Or sabotage. Those are the only 4 ways I can think of.

 

As GM has found out on the new Corvette, and I think Toyota has too, any metal shavings floating around in there will quickly destroy an engine.

Popping bearings into one is not going to fix anything. That's wishful thinking, and a waste of time and money.

 

I just replaced my engine with a junkyard one for $650... had great compression and oil pressure. mileage is unknown

 

Replace the engine oil, replace the thermostat and the coolant and make sure it's properly filled. If you don't hear any bottom end knocking sounds as you fill the radiator, then count your blessings and drive on. It takes a lot more than some metal shavings to kill these motors. Keep us posted.

 

I feel sorry for whomever buys a used car from you.

 

+1.

 

The only loss is a little time and some oil to possibly dodge replacing/rebuilding the motor.

 

^
That's like saying take an aspirin instead of phoning 911 when a person is having heart attack.

 

Not even close and not surprising to see such a ridiculous remark from a guy who tries to sound knowledgeable and thinks there's no way for engine oil to get into the coolant.

Back to the issue: It is possible that the engine is toast, but when faced with a big repair a cheap test isn't out of order. BTW, no need to replace the thermostat or coolant as was suggested for a short test run. Just fill it with water and test. If the head gasket went but the engine doesn't knock or have other issues do the head gasket.

 

There's still the big ugly issue of metal in the oil.

Take off the oil filter and cut it open. It will look like a can of glitter.

 

True, but I've seen engines with glitter oil that continued on for a long time. I have a Yamaha Vstar in my driveway right now that is one of those; lots of glitter, yet no notable issues. The engine must be compromised if there's visible metal in the oil, but it may not be done.

 

That's like a guy I once knew who sold a car with a bad differential, sounded like crap. What he did was mix a bunch of saw dust into gear oil and force it into the differential, quiet yes it was. Two weeks later the guy he sold it to paid him a visit and beat the crap out of him including breaking his arm and jaw. The money he made off the deal did not nearly pay the hospital bill, no insurance and 3 mo. to heal back up.


It all depends on how much you want to beat a dead horse!


I've cut open filters for over 25 yrs on my race motors and if you see that kind of trash its time for a tear down, you waited to late for a simple fix.

 

By rebuild, I meant actually cleaning the block and honing out the cylinders, not just popping in bearings lol, thought that went without saying.

A good used engine is probably cheaper though, I picked up a 96 GC engine with ~150k miles for $300, but usually $500 is a good number.

 

You'd be surprised how many people on this forum, and others, think an oil and filter change, thermostat, and popping in bearings will fix catastrophic engine damage.

 

Sawdust in a differential or manual transmission is a trick as old as cars.