I have a 2000 toyota camry LE and live in Suwanee, GA with an oil leak and Evap Emission codes with the engine light ON. On 8/6 the low oil sign was flashing on the dashboard and within 1hr of driving I started hearing a rattling sound from the engine (something like tak tak tak tak..) and as I press the gas the sound went up. I wanted to shut off the radio to hear the sound clearly and rear-ended someone. Due to this, I'm unable to open the jammed hood. I have contacted a few mechanics including the mobile mechanics and they all refused to diagnose an accident vehicle and turned me away and asked me to get the bodywork done before coming to them.

Now, I don't know how much I need to spend on the bodywork (maybe $2K) and then bring it to the mechanic for the engine sound. If they cannot repair it and have to replace the engine then it might cost around $5K. The dilemma is whether to spend money on fixing it or junk it and buy another car. The used car prices are so high and wanted to get by till the summer of 2023 but my situation doesn't seem like it will let me do that. We have only one car and is sitting in our garage. Don't know where to go from here.

What do you guys suggest as the right thing to do?

 

A few questions:

Did the engine quit on its own or did you turn the engine off?

Did the coolant temperature ever get into the red on the gauge?

Is the engine a 4 cylinder or V-6?

Why did the mechanics say to fix the body work first? Is the body damaged such that the radiator was damaged and perhaps coolant is leaking out.

Can the hood be opened? If so open it and take a few pictures of the radiator area to post here.

And issue is if the body was damaged to the extend the engine can not be safely operated.

Suggest you check out the engines condition first, then think he body work. The cost of body work can be very high and if combined with needing a replacement engine make the total cost of repairs more then the car is worth. The money for repairs might be better spent on a replacement car.

Do you know ANYONE who knows something about car engines, perhaps a friend, relative, coworker, neighbor? They don't need to be a master mechanic just know the basics of engines.

Most likely the engine is either OK or bad. If bad there is not much a mechanic can do other then replace the engine. If the engine can be SAFELY started one can add oil give it a try. If it runs OK and doesn't make noises it should be OK. Don't start the engine if there is problem with the coolant system and no coolant. Here having someone knowing about engines can assess the situation and if the engine can be safely started.

 

Hi Joey,

Thanks for the response and please see my responses below in blue:

Did the engine quit on its own or did you turn the engine off?
The engine didn't quit on me and is still running but has a rattling sound. It may also be called knocking.

Did the coolant temperature ever get into the red on the gauge?
I was so consumed by the rattling that I didn't pay attention to the guages. I should have.

Is the engine a 4 cylinder or V-6? - V4

Why did the mechanics say to fix the body work first? Is the body damaged such that the radiator was damaged and perhaps coolant is leaking out.

When I drove my car to my usual mechanic with the rattling sound driving at 20 miles/hr I have been told that he can have a look at it but he has to remove the hood and later I cannot drive the car out of the lot and has to be towed as it is a liability issue for them. Mobile mechanics such as yourmechanic.com and repairsmith.com declined to work on accident vehicles as it's against their policy.

Can the hood be opened? If so open it and take a few pictures of the radiator area to post here.
The whole issue now is that the hood cannot be opened as it is jammed at the latch. Even I tried to slip my fingers in and was able to access and press the latch and I tried with my own strength but couldn't open. I even tried with the curved side of the hammer still no luck. It is jammed shut. Let me know if you have any ideas to open the jammed hood.

And issue is if the body was damaged to the extend the engine can not be safely operated.
With my eyes, I see that the hood is damaged and the driver's side of the bumper is bulged out and the passenger side main light cover is broken (shown in the pictures attached now).

Bumper warped



Suggest you check out the engines condition first, then think he body work. The cost of body work can be very high and if combined with needing a replacement engine make the total cost of repairs more then the car is worth. The money for repairs might be better spent on a replacement car.

Yes, that is what I want to do but none of the mechanics are ready to check and let me know one way or the other.

Do you know ANYONE who knows something about car engines, perhaps a friend, relative, coworker, neighbor? They don't need to be a master mechanic just know the basics of engines.

I have no one around who knows. My colleague who lives in NC suggested the same to get the hood off somehow and then pour engine oil and check it.

Most likely the engine is either OK or bad. If bad there is not much a mechanic can do other then replace the engine. If the engine can be SAFELY started one can add oil give it a try. If it runs OK and doesn't make noises it should be OK. Don't start the engine if there is problem with the coolant system and no coolant. Here having someone knowing about engines can assess the situation and if the engine can be safely started.

I don't see anything draining like coolant or transmission oil other than the regular oil leak I have. I can still start the engine. I need help to remove the hood.

 

I, my wife and my 15 year old son who missed the school bus today did a lot of juggling and could able to open the hood. Struggled for 45mts and finally could open it. The hydraulics to hold the hood upright are not working so with one holding the hood up I filled 5 quarts of oil into the engine and also refilled the coolant as it was a bit low (not too low). After 5 minutes started the engine and the rattling sound was there for 15 secs and then it was gone. I pressed the gas pedal for 30 seconds and it seems it was fine but when I pressed the gas pedal a little further then I heard some different faint sound buried under the regular engine noise. I cannot explain what that sound was. Now I turned off the engine. Took some pictures and attached them here. Let me know what you guys think.

You have been very helpful. Please let me know what the next steps I should take to know if the engine is in good condition. Could the OBD2 device pick up any codes regarding the engine? If so let me know so that I'll buy this one from . If it is not if there is any other engine diagnostic tool I can get from Amazon please share the link. Your help and guidance are much appreciated. Let me know if you need more pictures.

 

The engine holds 5+ quarts.

Youtube has lots of video's on engine noises. Check out the ones for engine crankshaft bearing, engine connecting rod bearing and crankshaft balancer knock and noises. Each has its own sound. If there was low oil operation the main, rod bearings or balancer bearings may be damaged. These noises can sound deep inside the engine. The noise is typically a knock or pounding sound.

If the bearings are damage the issue again becomes cost of repair. The engine might be able to be repaired but the cost would typically be more then buying an engine. A rebuilt engine may cost $1 to 2K plus installation while used is say $500. The engine model was extremely popular and millions were built thus LOT''s of used engines. The engine model is a 5SFE.

This model is known to make a few noises even in good condition. Use a section of rubber hose as stethoscope to narrow down the sound location. The balancer is at the bottom of the engine below the crankshaft. The crankshaft drives a pulley that is at lower front of the engine to rotate the drive belts on the outside of the engine. The rods are bolted to the crankshaft.
Rev the engine then let off the gas pedal. Determine if the noise gets louder as the engine RPM drops. This is a possible sign of rod bearing issues.

A thud which gets worse under engine load can be a crank bearing.

When the engine is running, turn the AC on and determine if both fans behind the radiator on the side of the engine turn on and off. The fans turn on/off with the AC compressor and when the coolant temp gets above 199F. If the fans system is not working anymore due to the accident the coolant will get to hot at car slow speeds or engine idle. The coolant gauge should remain steady once the engine is warmed up. Watch for this and if the needle starts moving toward the red color on the gauge stop the engine or it may be damaged from overheating.

Might be able to unbolt and move the hood latch parts around to make them now fit up. One can also shim the latch lower. Make sure the main hood latch and safety latch work. In a pinch have used a small diameter steel cable routed through the upper latch and lower chassis to make sure the hood stayed down. You don't want the hood popping up when driving!

The worst case is the engine may run but sooner or later fail from running low on oil. The best case is the engine keeps going until you get another car. Would assume the engine was damaged from lack of oil but how much is unknown.

My two cents is check out the engine as best as possible. If your having a shop do the body work and possible engine work, the cost of repairs will assume be more the the car is worth. Here if the engine is shot might be better off spending any repair money on a replacement car. If engine OK beat the hood and chassis to best fit, SECURE hood and drive it.

Yes, used car prices are HIGH. I assume sooner rather then later the economy is going to tank due to raising interest rates, inflation, etc. What this will to do use car prices don't know but new car prices should drop.

 

Hi Joey,

Thanks again for the detail and please see my responses in line below in blue.

The engine holds 5+ quarts. - Great to know that and I have put in entire 5 quarts in and some might have leaked now.

Youtube has lots of video's on engine noises. Check out the ones for engine crankshaft bearing, engine connecting rod bearing and crankshaft balancer knock and noises. Each has its own sound. If there was low oil operation the main, rod bearings or balancer bearings may be damaged. These noises can sound deep inside the engine. The noise is typically a knock or pounding sound.

I'll check the sounds tomorrow after I run the OBD2 scanner once I receive it. In the meantime, I'll watch some of the youtube videos.

If the bearings are damage the issue again becomes cost of repair. The engine might be able to be repaired but the cost would typically be more then buying an engine. A rebuilt engine may cost $1 to 2K plus installation while used is say $500. The engine model was extremely popular and millions were built thus LOT''s of used engines. The engine model is a 5SFE.

My mechanic said that replacing the engine will cost $4-5K. Where is a good place to buy a used engine and how can we rely on that quality of a used engine? Not being a car guy I'm a bit concerned that I might get a lemon? Any suggestions here?

This model is known to make a few noises even in good condition. Use a section of rubber hose as stethoscope to narrow down the sound location. The balancer is at the bottom of the engine below the crankshaft. The crankshaft drives a pulley that is at lower front of the engine to rotate the drive belts on the outside of the engine. The rods are bolted to the crankshaft.
Rev the engine then let off the gas pedal. Determine if the noise gets louder as the engine RPM drops. This is a possible sign of rod bearing issues.

I'll check these sounds tomorrow after the OBD2 scanning. Don't if I could record the noises on my android phone and somehow post it here or load it onto my G drive and send you the link here. As you seem to be an expert you might hear and make sense of them.

A thud which gets worse under engine load can be a crank bearing.

When the engine is running, turn the AC on and determine if both fans behind the radiator on the side of the engine turn on and off. The fans turn on/off with the AC compressor and when the coolant temp gets above 199F. If the fans system is not working anymore due to the accident the coolant will get to hot at car slow speeds or engine idle. The coolant gauge should remain steady once the engine is warmed up. Watch for this and if the needle starts moving toward the red color on the gauge stop the engine or it may be damaged from overheating.

Sure, will do and take a small video.

Might be able to unbolt and move the hood latch parts around to make them now fit up. One can also shim the latch lower. Make sure the main hood latch and safety latch work. In a pinch have used a small diameter steel cable routed through the upper latch and lower chassis to make sure the hood stayed down. You don't want the hood popping up when driving!

Yeah, I don't have any metal wires or straps as I moved into this rental home recently and I can't go out to get one as I don't have a car. Can you suggest something from Amazon I can buy and get it delivered to accomplish this?

The worst case is the engine may run but sooner or later fail from running low on oil. The best case is the engine keeps going until you get another car. Would assume the engine was damaged from lack of oil but how much is unknown.

Yes, and if the engine is running fine I should make it a point that I have to refill oil every week. I want to buy time till May 2023 hoping that the chip shortage will go away and the used car prices would come down.

My two cents is check out the engine as best as possible. If your having a shop do the body work and possible engine work, the cost of repairs will assume be more the the car is worth. Here if the engine is shot might be better off spending any repair money on a replacement car. If engine OK beat the hood and chassis to best fit, SECURE hood and drive it.

Yeah, I have the same idea. The only issue is to beat the hood down and drive is that I dread if it gets jammed again and I'll back to square one and cannot refill the oil.

Yes, used car prices are HIGH. I assume sooner rather then later the economy is going to tank due to raising interest rates, inflation, etc. What this will to do use car prices don't know but new car prices should drop.

I wish for that too and waiting for it hence I want to get by till May 2023.

 

Can these straps hold the hood down while driving on a local road at 25 miles/hr? Let me know so I could buy them.

 

Picture of straps?

It doesn't take much to hold the hood down.

If the engine is OK, suggest just driving the car.

One can install hood pins but one needs to drill holes in the hood.

 

I have actually included a link to the word "straps" in my previous post but here is the raw link:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01F7KSA...NrPXRydWU&th=1

 

Here are two recordings.

1) Dash - This recording is only to show how my dash looks when running idle and when I rev up the engine.

2) Engine sound - This is purely to hear the engine noise at idle and also when I rev up the engine.

Just FYI, both recordings done at the same time with two different phones. I heard some rattling sound when I rev'ed up the engine. Let me know your thoughts please. Attached is the OBD2 codes report. Thanks.

I have uploaded them to my Google drive and here is the link -> CLICK HERE

Let me know if you have any access issues.