The Car

Sometimes I wonder if I look a little too much on the bright side of things...then again, if I didn't, where would I be? I hoped when my last car was totalled that the next one would provide less cause for concern, but it's turned out to be the other way around. Yeah, the Jetta had a lot of problems its first year, but they all got fixed, and after that it behaved itself pretty well. The Corolla, on the other hand...

I'll start with the short background: I took it to Autex in Keene for an oil change, after which it developed a small rattle, not terribly alarming. Three thousand or so miles later, I took it back to the same place for an inspection, since they'd offered me a free one. I requested that they check out the rattle, which had gotten quite a bit worse in the last couple of months.

The guy came back to me looking somewhat alarmed and informed me that they hadn't found a rattle, but the engine was rapping loudly (sounds the same to me...he couldn't have just figured that's what I'd heard?), and when they checked, the car contained no oil. I told them to do an oil change and check for leaks, and they did so and found none.

The rapping stopped for about twenty-four hours, then began again, getting progressively worse over a couple of weeks until it was even worse than before. I checked the oil often, but even after a drive to western New York and back the level hardly fell, so I wasn't overly worried. The exhaust looked and smelled as it should, and it left no puddle in the driveway.

This week marked another three thousand since the last oil change, so I took it to JiffyLube to have the job done. In the summer I would do it myself, but there's no way I'm lying down in the snow and ice at this time of year to save twenty bucks. Craig asked the tech how the oil looked when it came out of the car, and the answer was, "There wasn't enough to tell. Oh, and you're low on coolant, too." He also told us that they did find a leak, between the engine and the transmission. It wasn't leaving a puddle because it only leaks while I'm driving.

The engine rapping was very slightly better after the service, but as I figured, it came right back. It seems the cylinders and/or cylinder heads are too badly damaged from...whatever the hell happened...to recover. Now, missing oil and coolant, and a leak between the engine and transmission that only happens when it's running - put the clues together, and what do they suggest? Unfortunately, a cracked engine block.

Of course, just finding out if that's actually the problem could cost more than the car is worth, so I'm pretty well stuck. I'm going to try to find a local mechanic who will give me an opinion without charging me three months' paycheck, but I honestly don't have a lot of hope.