Thursday, June 2, 2011

Welding hammer lodged into oil pan and ruined motor. How do I fix it?

I have a Camry. I bought it 36 days ago and it broke down today. The man I bought it from towed it off and said he found a welding hammer sticking out of my oil pan and it ruined the entire motor. He said I must have run over it and it flew up, puncturing the oil pan, which drained the oil and ruined the motor. He changed my oil last and has done a majority of the work. Is it really possible that I ran over it, it drained the oil, and ruined my motor?



I looked under the car after I pulled over, the only thing I saw was the air conditioning dripping. There was no oil anywhere. I also looked under the hood and saw nothing.. just some white smoke. The man called me and said there was oil everywhere and on the road but I was sitting by my car for 20 min until my ride came. Before I left I looked it over too and still saw no oil, also, the smoke stopped a few seconds after I pulled over. I went back where I broke down and I couldn't find any oil on the road either.



I had a mechanic look at the car today and he said the man is a liar because it's not possible for that to happen, and if it somehow did happen, the things he showed me to prove what had happened would be different. The oil splatter would be all over and the hammer hole would not be a clean entry. Also it's a slim chance that it would have stayed in the pan. AND I would have noticed the hammer hanging when I looked under the car.



I am getting the car towed to a mechanic and I'll be taking pictures of everything. What is the best thing to do in this situation? And where is the best place to get a good affordable motor for an '02 Camry? Please Help!Welding hammer lodged into oil pan and ruined motor. How do I fix it?
Wow - this is a tale right out of the twilight zone.

Yes, it's possible to puncture the oil pan by running over some shrapnel or even a welding hammer in the road - however, it's extremely unlikely that you could do this without hearing it.

It's also possible for the oil to drain out of the resulting hole in the pan - but, again, you would have to be asleep not to hear the engine rattling when the oil pressure fell to zero or see any indication of the oil leakage or warning lights or gages on the instrument panel.



All in all, I'd have to say that story is really reaching the limits of believability.Welding hammer lodged into oil pan and ruined motor. How do I fix it?
definitely sounds like the dealer is taking you for a ride, you may want to file a complaint with the police, you saw no oil, the smoke was white indicating that it was probably coolant not oil, oil is bluish. Did you have any of warranty, if you did he probably doesnt want to honor it. Have the other mechanic inspect for foul play, if the oil was all drained this would have seized the engine .Welding hammer lodged into oil pan and ruined motor. How do I fix it?
something sounds wrong for sure here, first off if a welding hammer hit your oil pan hard enough to go through it you would have heard the clunk second off you would have smelled oil burnining especially if you were there 20 minutes and you would have seen oil dripping from the hole, I agree that it probably wouldnt have been a clean hole, and the hammer would have had oil splatter on it. for sure take it to a mechanic and have them look it over, what was the reason for allowing the guy you got it from to tow it anyway? have it diagnosed by a real mechanic, its possible that you dont need a motor and very possible that the car had a serious problem when you bought it and now the guy is trying to cover his back.Welding hammer lodged into oil pan and ruined motor. How do I fix it?
I guess anything is possible. If the oil drained out it would be quite a way back down the road before your engine seized up. It wouldn't lockup as soon as the hammer went in the pan. It could also make a clean hole because a welding hammer is very pointed. I guess all you can do is get all sides of the story and make your own mind up. It could be either way.