What's wrong with my car this week?

[Colt45]

Originally posted by: Regs
It could be hitting the cam from screwed up timming and ignition.

Though I don't know why you were down so much oil. Not unless it's spitting out into the cam shaft because the seals are warped.

Even if it's just the timming, could of all ready caused enough damage on the cylander heads and gaskets to total out your car.

none of that made any sense.

 

[Zenmervolt]

If the oil is run low, lifters can "click" pretty loudly. They should pump up and be quiet after a couple minutes though. It's possible that one of your lifters has collapsed, but that's hard to tell without actually seeing the car.

What it sounds like though is that you lost your head gasket, oil and coolant have mixed, and you ran low on oil which caused other problems. If you like the car though, and it's in good shape otherwise, I say get it repaired. Will be less expensive overall than getting another car.

ZV

 

[Savij]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
If the oil is run low, lifters can "click" pretty loudly. They should pump up and be quiet after a couple minutes though. It's possible that one of your lifters has collapsed, but that's hard to tell without actually seeing the car.

What it sounds like though is that you lost your head gasket, oil and coolant have mixed, and you ran low on oil which caused other problems. If you like the car though, and it's in good shape otherwise, I say get it repaired. Will be less expensive overall than getting another car.

ZV

They're loud; they put a diesel truck to shame right now. There is a little tapping and there is this car. It went from almost silent, you couldn't tell the car was running at idle to anyone on the block can tell when I go over 1.5k rpm because the tapping is that loud. I've kept the oil up for the last few days and they're still just as loud as ever.

Should the repair be a new engine or something else?

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Savij

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
If the oil is run low, lifters can "click" pretty loudly. They should pump up and be quiet after a couple minutes though. It's possible that one of your lifters has collapsed, but that's hard to tell without actually seeing the car.

What it sounds like though is that you lost your head gasket, oil and coolant have mixed, and you ran low on oil which caused other problems. If you like the car though, and it's in good shape otherwise, I say get it repaired. Will be less expensive overall than getting another car.

ZV

They're loud; they put a diesel truck to shame right now. There is a little tapping and there is this car. It went from almost silent, you couldn't tell the car was running at idle to anyone on the block can tell when I go over 1.5k rpm because the tapping is that loud. I've kept the oil up for the last few days and they're still just as loud as ever.

Should the repair be a new engine or something else?

If it's that loud, it may well be rod knock. At which point we're into new engine territory. Lifters, even collapsed, shouldn't be that loud.

ZV

 

[Savij]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Savij

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
If the oil is run low, lifters can "click" pretty loudly. They should pump up and be quiet after a couple minutes though. It's possible that one of your lifters has collapsed, but that's hard to tell without actually seeing the car.

What it sounds like though is that you lost your head gasket, oil and coolant have mixed, and you ran low on oil which caused other problems. If you like the car though, and it's in good shape otherwise, I say get it repaired. Will be less expensive overall than getting another car.

ZV

They're loud; they put a diesel truck to shame right now. There is a little tapping and there is this car. It went from almost silent, you couldn't tell the car was running at idle to anyone on the block can tell when I go over 1.5k rpm because the tapping is that loud. I've kept the oil up for the last few days and they're still just as loud as ever.

Should the repair be a new engine or something else?

If it's that loud, it may well be rod knock. At which point we're into new engine territory. Lifters, even collapsed, shouldn't be that loud.

ZV

So i'm back to new engine or new car...New car probably wins

 

[cardiac]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Savij

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
If the oil is run low, lifters can "click" pretty loudly. They should pump up and be quiet after a couple minutes though. It's possible that one of your lifters has collapsed, but that's hard to tell without actually seeing the car.

What it sounds like though is that you lost your head gasket, oil and coolant have mixed, and you ran low on oil which caused other problems. If you like the car though, and it's in good shape otherwise, I say get it repaired. Will be less expensive overall than getting another car.

ZV

They're loud; they put a diesel truck to shame right now. There is a little tapping and there is this car. It went from almost silent, you couldn't tell the car was running at idle to anyone on the block can tell when I go over 1.5k rpm because the tapping is that loud. I've kept the oil up for the last few days and they're still just as loud as ever.

Should the repair be a new engine or something else?

If it's that loud, it may well be rod knock. At which point we're into new engine territory. Lifters, even collapsed, shouldn't be that loud.

ZV

My thoughts exactly. Now that he describes it as being that loud....

Bob

 

[Savij]

Originally posted by: cardiac

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Savij

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
If the oil is run low, lifters can "click" pretty loudly. They should pump up and be quiet after a couple minutes though. It's possible that one of your lifters has collapsed, but that's hard to tell without actually seeing the car.

What it sounds like though is that you lost your head gasket, oil and coolant have mixed, and you ran low on oil which caused other problems. If you like the car though, and it's in good shape otherwise, I say get it repaired. Will be less expensive overall than getting another car.

ZV

They're loud; they put a diesel truck to shame right now. There is a little tapping and there is this car. It went from almost silent, you couldn't tell the car was running at idle to anyone on the block can tell when I go over 1.5k rpm because the tapping is that loud. I've kept the oil up for the last few days and they're still just as loud as ever.

Should the repair be a new engine or something else?

If it's that loud, it may well be rod knock. At which point we're into new engine territory. Lifters, even collapsed, shouldn't be that loud.

ZV

My thoughts exactly. Now that he describes it as being that loud....

Bob

Sorry, I guess it never occured to me that you guys can't hear the car as well as I can

But thank you, everyone, for all the help! I really appreciate it.

 

[Savij]

I've decided I'm not keeping the car, but just out of curisoty I took a video and some pics to see if it'll help decide more conclusively what's wrong with the car.

This is what the engine now sounds like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6wFv62JG2U halfway into the video I give the engine a little gas and you can here the tapping go up with the rpms. Keep in mind that the video doesn't capture just how loud the tapping is, you can easily hear it from across the parking lot when the car is idling and it gets louder with more rpms.

This is what the engine looks like now: IMG_0040.JPG

That weird white stuff is new, it wasn't there a few weeks before the problems started: IMG_0042.JPG

This oil looking stuff over here is new also: IMG_0043.JPG. I don't know if it makes a difference, but that's the oil dipstick right there.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Sounds like rod knock to me. The white stuff is corrosion on the aluminum. Head gasket is gone.

ZV

 

[Savij]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Sounds like rod knock to me. The white stuff is corrosion on the aluminum. Head gasket is gone.

ZV

So what is causing hte corrosion? Is the block heating up because it's not getting oil properly? It wasn't there at all a couple of months ago.

 

[Killrose]

"That weird white stuff is new, it wasn't there a few weeks before the problems started"

You've been watching too many car commercials with the good looking guy and gal flying thru the surf as they drive along the edge of the sea shore. That looks like salt corrosion.

That motor sounds and runs terrible. You probably are'nt up to the task, but I would check the timming belt to make sure it has'nt slipped, you could have possibly run a valve into a piston or something. But is'nt that a Dual Overhead cam motor? There would not be any hydralic lifters per say, but I'm not familiar with any Mazda engine really.

That motor sounds like it has a Flat lifter and Cam lobe. Probably the farthest one from where engine oil is brought up to the head for lubrication. Anyway's a simple "tune-up" aint going to fix your problem.

 

[imported_Truenofan]

WOW, that sounds like its shot.......yeah time for either a rebuild/new engine or a new car.......that sounds horrible. yeah simple tune up isnt going to fix anything on that. wow that sounds loud even on the video....it drowns out any other noises.

 

[Savij]

Originally posted by: Killrose
"That weird white stuff is new, it wasn't there a few weeks before the problems started"

You've been watching too many car commercials with the good looking guy and gal flying thru the surf as they drive along the edge of the sea shore. That looks like salt corrosion.

That motor sounds and runs terrible. You probably are'nt up to the task, but I would check the timming belt to make sure it has'nt slipped, you could have possibly run a valve into a piston or something. But is'nt that a Dual Overhead cam motor? There would not be any hydralic lifters per say, but I'm not familiar with any Mazda engine really.

That motor sounds like it has a Flat lifter and Cam lobe. Probably the farthest one from where engine oil is brought up to the head for lubrication. Anyway's a simple "tune-up" aint going to fix your problem.

Yeah, but it should show up in winter and not in the summer here (Boston, away from the shore), right? I haven't really been to the beach or anything like that recently. It went from a relatively clean engine bay to what the hell is this within a month.

 

[Savij]

Originally posted by: Truenofan
WOW, that sounds like its shot.......yeah time for either a rebuild/new engine or a new car.......that sounds horrible. yeah simple tune up isnt going to fix anything on that. wow that sounds loud even on the video....it drowns out any other noises.

Yeah, I've already gotten a new car and am looking at my options on what to do with this car. These questions are for my general knowledge and curiosity.

 

[evident]

part it out, if there is a decent 626 community on the web you should be able to make some money off it

 

[ValValline]

Options?

1. R&R the motor with a decent one from a wrecking yard and drive/sell it.

2. Part it out.

3. Donate it to charity.