TOM: Wow! That’s exciting, Beatrice. No one at bingo is going to top THAT story this week.
RAY: I have to guess that a connecting rod broke. The connecting rods connect the pistons to the crankshaft and transfer the power that’s produced by the detonations in the cylinders.
TOM: A thrown rod would explain everything. It would explain the explosive sound, which was the connecting rod bursting through your oil pan or the engine block. It would explain the oil, which then leaked out. It would explain the bolts, which came from the connecting rod. And it would explain why you now need a new engine.
RAY: I think this was Toyota’s fault. Your mechanic is right, this is highly unusual. This almost never happens on cars with 43,000 miles on them — certainly not on cars that have been well maintained and had their oil changed regularly.
TOM: And normally there are warning signs. You’ll get engine noise or a knocking sound, or blue smoke coming out the tailpipe leading up to the failure. Is it possible you didn’t notice the signs?
RAY: But Toyota did have a problem with these engines getting “gelled,” or “sludged,” with oil, which can lead to poor oil circulation — and eventually to no oil circulation. And that can lead to your exact problem. In fact, a number of sludged Toyota engines failed in exactly the way you describe, by throwing a connecting rod.
TOM: The good news is that Toyota recognized this problem, and extended the warranty for this problem for all affected Toyota engines built between 1997 and 2002.
RAY: The bad news is that it extended the warranty to eight years, and you’re well beyond that now.
TOM: Nonetheless, I think it’s worth a call to Toyota’s customer assistance line (888-802-9436). Explain your situation — that you’ve got only 43,000 miles on the car, and you’ve maintained it regularly. Who knows? Maybe they’ll feel guilty (especially in light of their recent quality-control problems) and help you out.
RAY: If not, then I’d go ahead and replace the engine. Just ask your mechanic to check for signs of sludge or oil gelling in the valve train. Even if it looks clean, be sure to change the oil every 3,000 miles, just to be safe. You may even want him to switch you over to a synthetic oil. If you do that, you should get many more miles out of this car — with fewer engine explosions. Good luck.
Who’s the wacko here?
Dear Tom and Ray:
I have a great, wonderful, sweet co-worker who may be as wacky as a loon. It was 0 degrees last week, and she refused to use her rear defroster, claiming it would shatter her rear window. Who is wacko here? Her, for this wacko theory, or me, for not believing her? — Matt
RAY: It depends how cute she is, Matt.
TOM: Actually, we know she’s wrong about the rear window. Car manufacturers are well aware that their vehicles will occasionally be used in temperatures below 0 degrees. And I’ve never seen a warning not to use a rear defroster under those conditions. In fact, those are exactly the kinds of conditions that the rear defroster is made for.
RAY: There are several reasons why the rear window won’t break. First of all, the defroster’s wires, which are embedded in the window, do not produce an enormous amount of heat. Remember, ice melts at any temperature above 32 degrees, so the window doesn’t have to get very hot.
TOM: If you don’t believe us, unplug your freezer for a couple of hours, until everything’s melting, then grab a bag of frozen peas and see how hot they are to the touch.
RAY: Second, the glass doesn’t change temperature immediately. It’s pretty thick. The heat has to work its way through. So it’s not like taking a steaming-hot glass and thrusting it into ice water. The change in glass temperature happens gradually.
TOM: And finally, the tempered glass used in rear windows is designed to be able to expand and contract without cracking. Remember, there are other situations where the temperature of the glass changes rapidly. Like when you’re driving on a hot, sunny day, and there’s a sudden downpour.
RAY: Right. If the glass cracked every time its temperature changed, we’d get a lot of letters about wet interiors in the summer.
Send your comments or questions for Tom and Ray to: Car Talk Plaza, P.O. Box 3500 Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA 02238. Listen to them Saturdays at 10 a.m. on 91.3 FM or 88.5 FM. Visit them on the Internet at www.cartalk.com.
About the Author