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Smokey

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Jul 19, 2012
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I'm new to the Forum and newish to FJ 60s. My father had two when we were growing up, but that was when his 1985 was five years old.

Anyway, I have a tan 85 FJ60 that is burning through a lot of oil. I got the oil changed and a leaky oil pan fixed a month ago, and went to add some oil this morning (we don't drive this thing very much) and...I added 6 quarts. Additionally, there are some unpleasant noises that have emerged in the last day: some knocking, a belt screech.

My question: is the engine on its last legs?

Also, what is the ballpark cost for getting it fixed? Replaced with a 2F? Replaced with a Chevy small block?

Finally, would I be crazy, as my wife says I am, to even think about a diesel conversion?

Thanks!
Ted
 
where did the 6 quarts of oil go? No major leaks any more?

it would smoke like mad if you burned 6 quarts over a month and was not leaking..

You sure the shop the changed the oil and replaced the pan gasket filled it back up?
 
I don't know where it all went! None of it has been leaking out since the pan was fixed. It smokes a moderate amount, but I wouldn't say it was "crazy" smoking.

I took it to a local mechanic just now who shook his head and said it would burn through all the oil in a day. He wouldn't speculate on when the engine would die, but he did offer to do the swap job when it did.
 
Why would it burn through all 8 quarts in a day?

Rebuilt motor is around 3k
V8 would be 5 to 10 or more.
Diesel is going to be expensive as well.

Cheapest if to find a good running 2f and swap it in.
 
I don't know; I don't think it would. Sounds like it would have to have a fire hose of smoke coming out the rear for that to happen. I'm guessing that when the oil pan was fixed, the guys at the shop didn't do the oil change.
 
The cheapest alternative for you would be to buy a used one and swap it in. A Rebuilt one is more expensive and would last longer and probably have a warranty depending on where and who you used. A V8 conversion is expensive doing it yourself and even more expensive when done by a mechanic.
 
Correct me if im wrong but isnt it a 6.5 qrt system? something is not right, id say the guys who changed it did not put the correct amount back in. No way you burn 6 qrts in a day unless you drove 2k miles
 
Yeah something is missing here.. There is no way that you would be able to burn through that much oil without a) there being a puddle somewhere, or b) there being a cloud of smoke where you had been. Either the shop that changed it did not put new oil in or there is something else amis.

Conversely, how does the rig run when you drive? Is there any other signs of things gone arye? How about the noises you talk about, were they there when you got it or did they "develop" after the supposed oil change and oil pan gasket change.
 
The truck runs and pulls fine. Sometimes it takes a few tries for it to start; sometimes it starts right away. It definitely smokes, but after it has been running a for a little while, it smokes less. As for the noises, there's an intermittent knocking that just started yesterday; the belt noise started a week ago and gets worse with acceleration, but seems to diminish as the car warms up. After I added the oil today, the knocking seemed to go away.

Based on this info (and the probability that the engine has been running with less/much less than the recommended amount of oil for a month), is the engine on its last legs?
 
Sounds like you need to have a little chat with the shop that did the repairs.

The knocking is from no oil in the lifters. You may have done some serious damage here. The belt noise is secondary and not related to the knocking. Just change the belt, they wear out.

I would demand the shop pull the engine apart and check for damage to lifters and cylinder walls. On their dime of course. How much did you run it before it started knocking?
 
I'll be asking them to take a look at things for sure.

I think I ran it about 500 miles before the knocking started.
 
Also sounds to me that the oil change monkeys at the oil change shop didn't put enough back in. Remember these are not mechanics, they have minimal training, and generally were born in the 1990's and don't know much about these vehicles.
 
Oil change with filter is 8 quarts.

Let us know what the shop says. Have them check valve adjustment and demand someone with gray hair does it. lol. Compression test would be a good idea as well.
 
I was thinking maybe oil galley plug, but that would have caused a mess on the pass side of the engine.

is the oil preasure guage working?
 
So I took it to the place that did the oil pan repair and alleged oil change. The engine isn't knocking much at all and pulls just fine, but it is smoking now like a rastafarian at a Bob Marley show:smokin: Anyway, they took apart the engine, on their dime, and discovered that the piston rings and a number of valves were shot. We argued about how it all happened, but I made no headway. They said the damage was done before I brought it in the first time, but they also didn't recall it smoking then (me: if it was smoking, wouldn't you have said/done something about it? them: you didn't ask us about the engine). They offered to find and install a used (not rebuilt!) engine for $6k, so I said no thanks and called AAA and had the truck towed to my house.:bang:


Since I had already started redoing the interior myself and have some $$ sunk into that project, I'm probably going to get a used 2f from a yard in NH.
 
this is why you do oil changes yourself.
stripped drain plugs, incorrect amount added, not the oil you wanted, letting some monkey lay wrenches on your truck, the list goes on.
 
This is where you tow it to another respected mechanic and have them look it over. Its a second opinion. If they conclude the damage was caused by the first office not refilling the oil then you give the 1st shop one more chance to fix it before lawyering up and pressing the issue.

This is a lot of money. You don't just lay down and take it. If they messed up they pay for it.
 
Yeah, I thought about lawyering up and got two other opinions yesterday/this morning. The first was on the recommendation of the tow truck driver, and the second was referred by a friend. Both mechanics said it was possible that an oil change had been done, but they couldn't say definitively that an oil change had not been done. They said they couldn't be sure that the damage hadn't been caused at some earlier time, and that any new oil hadn't been burned away. I may find a third mechanic.

I'm looking into my legal options. Next time, I'll do the work myself. Can't screw it up any more than they did.
 
Smokey, where are you located? If you're local to me just bring it by and I'd be happy to look over it for you.
 
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