I took my Toyota in the other day to get the oil changed and they wouldn't even change for me. They said, there was oil all down the engine and that I needed new gaskets. Wouldn't even touch it! I'm by no means mechanically savvy sooo... What does this mean? Is it expensive to fix for a 4 cylinder? In the meantime I changed it myself and yes...it was very oily down there. thanks, oily
Where is it oilyest? All over the engine, or nearer the pan? A blown pan gasket is not too bad, but head gaskets are much tougher. You are gonna have to observe the engine while it is running (be very careful!). You have to find where the oil is coming from first. Try cleaning the engine with some Gunk brand cleaner, then watch where it gets oily first. BTW, do you have a lot of oil spots on your driveway, where the car stays? Did you have to add oil a lot?
Yeah, its near the bottom near the oil pan and all under, not really on the top of the engine. Yeah, I've had to add oil a bit more frequent than normal, but have also gone to Austin and San Antonio(twice), in the past 6 weeks, so I've been driving it alot. I'll try the gunk and see what the deal is. My dad has this great mechanic in Brownsville that could probably take care of it when I go down on Labor Day. This'll help if I narrow it down to where its coming from though. thanks
Yeah, pan gaskets are relatively easy to replace. Clean all around the pan, then drive around the block and recheck. If you're gonna drive to Brownsville, take plenty of oil with you and check often. Those kinds of driving conditions could blow the gasket out completely and then you're f*****. Stopping to check will allow the engine and the oil to cool slightly. (Personally, I would not drive that far with your problem. If at all possible, have it fixed first.)
Make sure and keep an eye on your gauges (oil pressure and temperature). I wouldn't drive it, personally until I got that fixed.
The story reminds me of a car problem I once had - I saw the same things happening: oil all over the engine, & suspected a pan leak. As it turns out, it was a poorly installed oil filter (if I remember correctly). Don't waste any time - it should be easy enough to diagnose & fix (beats the hell out of refilling your oil over & over).
