newbaby

After a Quaker State oil change our '99 RX went 50 miles with an oil leak. It got very noisy before this family member pulled over. When I got there put 5 quarts in and started the engine. It quieted a bit but still sounds like something is getting tossed around inside.

Got an in-person opinion from somebody who used to be a Toyota tech and he didn't hesitate in saying it was con rod bearings based on noise. Any thoughts on this?

I would enjoy the job and am willig to try it if the diagnosis is plausible.

If that's the case I'd like to try replacing them myself. But see there are many sizes available on Rockauto. How do I determine which to order?

reisjdmd

i went through this with my stingray. tick, tick, tick...if you have bad rod bearings [you spuna bearing], it is a job that almost always requires a crankshaft grind etc. in other words, this sounds like a 5 wrench project for the shadetree mechanic. i replaced the bad bearing myself, but only to prove that the bearing was the source of the ticking. it was. after that, the car went to the shop. that was the only shop trip in 12 years of owning the car, and there went my perfect record of in-home repair.

salimshah

It hard for me to gauge a poster's ability, access to tools etc. So please pardon me as I try to respond.

When it gets to changing "a" rod, you will be tearing up the engine. It may be prudent at that time to do an engine overhaul. There is no point in going through all the expense and time and leave something in the engine which may die soon.

If you are considering to do an overhaul, you should look into swapping an engine.

If you post which cylinder you would be working on, some one can tell you that it might be doable from below and top .

My suggestion would be to swap the engine.

Salim

kalali

I would go with the opinion of a Toyota technician who has actually listened to the noise vs. an "opinion" from someone here, no matter how capable the source of the opinion. As for the question about which size bearing to buy, it will depend on how much damage has been done. You'll need to first disassemble the components, take accurate measurements and then order the appropriate size bearings. And given the engine configuration and location, I can't see how you could do this job with the engine in the car. And depending on the mileage, plan on a complete overhaul. All that said, I'm with Salim on this unless you particularly enjoy tearing it apart and putting it all back together. It will cost significantly more just for parts to go the overhaul route

carguy07

Trying not to offend, but if you have to ask that question, then you are are in way over your head on this one.

kalali

I was really tempted to say the same thing but held back....

To the OP: In case you decide to go the engine swap route, keep in mind this is basically the same engine used in many Toyota cars/trucks. Should be relatively easy to find a good used unit.
Good luck.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

First off, was the oil change done at a professional shop? If so, why was it leaking? If it was because of something they caused, I would take it back to them, though it may be too late now.

Rod bearings are generally the first to go when you have a lack of oil, so without hearing the noise, I would tend to agree...

Here is the problem with just replacing a bearing - the reason you have noise is because of excessive clearance between the bearing and the crankshaft. Some of this is bearing material worn away, some is crankshaft material worn away, or even rough, depending on the amount of damage. At the bare minimum, the crank will need to be inspected for roundness, diameter, and smoothness. Chances are it will need to be turned and polished, which will require it being removed from the engine. Also, chances are, if one rod bearing is bad, the others are soon to follow, and potentially even the main bearings. All of this machine work is relatively cheap at a proper machine shop, but, the right way to do it will be to pull the engine out of the car for the repairs. Timing belt/chain (whichever yours has) will need to be replaced / retimed, and, ya might as well have the valves checked and complete engine cleaned, which means head gaskets and a full engine gasket set.

It can be done in a garage, I built two motors this past year in my garage, no problem. Just takes some knowledge, access to the Technical manuals for your engine and dedication to do everything 100% right, oh, and time. Not something you want to rush through, and no matter how well planned you are, you will still need more parts, tools, etc.

A used motor is always a possibility, chances are you can rebuild yours for less money though...

Here to help, let me know if you need any more ideas...

salimshah

If you go swapping an engine, unless the newer is very low miles, you should prefer an overhauled engine. Engine being common is true, but there are gotchas. As I recall the AWD vs FWD have different mounting holes. If you plan to take the risks, then do the home work and dig through previous posts.

Salim

newbaby

Some background. This was my vehicle until I gave it to my sibling to take to college. I did the maintenance until it was out of my driveway and in front of the sorority house. I like to wrench but my business and daughter eat up my time. With guidance and time mechanical work is not outside my, or any reasonable person's, capabilities.

I have not touched the bottom of this engine but was told that I could do this job from below. Without pulling the crank and measuring it sounded half-assed to me. But it's what I wanted to hear since I have a fondness for the truck and don't want to end her run. She's been well kept - recently got new leather. But if it needs an overhaul then I am not interested.

I understood why bearings would come in different sizes but my my knowledge is limited and I'm not afraid to acknowledge that and learn more or confim.

Y'all interested in hearing the noise?

code58

With all due respect, the question of who changed the oil (shop, quick oil change or private person) was never answered. If it was a business, they virtually always carry insurance to cover screw-ups like that and you shouldn't have to do anything at all. The OP seemed to "politically conceal" who may have been responsible for the leak and damage. I have known of several PP's who do their own oil change and didn't check to make sure the old filter gasket was not stuck to the block and cause a massive oil leak. Others have forgotten to tighten the pan plug (which I assume might have been the case here since it was driven about the distance it takes for vibration to loosen and drop the plug out completely. Might the OP or someone close have been this person? Who knows???

kalali

If everything else in the car including the rest of the driveline is well kept, it may be worth getting a remanufactured engine. You'll be getting a significant beating trying to sell the car in this condition. Just my 2 cents.

reisjdmd

it's not enough to just put on a new bearing that is correctly sized to the crank. if u take yours apart and look at the mating surfaces of the bad bearing and crank, u will see that they are discolored and scoured. the engine has to come out and go to a shop that can grind the crank, and do the rest of the highly recommended work ie bearings, pistons, rings, valves etc.
yes, u can measure the crank while it in place; yes, u can put on new bearings while the crank is in place. yes u can put it all together without removing the crank. yes u will drive 25 miles without the tappy noise. then it will return. then u will go to the shop. b prepared to spend $$$ for engine removal and rebuild, or replacement.
what u have is exactly what happened to me. it's a total bummer, and u have my sympathy.
by the way, how did u get so low on oil without your oil warning light having a seizure??

newbaby

Want to conclude the thread by thanking the posters here. It convinced us to keep the vehicle with such a great resource.

The oil was changed at quaker state before this happened. After reading more I'm convinced that it was a combination of the engine sludging and the drain plug not being tightened that led to oil starvation. The car was being used by a sibling to go to school out of town - that why the communication was not clear. She's also not a car person in the least.

We've since put a JDM Harrier engine in. Since finding a AWD block was such a pain I gave the old one away so it could live on rather the scrap it. Look forward to seeing y'all around here and again thanks!

pradaonly

I cant believe people is telling you to get a new motor or go get a tech ,....no wonder people get ripped off cause their to afraid to get dirty ...i have had 13 Lexus in the past 2 years and i have don't myself 4 rod bearing on this cars, sure one of them i had to send to the machine shop to get the crank done but the other ones i did myself and i had no idea about it. got me the book, read up on the specs and got me a torch ranch and two years later i still have it .. People here think that the best solution on things are to replace the items each car costed me aprox 98 DOLLARS WITH THE OIL IN MY OPINION MAKE SURE YOU GOT THE TOOLS, TAKE ALL THE TIME YOU NEED AND GET TO WORK **** THE NW ENGINE AND F,,, THE TECH ITS TAKES 4 HRS TO BE DONE

VegasRX300

I applaud you for reading old threads but to respond to a thread that is years old, I don't know.
I see this is your first post. I haven't been on this forum long myself but I respect the opinions of the people here. Most have been there and done that and know the best way to solve a problem.
If you have owned 13 vehicles (what ever the brand) in 2 years, I would think you are a reseller.
When a rod knocks, the bearing has spun for one reason or another. When a bearing spins on the crank, it damages the crank. Just tearing down the bottom end and replacing the one spun bearing will not solve the problem. Sure it will sound fine for a while but the bearing will spin again if the crank hasn't been turned & polished. Then a stock bearing will not work, you need oversized bearing to fit how much the crank was turned. While you have the crank out, might as well do a total rebuild, your there anyway, right?
This is beyond a lot peoples knowledge, lack of space or time to do the job right. It is sometimes a lot easier and a lot cheaper to buy a good low mileage JDM engine from Japan than it would be to rebuild the old one.
Reading a book about specs and getting your hands dirty does not give you the knowledge it takes to do the job right.
Wonder, did you sell those 13 cars right after you "fixed" them?
By the way...what is a "torch ranch"?