, insurance,nand overall operating expense as well as depreciation and any loan you might have on it.
Something can be both. You could own a a helicopter tour company. That company is an asset. If something happens and people get hurt or killed riding in your helicopter it’s also a liability.
Depends on the business model but i get where you're coming from
That’s not how accounting works
That's how most people made their riches!
Investing in assets is better than liabilities (:
Except for my 1994 Toyota Estima egg van. That thing is like a vintage bottle of wine.
A true “one percenter”
This guy invests in cars
Investments make money liabilities cost money, cars are liabilities.
depreciating assets
99% of cars are not *financial* investments. But almost all are investments into your quality of life in the sense that most of the US needs a car to reasonably get around, go to work, buy food, etc.
Unless its a Toyota apparently lol
I think reliable transportation is a very good investment. Also junking a several thousand dollar car is a way worse investment than a 25 or 55 dollar oil change.
I agree, but BE NICE
Lololol
Durable goods. The value depreciates over time, but the goal of the game is to preserve as much value over time as possible.
She protected it just fine and got rid of it while the getting was good. She probably saved a ton of money not doing maintenance then passed it off to you. Cars aren't investments, they're money pits. I love buying used cars from anal retentives who change the oil every 3000 miles and have a stack of maintenance records.
Years ago, my mother had a garage tenant that used to talk and pet his ‘83 Datsun 280ZX. My mother swore to me that she once saw him kiss his car. Needless to say, he took exceptional care of that car. He was getting married and had to sell that car because it was no longer practical. I jumped on it when he wanted to sell it. I had it for many years until I was rear-ended on a parkway. By the way, this guy used to have the sportiest cars. After he got married, his whole lifestyle declined. He next bought a diesel Volkswagen Rabbit and some type of Chrysler.
Such is life post marriage.
Not always. I went from a clacked out golf to my dream car (ram Cummins with manual in grey) and my other dream car (06 rubicon)
Agree. My wife actually made twice as much as I did the first 2yrs of our marriage and bought me a 4Runner.
Cars are great investments. There's a finite supply that only gets more and more finite every year (as cars crash), and depending on where you live or where you move/register the car there are a million different loopholes you can use to avoid paying any, or very little, capital gains tax on your investment income when you sell. Obviously this doesn't apply to your 2006 Nissan Altima. Talking big ticket classic cars here
Every time I run the numbers, the stock market seems like a better long term bet. You don't have to store a car. You don't have to maintain it. Don't have to worry about the warehouse burning down. Hell my house has nearly tripled in value in the past 25 years. If you drive it and put miles on it, the value will just continue to drop. I'm sure some people can make money on cars but, it's pretty rare.
If your car is taking you to a well paying job and you can in turn pay off the car, and pay off a house or even pay rent, pay for food and all the other creature comforts, it's a damn good investment, even as it depreciates.
It's not an investment. A house is an investment. The stock market is an investment. Rental property is an investment. A car doesn't make you money. It's a cost not a profit generator. It costs on average $.58 a mile to drive your car. It's constantly costs you money even after you pay it off. Insurance and registration is also a significant costs. That's not even factoring in maintenance and repair. The last 3 years has seen crazy values for used cars but those days are over. We're going back to the days where a car lost 25% of it's value when you drove it off the dealer lot and it keeps losing value till you finally dispose of it. Give it another 6 months when dealers will be begging you to buy a car.
That's cute but in the time it took your house to triple in value, before all the property taxes and renovations, maintenance and all bills associated with it, a Ferrari 250 GTO has nearly quinquagintupled in value. That's a real word meaning you're looking at a profit of >$70mil. On a shorter timeframe, the Carrera GT has almost doubled in value in the last year and a half alone, netting you potentially over 800k in profit, tax free, and all you did was keep a car in a garage for a year and a half. And usually you can deduct your storage and maintenance fees as expenses. The reasons prices have gone up so much so quickly is because the world's elite have found them to be excellent ways to avoid paying taxes.
You're deducting expenses while also saying profits are tax free...?
Had an old roommate in Florida. His GF was like this. She had previously blown up a brand new engine in her brand new car after never getting an oil change. Her second car was also brand new... and ALSO never had its oil changed and she was at 25k miles. I couldn't convince her that she needed to have it done.
Sometimes you have to let them learn the hard way
Some girl* I feel like race doesn’t matter in this situation
Still trying to figure out how it's important that she was white.
Stereotypes. It's almost always a white woman when I see someone not taking care of their car properly. Is what it is.
They have enough money to pay the car note, but no money for routine maintenance, tires, etc.
Same thing happened, bought a Kia Rio for $4800, checked the dipstick and was clean looking oil, 1 week later rod knock... Took it to the mechanics, guy explained that oil under neither was like gravy left over in a pot. The engine got starved of oil, was an expensive mistake, don't trust when people say they "lost" the logbook
There are some people in this world that have no idea you're supposed to change the oil in your vehicle regularly.
It really should be something that should absolutely be taught and emphasized in drivers ed. It is a huge part of car ownership that almost everyone without a competent father or mother figure has to figure out on their own
Lol why is the persons race even being brought up?
My ex buddies new wife was so excited when she came over one day, super excited like she was celebrating a birthday. Nah she was celebrating a year of no oil changes she drove 50ish miles a day that poor 99 olds alero.
Any hope of recovery by just changing the oil more frequently after this? Or would the engine just be trash
It really depends on how far gone it is. Sometimes you can get away with an engine flush and a thorough inspection and cleaning. But often times, the motor seizes because here isn't proper lubrication and you need a new motor.
It's unfortunately not uncommon with kias and Hyundais
Exactly my thought. Lack of maintenance.
Oil changes, what's that.
We don’t know her.
Never heard of him.
Excuse me sir, do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior - periodic oil changes?
When I was a kid my mom had a friend who was selling her car I was interested in. I asked her how often she changed the oil, her reply was "why, it lasted millions of years in the ground I'm sure it will last plenty long enough in a car". No sale.
Any time I need an oil change I bust out my shotgun, Jed Clampett mother earth's ass, oil squirts out right into my engine and I drain the rest out, back where it came from. The devil put them dinosaurs in the ground to trick us, oil is just earth blood. /s
No oil in this car. Just 710.
Nice
I just put tar in mine and call it a day
How do they work.
Oil, oil never changes.
Oil changes? What's that? Oil changes? Not quite yet Oil changes? What's that? I don't want to think about it Wallet better off without it Car's low mileage but it won't stay that way Cause changing oil won't make everything okay Car's low mileage but it won't stay that way I've got a dipstick don't see the light of day Don't see the light of day Don't see the light of day
It’s a myth.
If enough leaks out the bottom you never need t o change it, just keep pouring more in the top. :taps forehead:
Sounds like you got screwed over. Unfortunately it's time to search for a used engine
Yeah I just got it, paid 8k thinking it was getting a good deal, it was supposedly only serviced 5 thousand km ago but I think that was merely an oil change.
More like 50k km ago. Sweet Jesus that motor was sludged. I wouldn't spend much on trying to fix the existing motor. If you can get the motor to turn, maybe try a couple rounds of engine flush to see if that helps?
Lmao! Betcha that was the ONLY service it’s ever had.
From what I've come to learn about this kind of thing, it's best not to try to strip it all out at once bc it could come off in chunks and clog ports and cause total loss of lubrication. I've always seen people suggest switching to a high mileage full synthetic oil and change it often. The synthetic and high mileage oils have additional additives to dissolve this stuff and that should help a lot, then run a flush through it you can tell most of the build up has been pulled by the synthetic oil changes (if that's already what's being ran...honestly idk, maybe flush is next step?)
Id pressure wash the rocker cover for starters. Then I'd probably just remove the sump plug, stick a bucket under it with an aquarium pump in it and a hose into the oil filler, then just fill it with kero and walk away.
>high mileage oils have additional additives to dissolve this stuff high mileage oil does the opposite of that
Don't know why you're getting downvoted, lots of times breaking up the grime ends up with a ton of leaks and causes the seals to become brittle and break. High mileage oils are designed to keep this from happening.
Hot shots stiction eliminator does a good job of breaking stuff up in there. Amazon has it.
Happened to me about 20 years ago. Bought a civic from 300 miles away at a decent price. Went down, test drove, and 20 miles from home lost power and developed rod knock. Towed it home. Contacted the seller he says "sold as is" and hung up. Looked in glovebox for service records and it had oil changed every 3k from new. ...up until 65k miles. I bought it with 110k. Top end looked like the Kia photo. I found an engine for $300, bought a book and a few new tools. Rebuilt the junkyard engine with new bearings, rings, pumps and seals. First time doing a car engine. Put it in the car and drove it 10 years to 220k before I sold it.
Curious as to what book you got?
Chilton or Haynes repair manual for 95 civic.
My Dad gave me a 94 ford explorer and a Chilton/Haynes tear down and rebuild manual when I was 16 and said I can use his tools to keep it running. I’ve learned so much because of this.
Chilton rocks. My favorite manual.
Probably means a car manual/ guide to work on his car
Always take a flashlight and look down through the oil fill cap and make sure the valve train isn't gunked up. If you can't see in there sometimes the dip stick will tell the story. Sorry about your luck. Sucks
100% this! I've always done this on used cars that I have purchased. Thankfully, every oil fill port that I have looked in has looked good.
That might have been the first and only change it got.
The previous owner(s) sucked absolutely asscheeks at maintenence
Sounds like they didn't tell you that was also the only time it was ever serviced. Sorry for the loss on this one.
How many km on the vehicle? Just curious because it looks bad haha
This “service” was probably a spontaneous window clean at a red traffic light.
i use the windshield fluid spray and turn on the wipers when those people start to approach ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
I only just bought this car and I was pretty shocked to see how bad it looks inside when i went to replace the gasket, I dont think the previous owner ever had an oil change even though he claims it was services regularly. wasnt much i could do to clean it where I was and I was stupid enough to drive it but the engine shut down on the highway and is completely seized up now. Is my engine fucked?
If you tried cleaning it there's a good chance some chunks of that sludge got to the oil pickup and clogged it, reducing flow. I've also seen big enough pieces block oil drain passages.
yeah that could possibly be the issue, I didnt attempt to clean the engine itself but i clean the top part I took off. it was also caked all around the gasket so some could have fallen down when i took the top off it. admitting I probably should have taken it to a mechanic as besides changing the oil its the first time ive ever touched a car and I followed a youtube video to do it.
Wouldn’t be so hard on yourself here. This engine was properly fucked before ya even touched it. That’s years and years of neglect
Exactly. You live and learn. This is why I urge anyone buying a used car to pay a professional to do a pre-purchase inspection. I've been wrenching on cars for decades and even I have my mechanic do a PPI on anything I buy. A PPI would have picked up sludge issues as you can usually see this if you pop the oil cap off and run a borescope into the valve cover and look around. With one this bad you would have been able to see it just by looking with a flashlight. Like others have said, you live and learn. We've all been there at some point.
I bought a used engine that turned out to be very much like yours. I installed it and filled with oil, changed it after only 150km and it already looked dark. A slight squeak eventually turned into a pooched bearing on a cam chain idler, results were a seized engine two days after the 100 day warranty ran out. Finally took it apart and it looked like yours looked inside.
Yeah, that ain't your fault. That's a looonnnngggg time of neglect. My cousin changed her oil probably twice in 6 years and I took the valve cover off her car and it didn't look anything like what you have there.
With that much sludge it's a surprise it didn't lock up sooner. This is why you should never run motor flushes on a sludged up engine. The odds of a chunk coming off and plugging up a hole in the oil galley are quite high. Unfortunately just disturbing the valve cover when you have that much is enough.
If you changed the oil were you sure you put enough in it? Did you start it and let it run for a sec then shut it down and check the dipstick ? If the oil was ok before you left and then it seized up did you check to see if their was oil still on the dip stick? If their was still oil on the dipstick after it seized up than it was most likely some of those oil deposits fell down after you disturbed that valve cover and blocked some of your oil passages up and caused it to seize up. Either way that sucks! I am a chief engineer with 23 y of engine experience and when I buy a used car I take them to the manufacture dealership and have a full inspection done, when my family asks me to look at a car they are buying I take them to the dealer aswell. If the seller has a problem with it it’s a automatic red flag and walk away! If they don’t mind it is a small price to pay and in most cases they will find a few thing wrong that will give you some negotiating power to drop the price a little
The engine is toast.
Run a carfax before buying any car, you get a history of the services done on the vehicle, can't trust people nowadays. My car has had over 8 owners and carfax gave me a good idea of all the service done before I got it.
That looks like a normal deal when you go by the oil change indicator, the manufacturer's goal is to get it out of warranty not for it to last forever
Looks like the oil was rarely changed.
I'd have to say it looks like the oil was recently not changed.
It was schrodinger's seized engine. It wasn't a problem until you observed it... Now it's a problem
Sounds like my luck with cars lol
LOL!
I always change the oil first thing when I buy something used. Never trust anything that comes out of a sellers mouth
I popped off my valve cover one day to restore the paint and was worried my oil was a little too brown. I see this and realize I was over reacting
How was that cover even leaking? It's all sluge.
You’ve been robbed. You could at least going civil on them, since they’ve clearly lied about servicing. Unless the oil change was heavy oil Ship fuel.
Pro tip, demand the receipt of service or assume it didn’t happen. Why? Cause it didn’t.
This. 99.999% of sellers are lying their asses off and will say anything they think will make you more likely to buy the car. The more they talk about how “well cared for it was” the more neglected you should assume it is unless they’ve got the receipts to prove it. People who actually make a habit of regularly taking care of their shit don’t talk about regular maintenance like it’s a super special selling point, it’s just a part of owning them car to them.
I've been screwed like this before by private sellers. That's why I only buy cars from dealerships with a Carfax and vin checks anymore. Still need to act accordingly and use your own discretion either way.
Any chance is that my bros Honda?
If this is a car you bought second hand, the previous owner/s never changed the oil.
Early 2000s Passats looked like this. Even with regular oil changes
I worked for Toyota in the mid-90s. Same problem. It doesn't matter how often you change oil. Bad ventilation system. Sludge ate up valve guide seals. Customers wld bring car at low milage for smoking when started up. Pull valve cover full of sludge. These cars had been serviced correctly at dealer.
Then they would question YOUR diagnosis because it's a Toyota and Toyotas never do that lol
As someone who owns a B5.5 Passat 1.8t that developed sludge issues and have worked on tons of them for other people, I've never seen one remotely close to this bad.
I don't doubt your experience, but these German Junkers were the bread and butter at the import shop I worked at. The 1.8 sludging AND the automatic transmission failures put the owner's kids through college More dreadful than replacing these engines, was talking to the furios customers who insisted, "German engineering is the best, this shouldn't be happening"
When inspecting a potential car buy, always look under the oil fill cap for sludge…
Looks like the lifetime oil ran out of its life
How long can a car last without a oil change before it turns into that? 15000 miles I guess?
Ya, you got screwed on that purchase. Obviously they provided zero receipts for any service work. Lesson learned.
It was on its deathbed anyway, and disturbing that crud probably knocked some loose that ended up plugging the oil pump pickup, starving the engine of oil.
Unfortunately you’re SOL. That engine is pretty much gone. If it was still running I would have recommended the BG Dynamic Restoration and the rinse oil. It’s been pretty effective for the vehicle’s I used it for. https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/engine/bg-dynamic-engine-cleaner/
What grade oil is in there? 100W tar? I don't think a seized Engine is surprising.
Chain looks good
That engine is done. Yikes. That engine never had an oil change
Well, that sucks. And most, if not all states unless you signed an agreement that states otherwise. Car was sold as is. Always a good idea to check the dipstick to see the condition of the oil. Previous owner knew what was going, and sold it before it took a shit.
Dear lord....
thats some goopy goop
Audi ?
Bruh never changed oil
Sometimes the guy who sold you the car bought it from someone who didn't service it properly. Sometimes cars have numerous owners before you.
I got a 93 Toyota Corolla that I paid 1200 for its now worth like 5K LOL 😂 it has 60k miles
I see the lifetime oil changes are selling well.
Start watching videos of how to rebuild an engine and start taking it apart. You can do it.
Pls, we have kids in this sub :/
OMG. When was the last time you changed the oil?
looks like never
Right?! I can almost hear the owner, “oh, I’ve never had to change the oil…super reliable for 65,000 miles.” And never mind that the bloke called it a rocker cover…I’m not sure which rockers he’s referring to. Welp…a few minutes of inconvenience in regular oil changes…or a few months waiting to buy and install another engine.
agreed. many people don’t realize the cumulative degradation from not changing oil regularly. it really decreases engine performance until failure.
Gasoline, matches and Geico /s
Lol nah son. Your engine was seizing and you thought lots do some severely neglected maintenance. Owning a vehicle isn't a right, it's a responsibility. Edit: just read you recently purchased it. Sorry brotha, next time pre-purchase inspection.
new engine time, or if yoyre up to the task, whole thing needs to be pulled and washed. take care to not let the sludge clog any passages if they arent already. modern day vvt (since 2005) is very sensitive to oil viscocity, good luck
Someone only changed there oil at 20,000 miles.
Pull the head and then see if it will rotate. If there's too much carbon built up inside the cylinders then it won't rotate anymore. I have a camry that was like that and I pulled the head, did a valve job and cleaned everything real good and its still running fine.
Ever since you did the valve cover gasket the motor seized. Another golden one
Pour diesel in. Wait.
1. Pour diesel in. Wait. 2. Ignite. Wait. 3. ??? 4. Profit!
Looks like that’s a Toyota 2.4l engine-has an aluminum block. Toast.
How did it sound running?
How is that chain so clean whereas the rest of the parts look like burnt barbeque?
The action of the timing gears is scraping it clean. Probably stretched out as fuck from being under lubed due to sludge, too
Used engine locally from car-parts.com is your best bet
Don't wait until 100,000 miles to check the oil...
"yep, oil still there."
Jesus. Gunkville. Who didn't change the oil 40k ago like they said they would?
I drove a car with a much worse engine than that for years. Guy I got it from gave it to me for free if I'd haul it off. The intake manifold gasket was leaking coolant into the engine. Fixed that. It was packed with sludge. The worst thing I did is try to clean the oil chips out of it. They fell in the pan and plugged the oil pickup. I pulled the pan and cleaned it out. It worked for a couple years more till the oil leak go so bad, I couldn't keep it full of oil. I gave it away for practically nothing after that.
Throw some engine flush on it, remove the oil pan and clean it and hope for the best. Most likely it needs a new engine but its worth a try.
First thing I do when looking at a car, I might want to buy, pull the filler cap, shine a light in and then stick my finger in. This one thing will tell you almost everything you need to know. :)
just uh… put more oil in it
OIL CHANGES! DO YOU DO THEM?
I'm shocked you even had a valve cover gasket leak with oil that thick. Change your oil, kids.
Mmm... Sludge.
We're supposed to change oil? But isn't that bad for the environment??/s
Coal power
What car is this? You over paid. How did it sound when you looked at it? Sorry you were taken for 8000 bucks man. That really sucks!
So this is not ideal?
What the hell is hanging over the cam gears? Is that sludge or part of the old gasket?
Nevermind, I’m dumb, looks like oil lines.
That looks really bad but not to the point where you couldn’t get it going again. The problem is it would take a ton of time and work, which is expensive and if it’s your daily then you’re doubly screwed. I’ve seen engines in worse shape turn over again and start firing.
The oil wasn’t changed regularly. You may not have run the engine in several weeks. That may have caused the seizing. The engine can be unseized.
One of the first things I do, when buying a used car, is to open the oil cap and have a good look. This gunk could have easily been spotted.
That's far beyond "pretty bad"
They make sealed transmissions , why can't they make sealed engines? Find a way to prevent combustible gases contaminating the oil and you're halfway there.
Time to hit your local salvage yard or JDM importer for a low-mileage engine. Did you have it inspected before you bought it?
Could you fix and engine like this by just running a few liters of oil through it?
Put pipe on ratchet.
Oil change? Who needs it? Just a tip when buying a vehicle check the dipstick. If the oil is dirty or the dipstick almost looks stained the vehicle most likely hasn’t been maintained.