Corolla 141 engine rebuild or replace

[Sahan Dissanayake]

Hi Guys,

I recently bought a Corolla 141 as my first car, And I noticed that the engine is burning oil unusually. I tried changing the oil viscosity but that did not change anything. I know the seller fools me but I need to get my car back to work at least the next owner will not bother about this issue and also I love this car a much.

I am wondering about 2 solutions, 1 is to rebuild the engine, 2 is to replace the engine. What is the best solution? If I had to buy another engine, Is there a trusted place to buy one? The engine model is (3ZZ-FE). What is the most reliable solution?

[Hyaenidae]

Did you try checking/replacing the PCV valve?

[Ruslan]

Have you performed the Basic diagnosis like Dry Wet Compression Test etc. to determine whether the Engine is actually needs a rebuild?

[iRage]

Okay...so...before jumping into two possible conclusions both relating to major engine surgery, have you taken the car to a trusted garage and gotten a proper diagnosis ? 

It might need a new engine (rebuilt or secondhand engine refurbished)or just need something as simple as piston rings (let's assume that the car was poorly maintained and it built up sludge and screwed up the rings until they just gave way).

If you take it to a garage then you can do proper diagnostics (which includes all the tests above and even more).

Also...in regards to new engines...a new engine to you does not mean it is new. If you see the way 95% of these engines are removed from these cars, stored and transported you will run miles away from them (literally torn out from cars with small excavators and dumped in yards open to rain, dust and all the other elements you can think of. So even if you buy a new engine you will have to do some restoration work on it. Yes..you may get a 6 month warranty or something but that only gives you a different engine. It doesn't pay you back for the labor costs or loss of use of the car.

[matroska]

2 hours ago, Ruslan said:

Have you performed the Basic diagnosis like Dry Wet Compression Test etc. to determine whether the Engine is actually needs a rebuild?

This would be the way to go - I hope OP has taken the car to a proper mech and done a compression test. What I hear is that in the past people almost always tried to repair/rebuild engines. In recent times with the availability of recon engines garages tend to go for the more easier -'replace' method. Replace should be a last resort.

Of course these are not 'new' engines they're usually engines taken off wrecking yards. Having said that I need to mention that from what I have seen when I was engine hunting for the Starlet usually (i cannot stress the importance of the word usually - yes there could have been an engine a sumo wrestler used to throw at his opponents )a 15 YO Engine that has run in Japan and a 15YO engine that has run in Sri Lanka are in entirely two different conditions  

[Sahan Dissanayake]

On 4/19/2024 at 8:06 AM, Ruslan said:

Have you performed the Basic diagnosis like Dry Wet Compression Test etc. to determine whether the Engine is actually needs a rebuild?

Actually not, I asked a few guys but they are not happy about repairing it. I can't find a good garage in my area. Could you guys please suggest me a good place?

 

Thank you everyone for your answers! ❤️ 

[Sahan Dissanayake]

On 4/18/2024 at 10:00 PM, Hyaenidae said:

Did you try checking/replacing the PCV valve?

Not yet. I am hoping to do as you suggested.

[iRage]

10 hours ago, Sahan Dissanayake said:

Actually not, I asked a few guys but they are not happy about repairing it. I can't find a good garage in my area.

Here lies the problem! This is sadly the issue with a majority of the garages int he country. They do not want to repair anything...just swap something out and get you out the door. If it doesn't work, they know that you will come back to them, and if it does work, they get you out of the door fast enough that they are able to undertake a new job. This is also partly the car owners' fault as well. They simply want things done cheap and do not want to pay for the time spent on proper diagnosis.

Without doing a proper diagnosis and narrowing down the possibilities...you are just going to be spending money on everything possible cause under the sun hoping that each thing you do is going to fix the issue (so first it will be the PCV valve...next it will be something else...and if you are truly unlucky they will lead you to the point of replacing piston rings and then a new engine and then repeat the whole process all over again because it's a new used engine). By experience, I can tell you that when you do something this way that seems to have fixed the issue....99% of the time, it hasn't fixed the issue but merely masked the symptoms.

So....even if you have to endure the current pain...just find a place that will do a comprehensive diagnosis. Not someone who will do the whole "mahattaya mekata aluth enjimak..." talk by just looking at it for a whole 30 seconds.

1. Where are you? That will help people to tell you of garages with positive experiences.

2. It seems like you said burning oil...like how bad is the oil burn?

[Ruslan]

Posting similar thread (Some time Back) so OP could have some idea about Engine Rebuilds done properly. regarding the place, last i heard they had moved places.

 

Edited April 23 by Ruslan

[Sahan Dissanayake]

On 4/23/2024 at 10:10 AM, iRage said:

Here lies the problem! This is sadly the issue with a majority of the garages int he country.

I second that! They are always trying to make it so simple and make money out of it. I also found this video that is exactly what you guys are saying about the used engine. 

But I have no idea about the liquid chemical they used to clean the engine out. 

I recently tried keeping my engine at 5000 RPM and saw the car exhaust fume is visible and the color is white and blue and smells different. Probably that is kind of a sign for oil burning. I did not get the PCV valve checked yet, I am waiting until I find a good person to do it.

I am living in Matara, But it does not matter I can take my vehicle anywhere if a good mechanic is found. Oil burning is approximately 1ml per kilometer.

 

 

Edited April 25 by Sahan Dissanayake
Adding more information

[Sahan Dissanayake]

On 4/23/2024 at 10:29 AM, Ruslan said:

Posting similar thread (Some time Back) so OP could have some idea about Engine Rebuilds done properly. regarding the place, last i heard they had moved places.

That is a great thread. I think I have the same issue, Trying to contact that mechanic to repair mine. The cost would be more than 300,000 with the current situation I guess.

[Chamal Abayaratne]

On 4/25/2024 at 3:20 PM, Sahan Dissanayake said:

That is a great thread. I think I have the same issue, Trying to contact that mechanic to repair mine. The cost would be more than 300,000 with the current situation I guess.

how did your repair go?

Same problem here with my 141 2007, Mileage 202k, fuel economy went down to 6kmpl, rough engine idle, knocking sound going uphill(not sure whether its knocking or something else), noticeable oil reduction when going long distance.

Did a compression test at T*y**a L***a.

Specification - 1300kpa , Min - 1000kpa

One cylinder is below minimum. recommendation is rebuild or put higher viscosity oil.

Rebuild cost estimation I received from T*y**a L***a is 500k-900k.

Other garages suggested only replacing worn out parts and piston rings. which would cost 100-150k.

Im still considering whether to rebuild or just switch to higher viscosity oil.

[Sahan Dissanayake]

On 5/15/2024 at 11:42 AM, Chamal Abayaratne said:

how did your repair go?

I did not repair the engine yet. 

In my experience putting higher viscosity oil doesn't make any change. I think the best solution is rebuilding the engine. 
Toy#ta L#nka is expensive with genuine parts. 

I am still looking for a good mechanic to get the engine rebuilt. I will update this thread accordingly. One of my friends suggested Edirisinghe Brothers in Colombo. 

[Noobdriver]

@Sahan Dissanayake I'm in a similar boat with my first car, which is a Toyota Vitz. I dropped it off yesterday at Hybrid Hub (Edirisinghe Brothers).

They quoted me about 300-500k depending on the level of work for my car's engine. Will give you an update on how it went. I went to their workshop and saw them doing multiple engine overhauls, so that gave me a bit of confidence. Out of the places I visited in Colombo, they were the only ones who were actively doing an overhaul at the time and quoted the most competitive price (I did not go to mom and pops shops, which might do it cheaper, but enquired Toy#ta L#nka, Sterling).

I'm never going back to Sterling, they cheated me and lied to me many times.

[Sahan Dissanayake]

@Noobdriver nice! Let us know how it goes... How was your fuel consumption? Is it low compared to other Vits cars?

I also found some good reviews about Viskam Brothers. 

In my Corolla 141, The fuel consumption is normal compared to others. I'm wondering if the oil-burning issue causes high fuel burning as well. Because, one mechanic said that in Corolla 141 there is a common issue with a valve or washer. 

[Noobdriver]

7 hours ago, Sahan Dissanayake said:

@Noobdriver nice! Let us know how it goes... How was your fuel consumption? Is it low compared to other Vits cars?

I also found some good reviews about Viskam Brothers. 

In my Corolla 141, The fuel consumption is normal compared to others. I'm wondering if the oil-burning issue causes high fuel burning as well. Because, one mechanic said that in Corolla 141 there is a common issue with a valve or washer. 

I get lower fuel consumption compared to the numbers I hear, but I'm not sure if those numbers are real.

I get 9-10 kmpl in Colombo

12-13 kmpl out of Colombo

14-15 kmpl in the highway

But I have a heavy foot, and used to get only 7-8 kmpl in city before but I changed my driving style to be more calm. Some times it is not just the car, but the driver itself.

And sure will do, you can follow my thread here for updates as I will keep posting for other people to get an idea: 

 

[Sahan Dissanayake]

On 4/18/2024 at 10:00 PM, Hyaenidae said:

Did you try checking/replacing the PCV valve?

Well, I visited Toy#ta L#nka last week. They said there is no point of checking the PCV valve if you already have an oil-burning issue. 😕 

[Chamal Abayaratne]

On 5/25/2024 at 12:28 PM, Sahan Dissanayake said:

I did not repair the engine yet. 

In my experience putting higher viscosity oil doesn't make any change. I think the best solution is rebuilding the engine. 
Toy#ta L#nka is expensive with genuine parts.

I went ahead with the rebuild almost a month ago. It costed me 200k. Engine is less noisy and smoother than before and  knocking is gone when going uphill. I feel there is a slight increase in power too.

Another thing, AC compressor used to have a bad bearing hum before the rebuild. Only happens at idle. AC shops I've been to said the compressor is bad. But after the rebuild, that noise is also gone.

Fuel efficiency wise I was not able to test properly. I will post once I have reliable data.

[Sahan Dissanayake]

51 minutes ago, Chamal Abayaratne said:

I went ahead with the rebuild almost a month ago. It costed me 200k. Engine is less noisy and smoother than before and  knocking is gone when going uphill. I feel there is a slight increase in power too.

That is great! I thought it would take more than 300K to rebuild. Are you using the same oil even after the rebuild?

[Chamal Abayaratne]

On 7/9/2024 at 10:44 AM, Sahan Dissanayake said:

That is great! I thought it would take more than 300K to rebuild. Are you using the same oil even after the rebuild?

No. I was using 10W-40. Now using 10W-30.