Hey guys,
I hope you have all had a fantastic christmas and new year. Anywayz back to my question. Me and my mates went on a 8 hour (730km) road trip from where we live (Townsville) to Rockhampton after christmas. It was great and we all had fun. We stayed for a week (28th dec to 4th jan). I took my 03 TL with 142k on the clock and my mate took his 03 TL with 303k on the clock. They both got there easily with no fuss. However, his used a fair amount of oil. So before we headed back, he topped up his oil. Now, I know this particular mate of mine can get forgetful at times however i didn't know he would make this mistake again. After he filled his oil, what do ya know, he forgets to put the cap back on (and he has done this before in his old 91 pulsar he had b4 the maggie)!! So not knowing his cap was off, he starts driving on the highway. By the time we reached Mackay (330km north of rocky), almost all of his oil was gone. I didn't see him for the rest of that day as I headed back to Townsville while he filled his oil in Mackay. He came to my house the next day. I decided i should have a listen to his engine. By what I heard, he had done some top engine damage. I basically said to him, you can either get another engine or buy that TJ I have been doing up. I was thinking maybe it would be a good excuse for him to do a 3.8 conversion, however we were both starting to think it wasn't even worth keeping his and that he should get a RWC and sell it (it should still pass RWC as the noise in the engine is only minor ATM). The TJ I have has 176k and the engine has 124k (the engine is from an 03 TL anyway). In some ways he will be downgrading, ie. TJ has less features and is 2 years older. Although, in other ways he will be upgrading, ie. lower mileage, already has the wing and 17" mags he wants. So my question is, what would you guys do in this situation? Thanks

Dropping all the oil is far more likely to do bottom end damage than top end.

Anyway if the engine is still working, then put some oil in it and leave it alone - $50 for a can of oil seems a lot cheaper than any of the other options you have given ;)

I think it was pretty well all the oil. By the time he reached Mackay his oil light was on. The other thing is too is that I know it would be one of them noises that would gradually get worse. He also needs a reliable car because he for one hasn't got a good knowledge of mechanical parts of cars and he also likes to WOT and go on long road trips so an engine that has engine wear due to running low on oil wouldn't be good for him I don't think. He's already filled the oil so.. That TJ I have, the previous owners run that out of oil too. They ripped a hole in the sump, obviously kept driving it and well, its old engine ended up sounding like a tractor which is why I had to swap another engine into it. I was also thinking he would be a bit better off getting my TJ as it has almost half the k's and the engine almost has a quarter of the k's that his has. I'm not really sure. Ultimately its up to him but I'm just trying to get some other views on the issue (thank you BlackFX for sharing yours) so he has some other opinions other than mine and his.

let him drive the TJ for a week and see how he likes it?

not much of a downgrade really, i mean i have both a TL Magna (3.5L), and TF Magna sports (3L), i enjoy driving them both equally.

make sure you tell the potential buyers of the tl that it has been run dry.

also, im with above. fill it with thick oil, maybe 20/50 and put a bottle of wynns engine treatment in it. then just drive it for a while to see how it goes.

also, exactly how far did it run with the oil pressure light on?

let him drive the TJ for a week and see how he likes it?

Yeah, once I get it registered (already has a RWC, just needs to go for a Written off vehicle inspection on 24th jan and she's ready to go) I will :D. I found the TJ is slightly more punchy due to lower kerb weight. Around town, you don't really notice the lesser features but I reckon u'd miss cruise on the highway


make sure you tell the potential buyers of the tl that it has been run dry.

also, im with above. fill it with thick oil, maybe 20/50 and put a bottle of wynns engine treatment in it. then just drive it for a while to see how it goes.

also, exactly how far did it run with the oil pressure light on?

Not sure mate. I might ask him. I'd say he drove it for a while before realising it was on (say 20-50km). He already uses 20W 60 penrite oil in it but u can still hear the noise. I'd say it'd use a fair bit more oil now as it used a fair amount before. I think the only things he'd miss really would be the tiptronic and cruise. I could sell those things to him from my TL wreck. Although is there a lot involved in adding these things to a TJ?

with the tj, im not sure, tip tronic would be the whole box + harnesses im pretty sure, and the cruise would most likley involve a harness or 2, pluss throttle body. if you can do the coversion, go to ace wrecker because they have heaps of j & l magnas there, ask for a price on the motor. but otherwise........

i had a 3l that you could have bought for 150, but its gone now

with the tj, im not sure, tip tronic would be the whole box + harnesses im pretty sure, and the cruise would most likley involve a harness or 2, pluss throttle body. if you can do the coversion, go to ace wrecker because they have heaps of j & l magnas there, ask for a price on the motor. but otherwise........

i had a 3l that you could have bought for 150, but its gone now

Yeah, I don't think my mate would wanna put a 3L in his TL anyways. As for the cruise, I already have the throttle body on the TJs engine as the whole engine was pulled from my TL wreck. I already have all the parts for the cruise and tippy in the TL wreck to sell him if he wants them, I would just need to know what exactly would be involved and what parts I would need to complete it successfully. I'm not sure that you would need the 'box for the tippy as I was under the impression that it is the same 'box with different software (can some1 confirm this?)

sorry i misread. thought you were takking about a 5 speed.

you will need the ECU, BEM (key from donor car, as well as locks, or get your key reprogramed) you will also need he engine loom from a tj2. plus the shifter.
to clarify this, should probably do a search.

I'd say for your mate a new (2nd hand) engine would be the way to go. Should be able to get one fitted <$1000 in good condition. That's if there is actual damage to the current one.

I'd say for your mate a new (2nd hand) engine would be the way to go. Should be able to get one fitted <$1000 in good condition. That's if there is actual damage to the current one.

Yeah, we did discuss that as his first option, but we thought maybe with the mileage that his has, it might not be worth it. I got to admit too, his car is not in the best condition (infact I'd say its average condition). Paint on the boot is rooted, massive stone chips on the front and roof is getting a fade spot in it. That TJ I got I'd say would be average-to-good condition. I will certainly show him this thread too. If he were to sell it, I'm sure that he would sell it quick as he was thinking of putting a good price on it. He was thinking $2000 WITHOUT reg or RWC or $3000 WITH reg and RWC. Then I'd sell him the TJ for $3500 so he won't be much out of pocket. I was also thinking if he bought mine, he might even be better off. As he did want to spend a bit more on the TL (don't think he does now). He wanted to get the front and rear re-sprayed, a brand new set of 17 or 18" mags with tyres, a TJ VRX wing and possibly lower it. If he buys the TJ, he doesn't really need to paint it, it already has 17" mags on it and a spoiler (plus a TJ VRX front bar and stanley parabolic headlights). He would just need to lower it really and maybe add some more bodykit (ie. rear bar, skirts) to it. What do you guys think?

Well I haven't talked to my mate since the day I saw him after he showed me the engine noise. I will show him this thread though so he gets some other ideas and ask him more about what actually happened. Although I know when the oil pressure light comes on, it means you have pretty well no oil so that had to have done some extensive damage. However though, if you were in the market for a 3.5L magna and the two best ones available were a 01 TJ exec with 176k or an 03 TL ES with 305k which one would you pick?