Rod Blew Through Engine

[stephiemullen]

I already posted something about the rod blowing through my boyfriend's 1997 camry. The dealer said that there was no sludge in the engine so that was not the reason why the engine blew a rod. What I want to know is why it would blow a rod if the engine was full of engine oil and other fluids. This baffles me because I was under the impression that a rod should never blow through the engine block. This sucks.

[Brian R.]

Shit happens. All it takes is a weak bolt on the rod cap and a bit of overrevving - particularly if the engine is cold.

[don24mac]

If there was no sludge in the engine, then what really happened at the shop where it was being repaired? You wrote in a previous post that "while being tested at the shop, they reved up the engine and a rod blew straight through the engine block and oil splattered everywhere."

It's very possible that they over-reved the engine and caused this failure. If so, it would be their responsibility to fix it. Automotive repair shops have insurance to cover "mistakes" that could result in costly failures such as your friend's. I'd first talk to the shop about this. Then, depending on their response, possibly look into small claims court, or hiring an attorney.

Get all the documentation you can, especially from the dealer where they said it didn't have a sludging problem. Make sure it states that on their documentation. Also get an estimate for repair costs. Then go pay the shop where it happened a friendly and cordial visit.

[stephiemullen]

Well, we were told that this happened at only 1500 RPM. There is no way to prove this or not to prove this. No one is looking for any lawsuits here. I was told by another mechanic that this should never happen in the first place. The other thing that is odd is that the car did have other problems leading up to this...stalling, check engine light, EGR flow insufficient, white smoke, etc.

[stephiemullen]

Oh yeah, one more thing: other people are saying that this has happened to them on the highway, so it can happen to anyone at anytime. It could have happened while my boyfriend was driving it if it didn't happen at the shop.

[Brian R.]

It is much less likely to happen under load like when you are driving, than when the engine is reved without a load.