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amiens
New User
Aug 22, 2007, 11:25 AM
Post #1 of 2
(1207 views)
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5 minutes into a drive (2001 Mazda626 6 cyl) my engine light started flashing and I lost power. It tried to turn over but would not start. It was towed to a garage and the diagnosis was a shot engine. They drained the oil out and got 1/2 a teacup and the coolant was very low (a little in the reservoir). The oil change was 4 months ago and there were no leaks. The mechanic was adamant that the last oil change was the start of the problem. It was towed to the Mazda dealer that did the oil change for them to access and their assesment "the shaft for the water pump broke and the coolant was lost and the engine overheated". This doesn't make enough sense so what questions do I need to ask. Also, is it adviseable to put a used engine in a car with 190,000 km.
There was no indication of overheating, no oil or any smoke or smell associated with breakdown. They added oil and the car backfired thru the intake manifold. The compression in cylinders 2,4 and 6 was 30 lbs. This is a stick-shift, front wheel drive.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Aug 23, 2007, 5:48 AM
Post #2 of 2
(1201 views)
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Re: engine failure
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A generally accepted practice is to change oil at 3,000 (4,800km) miles or 3 months whichever comes first. If you never even checked the level in four months you have some responsiblilty. If a warning light system didn't warn you it's unfortunate. The oil went somewhere and it does sound like the engine is toast.
Good known used engines are a practical way to get out of this if the car overall is in nice shape. If you are looking for responsibility from the last place that touched it I think you'll find you are too late.
Do some math on what the car would be worth if there were no problems and it's current value which is frightlfully low with the cost of engine repair or replacement vs a whole car,
T
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