CHAT Looking for a newish vehicle.

[AlfaMan]

Lotta oil from that area, that’s all I know.

When you open the oil cap, is there a mayonnaise looking residue under it? If there is, coolant and oil are mixing and it's a head gasket. If it's not, spray the engine with engine cleaner, let it dry then drive it a little. You'll see oil drips better. A dollar says it's valve cover gaskets.

 

[fish hook]

Never had one,but i hear good things about Suburu Outback. Don't know if it is big enough for you.

 

[Profit of Doom]

When you open the oil cap, is there a mayonnaise looking residue under it? If there is, coolant and oil are mixing and it's a head gasket. If it's not, spray the engine with engine cleaner, let it dry then drive it a little. You'll see oil drips better. A dollar says it's valve cover gaskets.

Would this show up on the dipstick?

 

[okie-carbine]

We picked up a 2017 Rav4 with 32,000 miles on it for $20k last month. Seemed like a decent deal. Our 09 Matrix with 300,000 miles on her needs to be put out to pasture.

 

[AlfaMan]

Would this show up on the dipstick?

Not unless it's a REALLY bad blown head gasket. Underneath the oil cap is the best way to determine a blown head gasket. Also, your exhaust will smell "funky"-the exhaust smell with a sweetish smell to it (which is the propylene glycol in the antifreeze in the radiator-it burns and smells kind of sweet); also you may be losing coolant a little at a time (if it's a blown head gasket that coolant is getting into your combustion chambers). In addition, your car's temp gauge might be running a little warmer than normal.
Check those things out-those things would definitively tell you if it's a blown head gasket. And if it is-put the car on Craigslist as is for 1500 bucks-someone out there will snap it up in a heartbeat and fix it.

 

[AlfaMan]

We picked up a 2017 Rav4 with 32,000 miles on it for $20k last month. Seemed like a decent deal. Our 09 Matrix with 300,000 miles on her needs to be put out to pasture.

Your Matrix? Even with that mileage someone is out there wanting to buy it. They're still pretty popular vehicles. If it's one that's all wheel drive hold onto it. Those are higly prized versions of that vehicle, people will pay stupid money for one of them. They're like the old Mazda 323 GTX hatchback-holy grail for Japanese car afficianados.

 

[Profit of Doom]

Not unless it's a REALLY bad blown head gasket. Underneath the oil cap is the best way to determine a blown head gasket. Also, your exhaust will smell "funky"-the exhaust smell with a sweetish smell to it (which is the propylene glycol in the antifreeze in the radiator-it burns and smells kind of sweet); also you may be losing coolant a little at a time (if it's a blown head gasket that coolant is getting into your combustion chambers). In addition, your car's temp gauge might be running a little warmer than normal.
Check those things out-those things would definitively tell you if it's a blown head gasket. And if it is-put the car on Craigslist as is for 1500 bucks-someone out there will snap it up in a heartbeat and fix it.

Currently has a bad battery and hasn’t run in several years. Had been times it needed 5 quarts of oil at once. Driving 300 miles with 4 hours sleep, kinda ignored things.
So there’s a valve cover, then the valve cover gasket, then what, and what after that?

 

[Doc1]

As Dennis and others have said this is a terrible time to be looking for a used vehicle. We have an '86 F150 as our "beater" truck and I'm keeping it on the road because possible replacements are too expensive and parts for it are cheap and widely available.

When looking for used vehicles, keep in mind parts availability and costs. You really don't want to get into a used vehicle where parts are hard to find and expensive. It'll be very much worth your while to go to an Auto Zone, NAPA or other large parts house and speak with the parts manager. Ask him (or her) which vehicles are best for parts availability and reasonable costs.

As we get into more difficult economic conditions, parts availability is going to be a greater concern.

Best
Doc

 

[AlfaMan]

Currently has a bad battery and hasn’t run in several years. Had been times it needed 5 quarts of oil at once. Driving 300 miles with 4 hours sleep, kinda ignored things.
So there’s a valve cover, then the valve cover gasket, then what, and what after that?

That sounds more like the piston rings are bad. If it's blowing oil, did it smoke when you were driving it? Bluish smoke or whitish looking smoke?
Valve cover, o rings surrounding where the coils go through to the plug, head gasket is between the block and cylinder head.
I'd toss a battery (get a used one from a local junk yard, they sell good used batteries for 20 bucks or so) into it, get it started and see what's going on. Probably toss some new gas into it; the gas currently in it is probably shellac by now-use the new gas to break it so it goes through and plan on replacing the fuel filter. Then go from there.

If the engine is locked up or toast, you could get a used engine and slap in it. They're not bad price wise, and it's a quick way to get it back on the road if you choose to. Just put a used transmission in my 98 Blazer that blew back last August. 600 for a great! used trans and a year warranty, 1061.00 to put it in and charge up the AC, oil change, diff fluid change, rear axle fluid change rotate and balance the tires. It runs better than it ever has; and no car payment is the best thing.

Has it been sitting a long time in the same place? If so there should be evidence of oil leakage-look under the car and see where the leaks have been coming from.

 

[rob0126]

As Dennis and others have said this is a terrible time to be looking for a used vehicle. We have an '86 F150 as our "beater" truck and I'm keeping it on the road because possible replacements are too expensive and parts for it are cheap and widely available.

When looking for used vehicles, keep in mind parts availability and costs. You really don't want to get into a used vehicle where parts are hard to find and expensive. It'll be very much worth your while to go to an Auto Zone, NAPA or other large parts house and speak with the parts manager. Ask him (or her) which vehicles are best for parts availability and reasonable costs.

As we get into more difficult economic conditions, parts availability is going to be a greater concern.

Best
Doc

From what I can remember, a lot of GM pickup parts go out to the local shops in my area. But a lot of people drive trucks around here. (Farm country)

Pre 2000 vehicles, parts are usually not on the shelf but they can be had from other stores or warehouses.

With antique cars/trucks, it can be hard to find parts, but NAPA could do it better than advance/auto zone/o reillys IMO.

Most of the time, NAPA has experienced parts/mechanics guys/gals working the sales counter.

 

[rob0126]

That sounds more like the piston rings are bad. If it's blowing oil, did it smoke when you were driving it? Bluish smoke or whitish looking smoke?
Valve cover, o rings surrounding where the coils go through to the plug, head gasket is between the block and cylinder head.
I'd toss a battery (get a used one from a local junk yard, they sell good used batteries for 20 bucks or so) into it, get it started and see what's going on. Probably toss some new gas into it; the gas currently in it is probably shellac by now-use the new gas to break it so it goes through and plan on replacing the fuel filter. Then go from there.

If the engine is locked up or toast, you could get a used engine and slap in it. They're not bad price wise, and it's a quick way to get it back on the road if you choose to. Just put a used transmission in my 98 Blazer that blew back last August. 600 for a great! used trans and a year warranty, 1061.00 to put it in and charge up the AC, oil change, diff fluid change, rear axle fluid change rotate and balance the tires. It runs better than it ever has; and no car payment is the best thing.

Has it been sitting a long time in the same place? If so there should be evidence of oil leakage-look under the car and see where the leaks have been coming from.

Maybe check the pcv valve. One of those not functioning correctly, can wreak havok on an engine.

And if the leak is coming from the back of the motor, I'd say maybe the crank(rear main) seal.

 

[AlfaMan]

From what I can remember, a lot of GM pickup parts go out to the local shops in my area. But a lot of people drive trucks around here. (Farm country)

Pre 2000 vehicles, parts are usually not on the shelf but they can be had from other stores or warehouses.

With antique cars/trucks, it can be hard to find parts, but NAPA could do it better than advance/auto zone/o reillys IMO.

Most of the time, NAPA has experienced parts/mechanics guys/gals working the sales counter.

Another unlikely place to source parts is, believe it or not, Ebay. And Amazon. Ebay is almost my go to source for parts for the blazer. Companies buy dealer parts inventories after the obligatory 10 years past model year have to keep parts runs out. I found my AC compressor for the Blazer as a complete kit (compressor, receiver dryer and the PAG oil) for $153.00 on Amazon. Advance auto parts wanted 350 just for the compressor! Still working 100% 4 years later too.

Parts stores are good places to look for parts, but there are deals on older car/truck parts on Ebay and Amazon that blow auto parts store prices away.

 

[dawgofwar10]

Stay Japanese, most leaning to Toyota.. They build good cars and trucks, and the resales are off the charts...

 

[AlfaMan]

Maybe check the pcv valve. One of those not functioning correctly, can wreak havok on an engine.

And if the leak is coming from the back of the motor, I'd say maybe the crank(rear main) seal.

Didn't think of the PCV valve-that might be where the oil is going. Had an 84 blazer with a carboned up PCV valve, it was chugging oil like a drunk and a bottle of Mad Dog.

Rear main seal-ugh. At least the engine and trans are north south and not transverse (yank out the engine trans and cradle time!)

 

[packyderms_wife]

Drove past a couple of dealerships here in town today, the lots are almost empty.

 

[AlfaMan]

Drove past a couple of dealerships here in town today, the lots are almost empty.

In the metro DC area the lack of cars is becoming a HUGE problem for dealers. One dealer in the area usually keeps 150 new trucks in inventory-there "might" be 10 total on the lot (with 3 in the showroom). A high end Japanese car dealer has what's in the showroom and maybe 2-3 of each model outside (and this maker just introduced 2 new models) and 20 salesmen inside twiddling their thumbs.....
On the really high end cars (Aston Martin, Rolls, Maserati, Bentley) those guys thrive on the people that order their car to their specs. People are ordering-but it's a 6 month lead time for some of these models. Chip problems.....

 

[packyderms_wife]

In the metro DC area the lack of cars is becoming a HUGE problem for dealers. One dealer in the area usually keeps 150 new trucks in inventory-there "might" be 10 total on the lot (with 3 in the showroom). A high end Japanese car dealer has what's in the showroom and maybe 2-3 of each model outside (and this maker just introduced 2 new models) and 20 salesmen inside twiddling their thumbs.....
On the really high end cars (Aston Martin, Rolls, Maserati, Bentley) those guys thrive on the people that order their car to their specs. People are ordering-but it's a 6 month lead time for some of these models. Chip problems.....

We were at the dealership yesterday clearing up the title mess for the new equinox and two of the higher end managers were having a rather heated conversation, they had two more salesmen walk off the floor and quit yesterday because there's not enough cars to sell to keep them there. The gal who was helping us with the replacement title said that there will be no new vehicles coming onto the lot for the foreseeable future.

I told OC today, God truly blessed us with this car, it was at the right time, right price, and the right fit for our needs. Had we waited another month I don't think that we would have found a car. That extra stamina He gave me that Saturday was definitely a blessing, after test driving twelve plus cars I was so exhausted, but I was pushed to test just one more and that's the car I ended up with and I couldn't be happier.

 

[rob0126]

Stay Japanese, most leaning to Toyota.. They build good cars and trucks, and the resales are off the charts...

The older toyota's are quite reliable. The newer stuff has planned obsolescence built into the cake.
But the less frequency of breakdowns is still better than most according to carcomplaint.

 

[okie-carbine]

Your Matrix? Even with that mileage someone is out there wanting to buy it. They're still pretty popular vehicles. If it's one that's all wheel drive hold onto it. Those are higly prized versions of that vehicle, people will pay stupid money for one of them. They're like the old Mazda 323 GTX hatchback-holy grail for Japanese car afficianados.

No, this is just a base model, front wheel drive, 4 banger.

 

[AlfaMan]

No, this is just a base model, front wheel drive, 4 banger.

People will still snap it up. Locally a lot of maid services use them to get the house cleaners to their jobs. You can load 4 maids and all their paraphenalia with no problems. It's worth money for sure.

 

[ChicagoMan74]

Some will thumb their nose at this...but I've only done a full front and back brake job, a battery, tires and oil changes on my 2013 Impala. Got like 95k on it now.

 

[Profit of Doom]

That sounds more like the piston rings are bad. If it's blowing oil, did it smoke when you were driving it? Bluish smoke or whitish looking smoke?
Valve cover, o rings surrounding where the coils go through to the plug, head gasket is between the block and cylinder head.
I'd toss a battery (get a used one from a local junk yard, they sell good used batteries for 20 bucks or so) into it, get it started and see what's going on. Probably toss some new gas into it; the gas currently in it is probably shellac by now-use the new gas to break it so it goes through and plan on replacing the fuel filter. Then go from there.

If the engine is locked up or toast, you could get a used engine and slap in it. They're not bad price wise, and it's a quick way to get it back on the road if you choose to. Just put a used transmission in my 98 Blazer that blew back last August. 600 for a great! used trans and a year warranty, 1061.00 to put it in and charge up the AC, oil change, diff fluid change, rear axle fluid change rotate and balance the tires. It runs better than it ever has; and no car payment is the best thing.

Has it been sitting a long time in the same place? If so there should be evidence of oil leakage-look under the car and see where the leaks have been coming from.

When it was running and took me to work, I had a parking spot that looked like the Exxon Valdez. Seem to recall oil on the trailer hookup cable. I’ll look again tomorrow.

 

[rob0126]

When it was running and took me to work, I had a parking spot that looked like the Exxon Valdez. Seem to recall oil on the trailer hookup cable. I’ll look again tomorrow.

Oil pan gasket or rear main seal, my guess.

But Id definately check the pcv valve for function. (pull it and shake it to see if it rattles easy).
if no rattle, its stuck(clogged). If a hesitant rattle, its clogging up.
They are pretty cheap to replace, even oem.

 

[Ravekid]

I would also say avoid CVTs if possible. I had issues with a Nissan one. Thankfully the company was sued and my warranty extended. Problem is that the new one lasted just over 20K miles and the warranty is 20K miles. They offered to split it 75/25 with me paying the 75%. If you drive hard, I wonder how this affects CVTs. Thing is, sometimes one has to floor it to get up to speed, and with a tiny engine, seems like it puts a lot on the whole system.

 

[rob0126]

I would also say avoid CVTs if possible. I had issues with a Nissan one. Thankfully the company was sued and my warranty extended. Problem is that the new one lasted just over 20K miles and the warranty is 20K miles. They offered to split it 75/25 with me paying the 75%. If you drive hard, I wonder how this affects CVTs. Thing is, sometimes one has to floor it to get up to speed, and with a tiny engine, seems like it puts a lot on the whole system.

Yeh, nissans cvts are notorious for dieing.

Oddly enough, toyotas corolla cvts are fairly reliable.

I dont like cvts. (great for gas mileage though)
give me x number of forward gears and im good.

 

[AlfaMan]

Oil pan gasket or rear main seal, my guess.

But Id definately check the pcv valve for function. (pull it and shake it to see if it rattles easy).
if no rattle, its stuck(clogged). If a hesitant rattle, its clogging up.
They are pretty cheap to replace, even oem.

Sounds like you called it-rear main seal most likely, maybe the pan gasket. If it's Exxon Valdez style oil leakage it's the rear main seal.
That's at the back of the engine; you have to take the transmission out (and the transfer case for the 4wd more than likely) to put in a new seal. It's going to cost to do that.

If you don't want to do the job, fill up the engine with motor honey and drive it to whatever dealer you select for your newer vehicle. Trade it in.

 

[egads]

Bought a 2021 Toyota Tundra Limited, mid March. It listed at $54K and with "discounts" got it for $51,247. They had the color I wanted, Army Green and NO moonroof, which was hard to find on the Limited. I guess everyone wants a moonroof. Not a fan of them.
The dealer was not dealing at all. He pretty much told me they are selling themselves. Chip shortage, people are buying.
The almost deal breaker was the interest rate they quoted. They wanted 3.99%. I told them I would walk away. They said go ahead and get your own financing. I said fine and started to get up, when the finance guy asked what rate I could get, I said 2.49% from BOFA. He said fine 2.49%, sold, done deal. LOVE the truck.
I sold my 2000 Chevy Suburban, 2500 for $5K to someone at work. Had 162K on it, GREAT shape. Took excellent care of it, but just got tired of it. Had it for 16 years, thought it was time for a fresher look.