Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2004 3:16 pm Post subject: Walmart screw up--no oil cap, drove for 8 days, eng lt on
Hi:
Acura 96 LS, 92K miles. I religously get oil changed every 3000 miles from local Walmart TLE. This time, they forgot to lid the oil cap. I ran it for 8 days or so unknowingly, realized the problem when the "low oil pressure" light came on, and immeaditely put oil in and purchased new cap (oil had spilled all over engine and on top of hood--I thought that was gasoline dump while filling up before).
Walmart reimbursed me for cap + oil + gave me 25 bucks. Now, engine light comes on and stays on + car driving very "weak" + mileage dropped a lot (from 30/gallon to 22 or so).
My mechanic tells me I need (A) front brakes + rotors ($110) + (B) right wheel bearings (($220). I KNOW these are UNRELATED to walmart screw up, since this could not have affected engine.
Qs: (1) What could 8 days of running w/ low or no oil do to my engine? What should i be weary of for the engine light?
Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 2:59 am Post subject: oil
Ok first off yeah 110 is a good price for brakes and rotors. I just had my brakes changed for about 50 bucks, and thats not having to have the rotors drilled down so Id say its a good price. I dont know about the Integras bearings or how much they cost but for my car (The plymouth duster) they cost about 100 bucks and thats just for the bearings which its actually the entire assembly cause they dont sell the bearings seperate, and does not include labor.
For the oil thing and loss of power. I run my car low on oil all the time. I changed the gasket but Im still losing oil fast from somewhere below, I think something important might be cracked and Im just to lazy to fix it cause hopefully I'll have bought my Integra before my car dies. But running low on oil causes alot of stress on the engine. You got to figure 4 cylinders being pushed up and down by exploding gasoline 1000s of times an hour is alot of freaking pressure, and without oil to smooth the friction it can cause alot of wear.
So when you say your losing alot of power I think you might have worn down interior of the engine so that the pistons wobble a bit when they run. Do you hear any strange noises when the car runs? That could be it. If so thats a new engine right there, I'd sue Wal-Mart, which brings me to my next step dont EVER get your oil changed at walmart cause they just hire highschool kids that dont know jack crap about cars. They probably just took some kid from lawn and garden and stuck him out there to help change oil in cars. I usually go to the local grease monkey in front of shop in save, the guys there have been mechanics for years and know what they're doing, but thats just in my area. Just find someone more reliable.
But if you engine isnt worn down, it might just need a tune up. Try some fuel injector cleaner, or some dry gas to clear up any dirt or water in the fuel system. Also check the spark plugs, wires, distrubor, and battery. (I think I mentioned all this in that other post). But sometimes engines just start to lose their guff after so many miles. If your car was all tricked out you could just hook up a computer and run a diagnostic to check engine pressure and all sorts of stuff and pin point the problem right away. But Im sure that isnt the case here. If you feel your losing horsepower or something try checking the intake, clean it out real good, change the air filter, and if you havent already throw a cold air intake into your car. Adds a good boost of HPs. And if you got the money laying around throw a new exhaust on it. Thats will be sure to boost your HPs to their normal if not higher level.
One thing with my car though is the transmission is going out. I have suffered a major loss of power and fuel efficieny. I went from getting 36+ miles per gallon to about 10. It blows hard not to mention my transmission is about to blow. Hence why Im out shopping for an Integra everyday. So you might want to get your transmission fluid checked, or have the whole thing looked at to make sure your tranny isnt going bad. If it is you'll start to notice hard shifting and a delay in gas pedal to car motion. Like you hit the pedal and the car doesnt move til 3 seconds later. Then it might totally be your tranny.
Hope that helps, btw these are all tips I've learned from my dad who is a professional mechanic. He's been teaching me all about the subject since my cars a piece of crap and falling apart on me, I have alot of experience in what makes a car stop working. hehe
Hope that helps and good luck. Let us know what it turns out to be
Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2004 8:42 am Post subject: Engine Light, 02 sensors, rotor/wheel bearing costs
Hi:
Thanks very much for the detailed response and info. Well, here's how it turned out. Went to my mechanic, he charged me 220 (presumably 110 for front rotors and brake pads), and then changed BOTH wheel bearings in front for 360 (180 a piece). The car drives much better for sure, tighter, makes less noise.
He ran diagnostic via computer hookup, and the code says that my O2 sensors are screwed, so he figures that's at least another 300 a piece for each sensor, and tells me I need to ensure I get "direct" fitting sensors opposed to "universal" if I want to find after market ones myself (I have no clue how to go about that). A google search tells me that new ones are around 230 a piece, and some presumably after hrs market ones are 65!
So, he resets the sensor so the engine light goes off. I drive it off his shop and the damn sign comes on right away. next day, while driving, the engine light goes OFF! Now, I'm confused, is this a malfunction, is it not a O2 sensor problem (presumably, the car ran and the fuel mixes correctly now due to the above changes, which doesn't make sense to me?), or can I expect it to show up again soon?
Obviously, I'd rather see the mileage go back up to 30, but will need to wait 3-4 days for tank to run out for that.
I dont know much about O2 sensors cept that they will cause the engine light to go on and off if not installed right or if they have gone bad. But Im not really sure what purpose they have or if you even need em, cause my cousin has been running with bad ones for about a year now and never had any problems cept the check engine light coming on and off
O2 Sensors are not 300 each, if you pay that you are being ripped off. Go to your local autozone, etc buy them there and do it your self. It is really east. You might have to rent a tool, but that is free as long as you return it. If you know nothing about installing things, then buy the o2 sensors and have him install them. And about low oil, that is bad. I work in a honda dealership, and they say that keeping your oil low, will cause all sorts of problems. So just put the 4 quarts if ls and 4.5 if gsr and be happy. You will not notice a performance difference running low oil, except buying a new engine.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
