Hi guys I have a Toyota Corolla ce. It has 230,000 miles. I just had the engine replaced with a rebuilt engine shipped from Japan. about 6 months ago. Before being replaced it was losing power.
Asked by Dre Dec 26, 2014 at 11:56 AM about the 2001 Toyota Corolla CE
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
It was also jumping and shaking. It
also stalled a few times. And it
seemed to be leaking and burning a
good amount of oil. The oil also
smells up whole car on the inside
unless two windows are down. The
mechanic first said the head needed
to be rebuilt. All the valves had std
compression except for one. After
that I paid 1200$ for a rebuilt engine.
the check engine light came on and
has stayed on since the new/rebuilt
engine was installed. Now this
rebuilt engine seems to be having
the same problems. I turn it on and
it shakes a little. I change gears (I
also have to press the shifter unlock
button or I can't get it out of park.)
And it shakes a lot a more it
continues to shake until I get to
higher rpms. It has also had a
burning oil smell which has been
constant after i get to higher speeds
in the highway.
13 Answers
Did they check the engine mounts before putting the new engine in?
I don't think they did but I am not sure. Also this problem didn't happen immediately it happened over time. About about 3wks ago is when it started again. By again I mean it started acting like the first one did.
If the engine mounts are broken or loose, you'll have shaking/vibration from engine, potential misaligned shift linkage. Ask a trusted mechanic to look at them, they can swapped out without too much trouble. At 230K miles, they gotta be in rough shape.
Would that cause oil leaking because there seems to be a leak. It smells too. I even wonder if I could get sick it smells kinda bad.
I think you need to talk to the mechanic. To me, the cynic I am... why would a rebuilt engine come from Japan? The shipping alone would be nuts and there are rebuilt engines all over. Lets say the mechanic took your old engine and just patched it to get it to run right for a while?
I agree with ytlas. I just looked up the price of a new rebuild and they are over $1600. If they truly dropped in a new engine, there is no way you could be having the identical problems. You should see if there is a VIN # on the engine that goes with the VIN on the dash. If you can match the two, you should be able to take him to court and get all of your money back.
You should be able to inspect the bolts on the motor mounts. I believe the "Mechanic" never took the engine out so the motor mount bolts should still be dirty with no signs of removal.
The engine was replaced about 6 months ago so idk how to tell.
If they didn't swap out your engine with a new one, then wouldn't you have noticed the same problems right away? Are you saying that only now, 6 months later, you are experiencing these problems? I'd review the paperwork on just what they sold you. Take it to another shop and get their opinion. I don't know if Toyota engines come with a unique serial number matched to a VIN or not (other than what's stamped behind the alternator), but the computer module (ECM) should be encoded with the VIN - doesn't mean they swapped that out though.
They did send you a 1.8L 1ZZ FE engine..right? That is what your Corolla came with and any other engine is wrong
http://www.toyotapart.com/ENGINE_SERIAL_NUMBER_LOCATION_T-SB-0301-08.pd
