Blown Engine

[michaeltartaglia]

I have read all the threads about blown engines here and find it funny that I too Blew my engine!

I purchased the car with 76,000 in november of 2007 AS IS( big mistake)
Had it checked by independent guy the whole nine yards then 27 days later Blam!! blown engine. After seeing my car on the rack with oil all down the under carriage with the dealer tag still on it I was kinda pissed.

Called dealer cant do anything " you bought as is" talked with owners son and owner. nothing.

this is not mom and pops used car lot this is a large dealer that happened to have this car. My car also seized the 1st and 4th bearing after running out the oil and needed a engine swap. I found an engine at a junkyard for 1,500 and I had to go with the dealer because they had the cheapest labor and I needed the car back to get to work.
Since this is a COMMON issue with the 2.3 is mazda going to look into this?
Can I sue the dealer since they changed the oil before I bought it and more than likely torqued it to tight? Any feed back would be great thanks in advance!!!

[midnightfxgt]

If the dealership did the oilchange last and torqued the filter housing too tight, I would certainly go after them. Their neglagence is the reason the motor seized. No oil will do it every time.

-John

[michaeltartaglia]

Of course there is no prof that they over torqued it there is only prof that it seized because it had no oil. There is prof that the filter was faulty because after the new engine was put in there used parts from my old engine ( the filter being one of them) and it leaked then so they replaced it then.

Just fyi
My oil light never came on
I was 1000 under the next scheduled oil change
its a 2004 2.3 L

[WLS ZMZM]

don't want to be a downer... but do you check your oil regularly... as for going after the dealer... you could try.. but because there really is no physical proof I'm not sure what would happen but exploring your legal issues should be okay

[michaeltartaglia]

I didnt think to check the oil 1000 miles UNDER the change oil date. I have owned 4 cars total
92 Acura GS-R
99 Mitsu GS-t
03 Protege 5
and this car. All cars I purchased used and this one is the only one I am having issues with. now that I replaced the engine I check every time I fill up on gas which is twice a week. I live far from where I work. If I take the company to small claims court and lose dont I have to pay the defendant lawyer fees?

[MikeyGT]

Hey sorry to hear about your car.

Just to be a little off topic, how do you check your engine oil? Like what is there to see, i know you wipe your dip stick on a cloth to see the color but i'm not sure what to make of it.

[CanadaGTO]

Hey sorry to hear about your car.

Just to be a little off topic, how do you check your engine oil? Like what is there to see, i know you wipe your dip stick on a cloth to see the color but i'm not sure what to make of it.

Make sure it's between the fill and max lines. That's the main thing. Oh, and if it comes out chunky smelling like a dead cat you might have problems also :)

[Kevin@nextmod]

not only checking the color but you're checking if it has enough oil

[nicker]

or if there is a whiteish substance in the oil or on the stick you have a problem. I always change my oil with in the guidlines and also check it weekly and before a long run. Just a good peice of mind.

[MikeyGT]

cool.. thanks guys. good to know there's a lot of helpful people in this world

[FLIPDADY]

Which used car dealer was this?

[RX9]

Which used car dealer was this?

thats the question i gonna ask as well, b/c no matter what, they should give you at least 90 days warranty, no?

[Malcolm991]

I always thought it was the law that if you purchased from a dealer that they had to give you a 30 day warranty. But if you got it as is, that might not apply

[Nick]

white paste = engine coolant mixed with the oil... i had this problem twice with a cracked head gasket in my dodge shadow =] hope everything turns out good with your car issues!

[RX9]

I always thought it was the law that if you purchased from a dealer that they had to give you a 30 day warranty. But if you got it as is, that might not apply

really? thats sux. good luck for the OP then.

[brocklanders]

There is prof that the filter was faulty because after the new engine was put in there used parts from my old engine ( the filter being one of them)

Not flaming you because...well that'd be a crappy thing to do right after you replaced a friggen engine:
However...A used oil filter?...seriously you RE-USED a $5 oil filter??!

[whiteomega]

Not flaming you because...well that'd be a crappy thing to do right after you replaced a friggen engine:
However...A used oil filter?...seriously you RE-USED a $5 oil filter??!

he probably meant the dealership re-used it after swapping the engine for him.


still, the point stands...they should have just put a new oil filter in.

[McGuyver_3]

Of course there is no prof that they over torqued it there is only prof that it seized because it had no oil. There is prof that the filter was faulty because after the new engine was put in there used parts from my old engine ( the filter being one of them) and it leaked then so they replaced it then.

Just fyi
My oil light never came on
I was 1000 under the next scheduled oil change
its a 2004 2.3 L

So my understanding from this post means that your oil filter was leaking originally and they replaced it the first time. Then you go on saying that your engine seized again due to lack of oil? If the oil light did not come on that means that either they forgot to plug in the oil level sensor connector or the oil level sensor is faulty. Did the oil light ever come on when you started the car? did you ever pay attention to any oil markings on the driveway office parking space? if it is a faulty oil level sensor then it could be 5050 at fault. If they used the junkyard level sensor then they would not be at fault because you supplied them with a used part and the dealer assumes that you know it works. But if they removed the junkyard one and installed a new one or from your old engine and managed to damaged it then yes they would be at fault.
hope that helps

[b]

Wow that sucks. Sorry to hear. I'd like to know where you bought it too.

[Azi]

do you have proof that they changed the oil when you bought the car?

i remember when my dad bought a used car, the first thing we did was an oil change, cause the was black.

also, when the engine let go, did you take it to the dealer to see what the problem was? it seems like its coming from the plastic oil filter screw on cartridge. if the oil change was not done, and the car was sold as-is, i think you might be out of luck.

[FLIPDADY]

A cracked oil filter housing could be your culprit. Too many times I've seen cars come into the shop as a result of this happening. Lube places and sometimes other dealers over-tighten the housing causing them to crack. Always check your oil before you leave a shop or in your case a used car dealer.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

So my understanding from this post means that your oil filter was leaking originally and they replaced it the first time. Then you go on saying that your engine seized again due to lack of oil? If the oil light did not come on that means that either they forgot to plug in the oil level sensor connector or the oil level sensor is faulty. Did the oil light ever come on when you started the car? did you ever pay attention to any oil markings on the driveway office parking space? if it is a faulty oil level sensor then it could be 5050 at fault. If they used the junkyard level sensor then they would not be at fault because you supplied them with a used part and the dealer assumes that you know it works. But if they removed the junkyard one and installed a new one or from your old engine and managed to damaged it then yes they would be at fault.
hope that helps

the oil light in the mazda3 is not for oil level but for oil pressure. since there is an oil pressure sensor in this car, you can be low on oil but it is still maintaining the specified range of oil pressure to not trip the light.

[McGuyver_3]

thats somewhat odd because i have 1 occasion with my car that i was low on oil and it triggered the oil light to come on. I checked the level and i was at minnimum level. So i am assuming that something may not be connected properly or the oil pressure sensor is damaged?

[Noisy Crow]

The oil pickup sits near the bottom of the oil pan. When the oil is too low the pump will suck air and the pressure will drop... causing the light to come on. This can happen during hard accleration or turning, when what oil is in the pan all sloshes to the other side, away from the oil pickup.

[mazda lover]

a good reason to do the oil filter housing switch to a spin on, a plastic housing, what a joke Mazda. Also buying as is has nothing to do with the oil filter housing engine, tranny etc, as is means not certified. Who cerified the car? Good luck

[mogul_pro]

WOW!

Sorry to hear about your engine. Hearing these stories makes me nervous about the mazda3 at times...

[nicker]

whats the update on this? Generally oil leaks have nothing to do with a safety, but from what I am told if it is a gross or large oil leak they could fail it.

I don't mind the oil system Mazda has but it could be made of aluminum or somthing, plastic is a little on the sad side.

[mogul_pro]

Oil leaks can certainly have something to do with safety... you have enough oil loss your engine is going to go ca-boom, nothing safe about that... I blew an engine on the skyway on the qew (NOT in my mazda3... thank god), and let me tell you it was by no means 'safe'.