Too much oil in 2000 Toyota Celica GT?

Asked by Suzanna May 18, 2017 at 12:18 PM about the 2000 Toyota Celica GTS Hatchback

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My boyfriend bought a 2000 Toyota Celica GTS
from his friend who is a mechanic. The car had just
gotten a new engine put in by said mechanic. One
day we're driving the car and it just loses power
and dies. Try to restart it, nothing. In the meantime
of trying to figure out the problem, we check the oil
and the dipstick was nearly dry. So we go buy oil
and put in 5 quarts. Later we bring the mechanic
over and find out one of the belts was too loose
and came off. Couldn't fix with the tools he had
brought, so we tow the car to another location.
Now the mechanic is saying that the engine is
ruined because we put too much oil in. Mind you,
we didn't know about "overfilling" (also thought 5
quarts was standard for most 4 cyl engines), the
dipstick was almost completely dry, and the car
has not been run since we put the oil in. Does this
car ACTUALLY need a new engine now?

4 Answers

157,115

I agree in part with Tom, but in a small engine it is possible to add enough oil to do significant damage. I would also recommend a second opinion.

If you did not run the engine since it quit then the excess oil has Nothing to do with your problems. If it ran dry (no oil) then the engine is almost certainly ruined. Investigation is needed to determine if the engine is seized. I think your mechanic may be trying to deflect blame for a bad engine.

How many miles did you drive the car between the time the engine was installed and you found no oil on the dip stick?

F_O_R: I would estimate between 40 and 60 miles. Mechanic said he put oil in after installation, but who knows how much?

Your Answer:

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