2011 Toyota Matrix engine failure

[womcat]

I just recently bought a 2011 Toyota Matrix with the 1.8L engine. It was owned by an elderly gentlemen who only put 18,000 miles on it. There were service receipts in the glove box where he had all maintenance done on time at a Toyota dealership. We've had it about two weeks now. It was due for an oil change so I did that first thing. I used a Toyota oil filter and QSUD 5W-20, and we've put about 500 miles on it since then. I've checked the oil multiple times since that change and it was never low, and no leaks.

Today my wife was driving it to work, she said it started making a loud knocking noise and the oil light came on. She immediately pulled over and called for a tow. When I got home I checked the oil and it was about three quarts low. I put that much in then tried to start it. It's making a loud knock and oil is pumping out somewhere above the oil filter. It sounds just like a rod knock, and it's loud. Motor is most definitely toast.

So I think this should fall under the 5 year/ 60,000 mile powertrain warranty? Any advice on how proceed from here? Going to the local dealership tomorrow and possibly getting it towed there. Really have a bad feeling that this is going to cost me

 

[mehullica]

Do you know the DOFU, date of first use? That's the day the warranty starts so you could be out of warranty if the car was sold before 7-13-2011. Do you still have the receipts for the oil & filter you used for the oil change?

 

[Danno]

You have receipts for past service, and I trust receipts for the Toy oil filter and QSUD. Let's see what Toyota says. Hope everything works out for you.

 

[deanm11]

When was the original delivery? That would be a late-ish 2011 purchase to be still within the 5-year limit.

 

[simple_gifts]

When you changed the filter, did you verify the old gasket came off with the old filter?

Could have 'double gasketed' the oil filter....

Sucks nonetheless; keep us posted; good luck.

 

[womcat]

I still have the receipt for the oil, but not the filter. I bought it at the same dealership I'm going to go to.

This motor takes a cartridge filter, and the new one came with a new o-ring and crush washer. I even bought the right tool to remove the plastic cap on the oil filter housing.

I think the previous owner took possession in Dec of 2011 so I should be good there. I'm just afraid they are going to come back and say it was run low on oil or so other reason to deny it. I've never had to go through a dealership for warranty work before.

 

[crazyoildude]

keep us posted and let us know what happens...

 

[Kuato]

Bummer; hopefully when you refilled it'll stay that way until @ the dealer.

I'm curious how it suddenly lost 3 quarts! Any sign of leaks anywhere? Anyone you know mad enough at you to let oil out?


(sarcasm: it was the QS....)

 

[david_ES2]

Did the drain plug loosen on its own and fall out? How about the oil filter? Still tight? Something let all the oil out and starved the engine of oil, not sure if this will be covered if its one of the above things

 

[Colt45ws]

OP says the oil is leaking out above the filter. So hopefully its nothing he did.

Can you get up under it and try to see where it might be coming from?

 

[Ethan1]

Yeah it's most likely outside of 5 years. The last 2016s are almost cleared out right now. Gotta make room for 2017s. However, manufacturers are more inclined to goodwill repairs on ultra-low-mileage cars with maintenance records like yours.

 

[rocky37]

Most Toyota come with the plastic oil cartridge housing and they are prone to crack if not torqued correctly. It may have been over torqued. This will cause a hairline crack that is usually not visible, but will leak when pressurized.

 

[womcat]

So a little update, and not a good one. I went out this morning to take a closer look at the oil filter and housing. Looks like the o-ring wasn't seated properly and got pinched somehow, and that's what caused the leak. It must have sealed it up for a while and finally let go. I took it off and put it back together right and no more oil leak. It was leaking really bad before, enough so that it wouldn't have taken very long to pump out 3 quarts.

Looks like I will be on the hook for this...really sucks.


On another note, do you guys think the topend suffered any damage? She pulled over immediately. I'm hoping a new short block will be all we need.

 

[womcat]

Any opinions on what's the best reman engine? I think I might go this route, I have a mechanic friend that could help do it.

 

[Karen2]

Not a Jasper reman. The 1.8s are usually pretty durable. I would try to locate one out of a salvage yard with low miles.

 

[cptbarkey]

Sorry to hear that. Here is a low mileage engine on ebay for around $1300. A local shop will charge another $1k or so to install. good luck.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2011-2012-2013-2014-Matrix-Corolla-1-8L-Engine-Motor-2ZRFE-9K-Miles-OEM-LKQ-/191920349196?fits=Year%3A2011%7CModel%3AMatrix&hash=item2caf58200c:g:dXEAAOSw2zlXhG9l&vxp=mtr

 

[meep]

There's a chance it may be ok - when it builds up with oil pressure (which it wasn't once the o-ring pushed out), there's a chance you'll be ok!

 

[MarkM66]

I'd rather have a low mile pull out than a rebuilt jobber.

 

[Rhymingmechanic]

Originally Posted By: womcat
So a little update, and not a good one. I went out this morning to take a closer look at the oil filter and housing. Looks like the o-ring wasn't seated properly and got pinched somehow, and that's what caused the leak. It must have sealed it up for a while and finally let go. I took it off and put it back together right and no more oil leak. It was leaking really bad before, enough so that it wouldn't have taken very long to pump out 3 quarts.

Looks like I will be on the hook for this...really sucks.


On another note, do you guys think the topend suffered any damage? She pulled over immediately. I'm hoping a new short block will be all we need.


Is it still making noise with the o-ring reinstalled and the oil filled back up? If not, the engine could be OK. Lack of oil makes a lot of top-end noise, but if she shut it down quickly there might not be significant damage.

If it sounds OK, I would replace the filter and o-ring and keep driving. I think the Toyota filter box has a diagram of the proper o-ring position. It doesn't go all the way at the end of the cap.