Just called the engine swap mechanic. He says the old engine will go back in core (don't know what that means), so I can't have it. Didn't know junkyards have a core return system too.

The previous owner must have flogged the hell out of that engine for it to die at 110kmi.

Just called the engine swap mechanic. He says the old engine will go back in core (don't know what that means), so I can't have it. Didn't know junkyards have a core return system too.

That means the engine will get rebuilt and then re-sold.

 

 

I for one am glad to hear you bought a different engine - be sure to pay careful attention to any problems at all in the first 30 days - go on a road trip or drive it a ton. You want to burn a good 1 or 2 k while it's under warranty to see if it burns oil, etc. With all I've spent on fixing my engine myself, I could have bought a low mileage engine from toysport ( 1ZZFE COROLLA VVTi 10K MILES $1,700.00). And w hile I'm nearly at that level now - new rings, new valves - I still have an oil pump, timing chain etc with 126k miles.

the average between the chassis, transmission, and engine is the general consensus for what the odometer should be set to after a swap.

the average between the chassis, transmission, and engine is the general consensus for what the odometer should be set to after a swap.

You are advocating altering the odometer reading??

 

 

the average between the chassis, transmission, and engine is the general consensus for what the odometer should be set to after a swap.

You are advocating altering the odometer reading??

 

this is my understanding of how mileage is to be set after a new engine and transmission are swapped in, for valuation reasons of the vehicle.

 

 

I did not know that it was possible to reset the odometer. If so, would they do it for me? If done, it is going to have implications towards everything, carfax report, dept. of safety records, insurance etc.

Hello everyone!

Finally after one year of agony, I feel good today. The car is back from the shop with the new (used) engine. I have no idea how many miles are on that engine, but it runs so sweet, love the smooth sound from the normally functioning engine. It raves up at the start and then gets to regular speed. I checked the dipstick after about 20 miles and the oil looks clean. The dipstick has some yellowish plaque on it though and I was wondering why they did not give me my original dipstick.

Is there a way to clean the dipstick? Or should I just get a new one?

I also checked the tranny fluid level and it seemed to be at the COLD MARK when the engine was in fact hot. Does that mean I have to top it up? Is it possible the mechanic spilled some when the engine was pulled out? Do I need to let the car cool down completely before adding the tranny fluid?

While driving back home, I was wondering that there isn't much performance improvement and I knew it was because of my bad cat (P0420) and sure enough, 2 miles before home, the CEL came on with P0420. I was kinda hoping that the engine swap would take care of the problem, but I guess not.

So now the next step is to replace the cat and hopefully that will be it. How much do aftermarket cats go for on a 2000 corolla? I am hoping I would not have to drop any more serious cash, because I just dropped around $1700 for the engine swap, new plugs, oil and filter.

I remember someone recommended an online dealer with a good reputation that sells aftermarket parts relatively inexpensive. Can someone remind me which dealer that was. Any contact information would be a great help. Also, should I get a direct fit cat or a universal one? I am seriously not in a position to drop $1200 for a new toyota cat.

Thanks.

Hello everyone!

Finally after one year of agony, I feel good today. The car is back from the shop with the new (used) engine. I have no idea how many miles are on that engine, but it runs so sweet, love the smooth sound from the normally functioning engine. It raves up at the start and then gets to regular speed. I checked the dipstick after about 20 miles and the oil looks clean. The dipstick has some yellowish plaque on it though and I was wondering why they did not give me my original dipstick.

Is there a way to clean the dipstick? Or should I just get a new one?

I also checked the tranny fluid level and it seemed to be at the COLD MARK when the engine was in fact hot. Does that mean I have to top it up? Is it possible the mechanic spilled some when the engine was pulled out? Do I need to let the car cool down completely before adding the tranny fluid?

While driving back home, I was wondering that there isn't much performance improvement and I knew it was because of my bad cat (P0420) and sure enough, 2 miles before home, the CEL came on with P0420. I was kinda hoping that the engine swap would take care of the problem, but I guess not.

So now the next step is to replace the cat and hopefully that will be it. How much do aftermarket cats go for on a 2000 corolla? I am hoping I would not have to drop any more serious cash, because I just dropped around $1700 for the engine swap, new plugs, oil and filter.

I remember someone recommended an online dealer with a good reputation that sells aftermarket parts relatively inexpensive. Can someone remind me which dealer that was. Any contact information would be a great help. Also, should I get a direct fit cat or a universal one? I am seriously not in a position to drop $1200 for a new toyota cat.

Thanks.

The transmission fluid must be checked with the engine running, the car in drive (with the brakes on!!). The cold and hot refer to the transmisison's temperature, not the engine. Really glad to hear it runs good!

My Haynes repair manual says;

The transmission fluid must be checked with the engine idling, the engine at normal operating temperature.

Depress the brake pedal and move the selector lever through all the gear ranges, beginning and ending in Park.

With the engine still idling, remove the dipstick, wipe it off, and reinsert it, then check it again.

It should be in the HOT range.

Never check anything with your car in drive - unless it is up on jackstands or on a lift, where the tires can rotate freely.

You can add fluid to it while the car is running to get it to the correct level.

Well guys, I am afraid I may have some bad news. I have put around 930 miles on my new engine in past 2 weeks. I have good power, no visible smoke through exhaust but the dipstick shows loss of 1 Quart of oil. More than 80% of these miles were on highway driven between 60-80mph. I just poured one quart of 5w30 in the engine.

Thankfully, the warranty on the engine is still valid until another two weeks. I am going back to the mechanic tomorrow.

This is extremely disappointing.

Well guys, I am afraid I may have some bad news. I have put around 930 miles on my new engine in past 2 weeks. I have good power, no visible smoke through exhaust but the dipstick shows loss of 1 Quart of oil. More than 80% of these miles were on highway driven between 60-80mph. I just poured one quart of 5w30 in the engine.

Thankfully, the warranty on the engine is still valid until another two weeks. I am going back to the mechanic tomorrow.

This is extremely disappointing.

Check for leaks, check spark plug condition, you almost made 1,000 miles which is common for about a quart to be added.

 

What does the mechanic say??

Bike: I haven't checked the leaks yet, its kind of hard to do in my apartment building, because the ground is flooded with oil from different cars, I may try to place a piece of newspaper underneath the oil pan.

Spark plugs are were brand new Denso Iridium ones when the engine swap was done, so was PCV valve, new Toyota filter and oil drain bolt and its gasket.

I will speak to the mechanic tomorrow morning. Any advice on how I should deal with the mechanic will be great. I have about 2 weeks of warranty left on the engine/labor and I need to make sure all the problems are diagnosed and taken care of within that timeframe so that I don't get screwed all over again.

Thanks fish. I have a warranty statement written on the receipt that reads as follows:

"Engines warrantied for 30 days. External parts are not warrantied. Labor is warrantied. Engines are not warrantied if they run low on oil or if they overheat. Customer responsible for replacing timing belt at his/her discretion."

Tomorrow, I will try to find out where the engine came from and its history. The warranty ends on 02/18/2007. I will post an update as I get more information.

Thanks for all your help.

Bike: I haven't checked the leaks yet, its kind of hard to do in my apartment building, because the ground is flooded with oil from different cars, I may try to place a piece of newspaper underneath the oil pan.

Spark plugs are were brand new Denso Iridium ones when the engine swap was done, so was PCV valve, new Toyota filter and oil drain bolt and its gasket.

I will speak to the mechanic tomorrow morning. Any advice on how I should deal with the mechanic will be great. I have about 2 weeks of warranty left on the engine/labor and I need to make sure all the problems are diagnosed and taken care of within that timeframe so that I don't get screwed all over again.

To check for oil leaks under the car I usually rip open a cardboard box and place it under the car.

 

Give the mechanic the details and let him/her know that it has used or leaked oil and that you want the problem fixed.

I would get you some auto-rx and give that a try... if it wasn't covered under the warranty... I personally would consider pushing for a replacement or something... Is there any single person on the boards who has a 1ZZ-FE with 1qt/1k oil consumption long term that hasn't turned out to be a problem? Now that there is the question...

It sounds like your warranty should cover the problem, though - the terms just say that they're not gonna pay if you run it out of oil and obliterate the head/crank/rods or overheat it...

I would get you some auto-rx and give that a try... if it wasn't covered under the warranty... I personally would consider pushing for a replacement or something... Is there any single person on the boards who has a 1ZZ-FE with 1qt/1k oil consumption long term that hasn't turned out to be a problem? Now that there is the question...

It sounds like your warranty should cover the problem, though - the terms just say that they're not gonna pay if you run it out of oil and obliterate the head/crank/rods or overheat it...

I would not expect them to fix or pay for anything that is due to owner neglect or negligence.

 

 

Well the engine has not over heated once, the gauge stays in the middle once engine warms up. Also, I have been checking oil level every couple of days, so definitely no neglect there.

The mechanic wants me to bring back the vehicle for a full inspection tomorrow. He dropped me a line (sort of hint) that its not unusual for a used engine to burn that much oil. I was like, you must be kidding.

thats a high amount of oil, i wouldn't be surprised if its got sticking rings. my poor 14yr old 7afe doesnt burn that much oil!

Don't get pushed over - stand up for what was warrantied on the engine.

Thanks for the support guys. Dropping off car tomorrow morning and going to be very clear that I want problem fixed in a reasonable time frame.