Timing belt or head gasket?

LAURA WAGNER

MEMBER
1991 TOYOTA COROLLA
4 CYL
AUTOMATIC
192,000 MILES

Forgot and left oil cap off, drove 6 miles, engine started shuddering, choked out. Kept pedal on floor to try and start, sounded like something rattling followed by hard clunk.

Battery checks out above 12v but will not turn over, only a click.
Have not used degreaser to remove oil under hood.

*Different opinions on oil in radiator, no smoke/leakage to indicate gasket. Never a problem until oil blowback.

I added the 2 quarts of oil it was down before attempting starting.

3 Replies

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,754 POSTS

You didn't list an engine size, so I can only share that some Toyota engines have the oil cap right over the timing chain. The chain splashes oil out the opening and all over the bottom of the hood. Most of the time you won't make it six miles before major internal damage is done. The rattling and clunk suggest the engine is seized and will need to be rebuilt. To verify this, try to rotate the crankshaft backward by hand, then forward. It is normal for it to become gradually harder to turn until some of the compression bleeds off over about five to ten seconds; then you can turn it some more. If you feel it suddenly bang to a stop and never go any further, there is major internal damage that must be repaired.