QuestionScion

Everyone,

A friend of mine owns a 2005 Scion tC with 91,000 miles. He had his oil changed last month, and 2,500 on the change. And now, his engine is dead. As in, piston 3 rattles when trying to start, and there is no oil in it.


There is no noticeable leak, oil bolt is tight and indexed, no oil in the engine bay, etc. Since the car is on its second owner, there is no warranty, and since he went 2,500 miles since the change, I am pretty sure even if the company that changed the oil messed up, we're screwed.


So, first off, is there ANY kind of re-call that would allow him to get a new engine without spending a crap ton of money? We are both students.



Second off, what engines fit the Scion tC? We asked around, one guy wants $1,500 for a used engine with 60K miles due to having to ship it, Advanced Auto wants $3,600 for a new engine, etc. Are there any options for a more commonly found engine that we don't need to reprogram the ECU, change the wiring harness, tranny mating, etc. for?



Any and all help is appreciated, we need to get this back on the road... and for minimal cost.

Jon

There has never been a recall on anything that would cause engine failure. Not knowing the history of the car, there's no telling what the first owner did or didn't do that may have led to this. Or it could just be a bad engine, it happens albeit rarely.

There is no other engine besides the 2AZ that is plug and play. You can try to source one from another model such as the xB2, Camry, RAV4, etc.

QuestionScion

What extra work would be involved in swapping those engines? Do they have the same engine mount/tranny setup, similar injector sizes, etc?


A cheaper engine won't make sense if it doubles the cost if the motor swap, so I am trying to find what modifications those engines would take to fit. Will the existing AC compressor, alternator, etc. from the current engine fit those motors?



Also, the previous owner was an older gentleman who did nothing- the car is stock. No funny smelling exhaust, no evidence of a leak, yet the engine is FUBAR.



Thank you, and everyone else, for any help you can provide.

Jon

Well it's the same engine, 2.4L 2AZ-FE so I would assume everything is the same. I do know in 2007, however, they changed the MAF and went to oil squirters. I'm not sure what that means on the ECU end though. Maybe someone else will chime in.

QuestionScion

What about the different exhaust, and ECU programming? Since the Camry engine would have had a different ECU before, would mating it to the tC ECU cause problems, or, would the intake/exhaust cycles just update themselves?


Also... are all 2AZ-FE engines VVT-i types?

tipc4life

iTrader: (2)

you try ebay or a local junkyard and to be safe i woyld stay with 05/06 engine so then you won't run into anything

thendawg

iTrader: (2)

There are ONLY TWO versions of the 2az-fe. One was used up until like the end of 06, than after that is the 2nd gen. If you have an 05-06 tc, any of the first gen 2az-fe's will work. The pass side mount/timing chain cover is different on a couple cars, but you can always swap it over. Check out car-part.com

Also, something seems off about this. Youre saying theres no visible leak and it never smoked, yet theres now NO oil in the engine 2500 miles after an oil change??? I just dont see that being possible. Im thinking maybe the person who filled it, filled it a couple quarts low, and after a little bit of burnoff it lowered the level to the point that it lost oil pressure. Just a theory.

QuestionScion

The latter is all true, and yeah, the guy who changed the oil may have been a complete idiot or thought he put in 5 quarts and only put 3 or 2... but, we can't prove it now and I have a strong feeling they won't just say "Ooops our bad, here, let's fix our mistake".



So... an 03, 04, 05, 06 Toyota Camry engine will be just fine for a direct swap? The alternator, wiring harness, engine mounts, transmission, etc. will all mate directly to the Camry motor if it is from those years?

thendawg

iTrader: (2)

As long as its a 2az yes - remember the camry also came with a v6. I think the camry is the one tho that youll need to swap over the timing chain cover as its different in the Camry - but thats no big deal really.

QuestionScion

I am paying a mechanic, so anything that adds labor adds money. What cars have a straight swap?

tc-guy

unfortunately some of the 2az engines particularly the ones in the camrys have oil consumption issues. i have seen numerous ones come in at my job with no visible leaks but are 2-3 quarts low after 1k-2k miles after an oil change. it must be burning oil or something.

trd07tc

iTrader: (-1)

Where are you located?

vi3tb0i09

iTrader: (1)

IMO, i would just go with the same exact engine so you won't have any problems. Plus, since money is an issue, its best to go this route because any mods would take time and more money.

QuestionScion

Virginia.


If the exact same engine is in an 06 Camry, and only one chain needs to be moved, it is smarter to go that route and risk paying the mechanic an extra $100 instead of paying $1,000 more for a motor that will fit, and also takes extra time to get there. Money is an issue, hence, looking for other engines.

Jon

There shouldn't be that much of a difference in price, if any, for identical engines. Mileage and visual condition will play more of a factor in price.

Irishguy0224

iTrader: (10)

Check ebay, there are plenty of wrecked tCs on there that im sure you could pick an engine up from. Or as you stated you could get a BNIB one for 3,5k... thats not bad at all...

Rufuswill

lol maybe they thought 2.4l of oil, anyways some rav4s and camrys and 2g xbs

QuestionScion

Well, asking for a Scion vs. Camry engine- even though they are almost identical- are completely different prices. Why? Most car guys seem to not know cars, typing in Scion shows only Scion engines, Camry only shows Camry. They don't cross-list engines that are compatible.



Since Camry's are more common, it is easier to find a Camry engine, since more cars being on the road means more get wrecked.



$3,500 is a HORRIBLE price. So is $1,500, to be frank. It isn't about being a deal- hell, an Aston Martin brand-new DB9 for $80,000 is a hell of a deal; but it doesn't mean you magically make $80,000 extra a year to pay the price.


As students, we need a decent budget engine. No other way around it, we're in a crappy position and we need to find an engine for cheap. The car already had 90,000 miles on it, so it doesn't make much sense to pay more for a lower mileage motor...

thendawg

iTrader: (2)

Yeah - youll be hard pressed to find one under $1200 ish nowadays. Just have to watch car-part.com Man I used to find 2az's all the time for $650-800, now thats damn near impossible.

QuestionScion

Hahahaha that would be bad... but who knows, like I said, we have no way to prove if it burned oil or they didn't add enough, or both. I wish we did, though.


Will a Rav-4 engine be a direct swap? I figured being a SUV style, it would have different ECU programing and possible mechanical differences due to that... but I don't know Toyota engines that well, so I could be wrong.


Again, thanks to everyone for the help.