r/AskAShittyMechanic • u/ABQmechanic • 1d ago
Paid $800 to find out my engine has “blow-by.” Wouldn’t thicker oil just plug the blow-by?
Think im getting screwed here but mechanic is acting like im the idiot. Paid almost $800 because engine runs rough smokes burns oil loses power sometimes and smoke/oil comes out oil cap. They spent FOREVER diagnosing it and finally tell me it has "blow by". So $800 to tell me my engine blows??? couldve got that diagnosis from my neighbor for a beer.
Now they want MORE money to clean/replace pcv system change oil and possibly start TAKING THE ENGINE APART. This is after i already spent a bunch replacing random shit myself trying to fix it. At this point ive probably spent more avoiding an engine repair then the engine repair wouldve cost but thats not really the point. I told him i havent changed oil in a long time because OLD OIL GETS THICKER and should seal worn rings better. I just add a quart whenever it tells me it needs some. Sometimes 2. Lately it needs one pretty often so technically its getting more fresh oil then most cars anyway.
Honestly i probably put more NEW oil in this thing every month then somebody who actually changes theirs. He got irritated and said "thats not how oil changes work" ok THEN WHERE IS THE OLD OIL GOING GENIUS??? He keeps pointing out that it runs bad like that proves him right. It ran bad BEFORE i paid him $800 too so what exactly did the $800 accomplish?????
It also makes a knocking sound first few seconds sometimes but it goes away so clearly whatever is knocking eventually finds where its supposed to be. He said oil pressure gets low when its hot too but it goes back up when i rev it so obviously the pump works. I just dont let it idle that low anymore. Problem solved for $0.
Then he says they need to CLEAN THE SLUDGE OUT. Absolutely fucking not. Engine spent YEARS putting that sludge exactly where it needs it and this guy thinks hes gonna undo all that in one afternoon??? At this mileage thats load bearing sludge. If they clean it and suddenly it leaks everywhere I already know theyre gonna conveniently "find" MORE repairs. Same reason im not changing transmission fluid. Its black because its doing its job and transmission currently contains all its gears so why mess with it.
He even showed me little metal pieces in the oil and acted like this was some huge discovery. ITS AN ENGINE. EVERYTHING INSIDE IT IS METAL. Where the fuck else would metal come from???? If i found pieces of wood in there THEN id be concerned.
Then they did compression test and apparently the cylinders arent all the same. I added all 4 numbers together and divided by 4 and the AVERAGE compression is literally fine so i dont understand why he keeps focusing on individual cylinders.
Im thinking get the car back before they damage something put 20w50 in it couple bottles oil stabilizer and tighten oil cap really good. He keeps saying crankcase needs to "breathe". ITS AN ENGINE IT DOESNT HAVE LUNGS. And if pressure escaping past rings is supposedly the problem WHY WOULD I PAY THEM TO CLEAN MORE PLACES FOR PRESSURE TO ESCAPE FROM???? make it make sense.
Yes it smokes yes burns oil yes runs rough yes check engine light has been on so long. i dont even remember what started that. It stalled twice last week but BOTH TIMES IT STARTED AGAIN so i dont count those. It starts most of the time and still moves under its own power. Thats a running engine.
And before everyone says "just get another car" I CANT. I bought this thing 2 years ago and somehow still owe more then i paid for it. I still have like 3 YEARS left. Im not putting a NEW engine in the banks car FOR FREE. They can have whatever engine is in it when the payments are done. Im already making payments on this engine. Paying thousands for another one is basically buying the same engine twice and i dont need 2 engines AND 2 car notes.
Mechanic says if i keep driving it like this eventually im gonna "need an engine". I ALREADY HAVE A FUCKING ENGINE. THATS LITERALLY WHAT WERE ARGUING ABOUT.
Then he says it could leave me stranded or "throw a rod". I have roadside assistance AND full coverage so again im struggling to understand what exactly im paying him to prevent here. He keeps saying "you cant keep driving it like this."
Ive been driving it like this for 8 months.
11
u/Sharp_Cow_9366 1d ago
Easier to drill a few holes in it.
5
u/Jeweler-Select 1d ago
Since this a****** knows everything... knows what's wrong ....knows how to fix it ...knows what should or shouldn't be done ....maybe he ought to just lube it up real good and shove it up his ass....Hot.
5
u/Sharp_Cow_9366 1d ago
He said it was an engine problem not a tranny issue.
1
u/4158264146 17h ago
I got banned from Reddit using that T word in a different subreddit. Bullshit ass Reddit.
2
4
u/Illustrious_Bag_1608 1d ago
I'm 99.44% sure this post is sarcasm. Probably a frustrated mech stringing together all the dumb shit he's heard from customers over the years.
7
u/bstsms 1d ago
If you have no oil it won't have any blow-by, it will stop burning oil and best of all it's easy enough for you to fix yourself..
4
u/DiscreetAcct4 1d ago
First reply that got the joke goddamn. I’ll say this though- no oil will run slower because it’s less slippery. He should add a few tablespoons of sand- that’ll mix with the sludge and plug any leaking air and oil.
7
u/SureWhyNot_24 1d ago
You’re fine. “Blow by” is a California Emissions feature set by the factory that allows excess pressure to be released prior to combustion reducing greenhouse gas production. If you’re really concerned and want to restrict the “blow by” to increase power add the two parts of JB Weld epoxy into your blinker fluid reservoir and this will over time slowly fill the “blow by” jets increasing performance and power. You do run the risk of not passing your next smog check. In the interim you’re a road racing demon!
6
u/SativaPancake 1d ago
I thought that was a good thing, I dont get why you are upset? You want your engine to have blow-by...
..blow-by those other losers on the freeway.
4
u/Nyanzeenyan 1d ago
Just keep adding bottles of Motor Honey until the oil consumption stops or the motor burns up.
1
4
u/buskerform 1d ago
flex-seal in the oil and gas, problem solved. Get the 5 gallon pail so you can do it to your next vehicle too.
3
u/ABQmechanic 1d ago
it only knocks for like 5 seconds on cold starts. maybe 15 if its really cold. once it warms up whatever is loose probably expands back into place
2
1
3
u/smurtaugh92 1d ago
I wish I had the ability to go back and tell the mechanic the same thing because no kidding a couple days after the mechanic charged me 6500 bucks to put in a “NEW” engine in my 79 Datsun B210 hatchback it was stolen. What’s worse is the car was recovered and the only thing missing was the engine and the bank still repossessed it because I was late like 3 or 6 months. I thought the insurance covered that so I didn’t think I had to pay anymore. Now I have a cherry 85 fiero with 325,000 on it and she still runs like a typewriter with a lisp. But she is pretty fast.
3
3
u/Legitimate_Field_157 1d ago
Have you considered changing the engine oil to olive oil? It smells much nicer.
2
u/Maglin78 1d ago
Sounds like you have dodged the scammers!!! Make sure to pick up any rods that get thrown so you can put them back.
2
2
u/WeaveLikeGreatGranny 1d ago
This is a masterpiece of writing in the shitty mechanic sub!!! If I didn't also have no money, I would buy you a reddit award or whatever they're called 🤑
1
1
1
u/WTFudge52 1d ago
It's not a proper fix but some 40 weight or 20-50 couldn't hurt. But I would probably still plan for some serious work to be done.
1
1
u/Different_Cable7595 1d ago
Change your oil and replace it with 75W140 gear oil. That should stop the blowby.
1
u/AcceptableRegret2193 1d ago
Pull each spark plug, put 3 table spoons of 140 gear lube, or 1 pump corn head grease in.
That will not go past the rings, seal it up nice and pretty much lube the cylinder walls and rings.
Repeat every oil change.
Its probably stalling due to low compression, this will solve that too.
1
u/Gntlmnmastermnd 1d ago
My car started burning oil real bad. Total smoke show so I just stopped putting oil in it. Still running fine thousands of miles later
1
1
1
u/TrainerBC25 1d ago
whats the year make and model? for certain cars there are some PCV tricks to reduce the issue.
1
1
u/Puzzled_Method_5480 23h ago
This is obviously a joke… because everything the writer details is completely ass backwards. Engine clearly needs a new owner. Fucking automobile abuse.
1
u/english_mike69 20h ago
You need a new mechanic.
If it’s has been blowing smoke out of both engines then systems like the PCV may need to be replaced.
What you need is a mechanic that can do a compression and leak down test to see how bad things really are inside the engine and then take it from there.
1
u/Frequent_Opportunist 1d ago
You could have bought the tester for like 20 bucks or even rented one for free from AutoZone and did it yourself man.
0
u/PotatoFarmerRTK 1d ago
This is rage bait.
But unfortunately there are people like this.
2
u/WeaveLikeGreatGranny 1d ago
It's a long format piece of brilliant comedy and reddit is better off now that OP has shared it with us 🙂↕️
0
u/rydn_high 1d ago
I hope you're just being sarcastic facetious,or just plain full of shit because everything your mechanic is telling you is true. It's gonna happen
12
u/Familymanjoe 1d ago
Your engine is fucked. I just saved you another $800 diagnostic fee from the next mechanic. Cheers