broken connecting rod!?

well i guess building up my truck is going to have to wait because i think i blew a rod... extremely bummed out and im praying im totally wrong but does this sound like a rod... it started this morning when i left for school i dont think it was knocking when i started it but a bit down the road id hear it when i get on the gas, i kept it in low rpms all day and tried to keep everything under very little stress until i knew what is was. so worst case scenario what would it cost? is it rod knock? very stressed out because i have literally no money and now probably no car if it is rod knock... oil does need changing pretty badly so that is one of the contributing factors also it was very cold this morning if that matters and sorry about the wind... please help very very very bummed out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1DROvgI5ac

 

Sounds like rod bearing.

 

That would be a rod bearing, you are correct. Time to tear the engine out and rebuild!! Get you a fresh heart to install!

 

on the bright side you caught it early so it wont be that bad of a repair as far as engine damage but by far its much cheaper to get another running engine from the salvage yard. they can be had for around $500 in running condition with about 150k miles.

rebuilding yours will cost about that if you can do the work yourself but it involves a couple of weeks of your time figuring a few hours each day and some parts might need shop work like honing and deburring the cylinders.

the salvage yard engine can get you back on the road in one weekend

but first i would drop the oil pan and see what it looks like, if its something simple like a broken rod bolt then that can easily just be replaced, if that is all it is you wont need to take anything apart assuming you have room to get the new bolt in place.

 

I would never suggest for anyone to just replace a rod bolt if it is broken. A broken rod bolt means excessive stress on the rod casing where the bolts/nuts are located. This can result in stretching and excessive clearance. Since the rod is already knocking, you can pretty well count that there is at least SOME damage to the crank. Why take the risk?

 

normally I would agree with you but it hasn't been knocking for a while or anything like that and he said it just happened today and only has like a few carefully driven easy miles put on it to get home trying not to hurt anything so its very likely it could just be a fatigue failure on a rod bolt and if its not, then its replace engine time, so how is it risking anything to try a $5 repair and see if that's all it was? that's all im saying, he has nothing to lose by trying

 

You're starting to scare me man!

Do as bamatoy suggests. If you have one that's starting to knock, I bet that the other 5 rods aren't too far behind.

Geez, next someone will suggest putting in an oversize bearing to take up the slop.

 

well granted its not the "right" way to do things and it is definitely not the best idea to do this but he is a kid on a budget, going to school with "no money" so that's the only reason I suggested the shade tree fix.

no one knows the miles he has on this thing so maybe its 400k miles or maybe its only 75k miles so you don't know if its worn out just because it has a knock and individual parts often fail all the time without all other similar parts being ready to fail and need replacing so its not always needing complete engine rebuilds.

I think there is a 10% chance if its just a broken rod cap bolt that replacing it could fix his issues for another 200k miles. neither you or I really know for sure so what is he to do? he said he has no money for a new engine or for a rebuild, so again I ask, what can he do to fix it for little to no money?

personally I think he may find some damage when he drops the pan but he needs to take a look to know if its even worth saving

 

i didnt drop the pan i guess i might tomorrow and check it out... would it be cheaper to get an entirely new motor? or rebuild? i definitely couldnt do this myself could i? how much would an honest shop run me? i guess ill have to work towards a motor now... the truck is a 4 cylinder with about 175k on it i suppose its just the end of her life. the oil was terrible when i checked it and im really really kicking myself for not changing it. but i was also late to school so there was no time for me to warm up the truck either i guess all the factors just led to a blown motor it is what it is its the bus for me now and couldnt the crank have no damage if the connecting rod broke someplace up high like near the piston? or is that highly unlikely? thanks for all the help

 

well these engines can go 300k to 400k miles if you change oil but not changing oil kills em quick.

new motors are insane expensive (probably as much or more then the truck cost you) definitely the cheapest way to fix it is a salvage yard engine with similar or maybe if you are lucky less miles then yours. just make sure you hear it run before buying it and prices vary but somewhere in the $500-$1000 range you should get a nice engine for it. anything less then $500 and I would have concerns about why its so cheap (hidden issues)

rebuilding it is definitely the best way to go because it will be like brand new and you know everything in it has been checked and done right but having a shop do it is very expensive and a crap shoot because you cant depend on others to care as much as you do to fix everything and fix it the right way.

you can sell your old engine for parts and things like the heads are still good im sure and someone who has the time and skill will buy it to rebuild it themselves so that will offset some of the cost of a motor you buy to put in it.

I would avoid those motor shops where you trade yours in for a rebuilt motor, everyone I know who did that had an engine that was smoking within a year because all they do is slap new rings in old motors and sell them as rebuilt, they don't really rebuild them.

 

You can buy a new/reman rod for about $65. Head gasket kit for about $150. Get the crank turned or polished for $60. So parts total is less than $300. You might be able to find an engine used somewhere at a local salvage yard for $800-$1000? Depending on location. So weigh all of that into your decision. The thing is, when a rod starts to knock, it is ALREADY causing damage. PERIOD. Even "light careful driving" won't do much good at this point. A rod that knocks every other revolution (Usually not much knocking on a non-power stroke) will hit 500 times a minute at idle speed. So if you let the engine idle for 10 minutes, it would hit 5000 times! A 20 minute drive at 2000 RPM average would have the rod hit 20,000 times. Not something I would take a chance on a cheap repair. Budget or not, the LAST thing even a college student would need is to break down out of town and have to worry about getting it towed.

The big question here to the OP is what kind of a budget are you working with, if we may ask?

 

Hopefully less than 1500 I have a couple hundred bucks and should be getting a job next week if everything goes according to plan so figure $225 a week... It's gonna be awhile til she's back on the road, unfortunately.. if I had to I could spend up to $2000 I guess but I'm hoping I don't have to and doing work myself would be optimal but the most experience I have is small single cylinders and I don't have proper tools to do a proper job so I think that is out of the question especially because the motor needs to come out doesn't it? There's a guy coming to look at the truck soon so well see what he says... just realized i also have 2 dirtbikes, a tractor, and push mower im gonna be selling as soon as they are fixed up so hopefully i can build up enough to get it back on the road within the next month or so

 

In a situation like that, with limited tools and experience, I think your best option then would be to take some time and find you a used motor to swap in at a decent price.

 

What should I be looking for when buying a motor? Do I buy one from a shop that puts them in or get them separately? What do I look for? I know it's extremely easy to get a bad motor considering most of the time you can't even see it run and have no idea what has been done with it

 

buy one front a wrecked truck or one with a blown transmission, that way you know it was running and in regular use which should indicate its a good engine.

beyond that just have them start it for you and rev it a few times so you can hear it run and see how quiet and smooth it sounds.

check the oil and see if is cloudy or milky, if it is its a sign of water in the oil and the engine is bad, if its black and smells burnt the engine might be good but it hasn't been well cared for with regular oil changes, if its dark brown or normal light brown color and doesn't smell burnt then its a good engine.

 

Also from a truck no older than yours, or it won't be compatible with the computer and wiring harness. Not sure of the compatibility for 01 thru 04, though.

 

Known good used engine. I would only buy used if it is still sitting gin the truck and I can hear it run get it up to temp etc.

 

I've had several occasions where I replaced just a rod bearing through the pan and all was fine for many miles, some with scored cranks that I sanded down and some where I had to re-size the rod by hand. It may not be a perfect repair if there's damage to the crank or rod, but considering the low cost and little work it's usually worth it if money is tight. It could also be a piston, digital recordings alter the sound, but it does sound like a rod knock. In a couple hour's time I had my 22re back on the road and it went several years 'till the head gasket blew. I knew the head was pretty well shot so I bought a rebuilt engine, worst mistake ever. If you decide to rebuild I'd let the shop do the whole job so it's all under warrantee. If you hire someone else to R&R the motor and you get a bad one the labor to exchange it is generally on you.

 

Time to pull the motor and get the long block to a machine shop. Let them pull it apart and evaluate. Used motors are seldom cheaper in the end.

 

anything other then Toyota I would agree but ....


any good running Toyota engine from a "wrecked" truck will easily give you another 100-150k miles and that's a much better value then spending $2000 or more rebuilding one (and thats only if there isn't really anything much wrong with it) and then waiting weeks for it to be ready.

if money and time were not important then yes having your own engine made new again is attractive but its not in this guys budget or time frame to do that.