Engine Problems... Toyota says its Blown :( Options

[94celigts]

Hey guys i have a 5sfe with 250000km on it. I did an oil change not long ago last week actually and everything went fine untill yesterday... My oil light started coming off and on again, so i checked the dipstick was a tiny bit low so i topped it up. Now my oil light is on constintly and my engine is making a terrible knocking sound like a diesel but only under 1500rmp anything above it runs fine no chug or anything. I was told at toyota that my engine is blown or about to blow and more then likely it is the rod bearings that are out.. but they only said this without checking into anything deeply. They quoted me 2300$ for a 91 5sfe installed and everything. My question is, is it hard to determine what the problem actually is? because if it was something cheap internally in my engine that did not do much damage then could i not just take apart my engine and figure it out? I wouldnt want to pay for a new engine and find out that it was a 100$-500$ repair. Let me know your thoughts or what i might be able to do to figure this out... i really love this car and i do not want to part with it yet.

Thanks for your help.

[scothaniel]

$2300 for a 91 5SFE installed is insane (though normal price for motor work at a dealership). You can probably find a decent used 5SFE for $250 or so. Get a couple of friends to help and you can swap it in a day.

The real question is how comfortable are you with doing the engine work? Here are a couple of online how-to's that show whats involved with replacing bearings:

*note, the parts will be different, but the process is basically the same

http://www.boompa.com/guide/main-bearing-r...easy-er-way/114
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mh3B5x-J_E

I personally dont feel comfortable with engine work, so I take another route. I pull the motors, strip it down to the short block, and take it to a reputable shop to do the precision stuff. Parts and labor will usually run between $400 - $700 for bearings, gaskets, and studs, etc - of course this all depends on the amount of damage done to the motor.

This post has been edited by scothaniel: Mar 7, 2008 - 3:22 PM