01 Corolla S Trouble

[OBLCDio]

I've posted here before about my car, but I'd like some step by step help or advice on what to do with my 2001 Corolla S automatic. I bought the car in 2008 not knowing it was consuming oil and leaking it. I had the original spark plugs replaced for the first time, the leak fixed, and I was told that it was suffering from oil blow by. Ok well in the past year and a half my exhaust system has started to go as well. I had two spring bolts break on my exhaust pipe beneath the header right off the engine.

I got those fixed and it only made the exhaust leak worse and the engine got significantly louder. It also idles loud anyway I'm assuming because my cylinders are beat to piss from the damage caused by the oil blow by. (I'm assuming. I'm not experienced with cars. I'm good with computers.)

Well I refuse to replace the header or ANY other part of the car until I can get the engine to a point where if I wanted to improve it with after market parts I could like I was working on a properly working engine. (Just as a base example)

The down side is that this car is going to have to last for at least another five years and right now I smell oil upon acceleration, it's loud upon idle, and I can smell a strong scent of oil when just after shutting the engine off from a long drive.

I'm looking for a way to make the car work properly again. I don't have access to any method of doing a leak down test so I can't really confirm if it is valves or seals, but the point to this thread is to ask the communities help.

Where and how can I get a new engine for this thing? I want something solid that I can improve upon at a later date. Where would I go for a completely new exhaust system? Possibly an after market one to put on at the time of replacement?

If you have any questions in response to mine I will answer them to the best of my ability.

Thanks!

-OBLCDio

[sam333]

Alot of these engines use oil ,( past the rings)it wont hurt the engine as long as you keep the oil topped up( will ruin your cat though).

If it runs low one time ( your oil light goes on) your engine will be badly damaged or junk.

If your are burning alot of oil ,it is very east to run out.

Find out how many miles you are gettig to a quart of oil and then check your oil accordingly. Some people have reported burning a quart every 100 miles!

Dont wait 3000 miles to check it , check it at least every gas up. The problem is you dont know what the last owner did.
Even if you are burning alot , you usually never smell oil ,so Id say thats from your leak. If you got the leak fixed, and it still smells, gets some engine cleaner and wash the old oil off.

When they replaced your bolts , did they insall a new gasket ? Was your manifold and downpipe damaged so it wont seal now?

[OBLCDio]

Originally Posted by sam333

Alot of these engines use oil ,( past the rings)it wont hurt the engine as long as you keep the oil topped up( will ruin your cat though).

If it runs low one time ( your oil light goes on) your engine will be badly damaged or junk.

If your are burning alot of oil ,it is very east to run out.

Find out how many miles you are gettig to a quart of oil and then check your oil accordingly. Some people have reported burning a quart every 100 miles!

Dont wait 3000 miles to check it , check it at least every gas up. The problem is you dont know what the last owner did.
Even if you are burning alot , you usually never smell oil ,so Id say thats from your leak. If you got the leak fixed, and it still smells, gets some engine cleaner and wash the old oil off.

When they replaced your bolts , did they insall a new gasket ? Was your manifold and downpipe damaged so it wont seal now?

I'll start watching the oil more closely than I have. I check it every week or two and top it off right now. I don't keep track though. There are times when it doesn't burn much and then there are times when it burns a ton. (Odd right?)

I was told the engine was wiped down after they re-welded the engine plate. As for my exhaust I don't know. I have a thread about the spring bolt with photos in there around here somewhere. I don't know what they replaced, but Monroe said that they'd have trouble with the O2 sensor they'd need to remove because of the rust and salt damage.

Ohio brines their roads before storms and it's an excessive amount of salt on the road. Enough to create layers on your windshield. Thus it creates hell for nuts and bolts.

EDIT: Found a photo of the spring bolt section before it was repaired.