Sh*t: Tapping, loss of power, oil light, check engine light

[200k_or_bust]

1999 Camry. 140k miles.

Previous oil change = 6000 miles
Check engine light has been on for 2 weeks.
(Yes, both my fault, damn)

Today, I noticed a loss of power on the highway.
Oil light flickered on a couple of times.

At exit, I hear tapping from the engine, and slight stalling. Car is losing power bigtime and tapping is louder, so I pulled into a service station and left it there.

What's going to be the verdict? This is probably bad.
So much for 200k or bust. #$%#$ !!

[carsrus]

Check oil level. If dipstick is dry call the junkyard.

6000 miles is way, way to long for an oil change. 5k max on an old car, and thats using a solid filter and synthetic.

[thaharlequin]

It really depends on how much you keep an eye on things and what your drives are like. If it's under extreme service then 3k is best, but if it's not then I'll do 6k to 8k occasionally, although I like to keep it to ~4k-5k if I'm not busy.

[200k_or_bust]

On the positive side, the oil light NEVER came on until today, so I can't imagine it was running low for that long.

I told the mechanic to check the oil, and just change it. We will see if this fixes the problem.

But yes, going forward, the 6000 interval may be fine, but I still need to top it off and check levels. That was my lazy oversight.

[bdy0003]

The oil light does not necessarily mean you have low oil. It means you have low oil pressure. When was the last time you changed your oil pump?

IMO, 3k is a bit much. 5k is fine, 7.5k for Gen4,4.5 is a no-no.

[JimBowNut]

Well d*mn!......tapping or hard clunking ?

[carsrus]

Originally Posted by 200k_or_bust

On the positive side, the oil light NEVER came on until today, so I can't imagine it was running low for that long.

I told the mechanic to check the oil, and just change it. We will see if this fixes the problem.

But yes, going forward, the 6000 interval may be fine, but I still need to top it off and check levels. That was my lazy oversight.

If your low on oil for 30 seconds thats enough to kill the motor. An oil change wont fix it if it was tapping and clanking already. Hopefully would only lost bearings and not the cylinder walls.

[tbalon]

With 140 K mi on it, it was probably leaking or burning oil and I'll bet you just let it go too long and the oil level got too low and it started sucking air into the sump which caused the low oil pressure light to come on. Depending on how long this was going on will determine the extent of the damage. You are correct in proceeding with an oil change and seeing if there is any residual damage. If it starts burning a lot of oil, you may have burned up the rings. If it runs fine consider yourself lucky and either way keep a close eye on the oil level...each time you fill up with gas check the oil level... to make sure it does not happen again.

[200k_or_bust]

Thanks for the feedback. Status is that the car is up on the hoist, and he sees a major oil leak on the passenger side. He thinks the oil seals, oil pump might need to be replaced. He gave a $700 ballpark estimate.

I told him I don't want to put in $600 if the car is already toast in other areas (block, etc). So, I said, refill the oil, degrease it, and find the leak.....Then, let's see how badly it still leaks, and if there is still major tapping. If it taps with the new oil, maybe it's not worth doing the repair. However, if it's quiet, it might be worth the $600 gamble to get the car running again, and just replace the oil pump.

[JimBowNut]

That's the call i'd make

[tbalon]

Originally Posted by 200k_or_bust

Thanks for the feedback. Status is that the car is up on the hoist, and he sees a major oil leak on the passenger side. He thinks the oil seals, oil pump might need to be replaced. He gave a $700 ballpark estimate.

I will bet you that the oil leak is from the oil pump housing. Try to get a picture of where it is leaking and post it here. The oil pump housing gasket is a rubber seal that gets brittle and is known to go bad on these engines. When it does the oil will tend to leak out quickly as a stream of oil when the engine is running and can empty all your oil within a matter of hours. The actual oil pump is quite robust and usually the only thing that needs replacing is the oil pump shaft seals and oil pump housing seal. The pump is powered by the timing belt so the labor costs involved with replacing it is comparable to doing a timing belt replacement.
Here is a link to a thread with more details on a oil pump leaking:
Sudden, massive oil leak. (pics)

[200k_or_bust]

Exactly what should I tell him to replace, then? I have a feeling he's going to try to sell me on doing the whole deal for $700. Should I tell him that just b/c there is a leak, it doesn't mean the oil pump is bad?

Will replacing just the housing gasket & oil pump shaft seals require just as much labor to replace just the seals and housing as it does the entire pump along with seals? If so, I might as well replace the oil pump while they're in there, right? OF course, this doesn't yet address the problem of a $500 job with a potentially ruined motor in the car.

[Nervous]

Originally Posted by carsrus

Check oil level. If dipstick is dry call the junkyard.

6000 miles is way, way to long for an oil change. 5k max on an old car, and thats using a solid filter and synthetic.

Nonsense. I change oil in my 96 Camry with 163Kmiles each 7.5-8K miles for the last 100K (synthetic, of course, and a filter is definitely not fram). Look:

[71Corolla]

^^ Driving habits play a huge role IMO. If your typical driving pattern is short trips (worse in cold weather) then you really should change your oil every 3,000 miles or even less. My '87 has been on synthetic since nearly the beginning, I pulled the valve cover recently and the engine was not as clean as I was expecting, there was some build up. The car been used for short trips frequently though most of its life.

[200k_or_bust]

Update: There is still a fast tapping/clicking coming out of the motor, even after the oil change. The mechanic didn't try to hose me on repairs, and simply told me the car is done. I need to get it out of their lot by Monday. I'd like to try to donate it, and get a $1500 write off ($500 off my taxes)

140k miles 1999. It was only worth $3000 or so anyway, so I don't feel bad. This timing was actually decent. The check engine light was already on (always $500) and the rear suspension was rattling. And this oil pump job would have cost me $700, to boot. I'm glad I didn't put a lot of money into it recently.

So, if the leak was caused naturally, and not by my 6000 oil change intervals, them this thing died a natural death. Looks like the whole "Import cars go to 200k" is bullshit, and this thing sprung a leak and died on the spot at 140. Kind of sucks.

I think it's time for a BMW. I probably spent $1000 a year keeping this Camry on the road from 70k to 140k, so it was far from low maintenance. And used BMWs cost about the same as used Toyota/Honda/Nissans these days.