2000 Malibu 3.1 FAST oil loss
November 5th, 2017, 5:41 PM
#1
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2000 Malibu 3.1 FAST oil loss
Last week I drove my Malibu up to the mountains of North Georgia from the Florida coast for a bachelor party(about 400 Miles). The car has the 3.1L V6 and 131,000 miles.
I had driven about 20 miles and braked rather hard to avoid hitting someone that pulled out in front of me. That's when a puff of smoke came from the car. I kept driving (stupidly) paying close attention to the dash. About a minute or two later the oil indicator flashed and then got more frequent until I stopped 5 miles after the cloud of smoke. The car was idling fine and the temperature was fine. About 1 to 2 miles after the puff of smoke, the car had stopped smoking from under the hood.
I popped the hood and a good portion of it was coated in engine oil. I pulled the dipstick, wiped it off, stuck it back in and when I pulled it out there was nothing on it. I looking around under the hood and couldn't find anything obvious. I inspected the oil filter and that looked fine, and the oil didn't come from the dipstick or the filler cap. Luckily, I was running Mobil 1 synthetic and think there was still enough oil around the engine so that I didn't do any major damage.
I had to get to a wedding and didn't have time to mess with the car. It was towed by a towing company and I rented a car to return home. I am contemplating whether or not I want to return and take a look at the car (6 hours each way).
Looking at the way the engines are orientated and where the oil pressure sensor is I am thinking that the sensor failed and shot oil into the fan which is why it was all over the engine bay.
Does anyone have any theories of other things that it could be? Anything that would cause the engine to loose oil that quickly? While the car is only worth about a thousand dollars and I am probably better off saying screw it, I really did like the car and have had a great 10 years with. I am reluctant to do 12 hours worth of driving if it is more likely to be something major. Any suggestions/information is greatly appreciated.
I had driven about 20 miles and braked rather hard to avoid hitting someone that pulled out in front of me. That's when a puff of smoke came from the car. I kept driving (stupidly) paying close attention to the dash. About a minute or two later the oil indicator flashed and then got more frequent until I stopped 5 miles after the cloud of smoke. The car was idling fine and the temperature was fine. About 1 to 2 miles after the puff of smoke, the car had stopped smoking from under the hood.
I popped the hood and a good portion of it was coated in engine oil. I pulled the dipstick, wiped it off, stuck it back in and when I pulled it out there was nothing on it. I looking around under the hood and couldn't find anything obvious. I inspected the oil filter and that looked fine, and the oil didn't come from the dipstick or the filler cap. Luckily, I was running Mobil 1 synthetic and think there was still enough oil around the engine so that I didn't do any major damage.
I had to get to a wedding and didn't have time to mess with the car. It was towed by a towing company and I rented a car to return home. I am contemplating whether or not I want to return and take a look at the car (6 hours each way).
Looking at the way the engines are orientated and where the oil pressure sensor is I am thinking that the sensor failed and shot oil into the fan which is why it was all over the engine bay.
Does anyone have any theories of other things that it could be? Anything that would cause the engine to loose oil that quickly? While the car is only worth about a thousand dollars and I am probably better off saying screw it, I really did like the car and have had a great 10 years with. I am reluctant to do 12 hours worth of driving if it is more likely to be something major. Any suggestions/information is greatly appreciated.
November 6th, 2017, 3:44 AM
#2
CF Monarch
Last week I drove my Malibu up to the mountains of North Georgia from the Florida coast for a bachelor party(about 400 Miles). The car has the 3.1L V6 and 131,000 miles.
I had driven about 20 miles and braked rather hard to avoid hitting someone that pulled out in front of me. That's when a puff of smoke came from the car. I kept driving (stupidly) paying close attention to the dash. About a minute or two later the oil indicator flashed and then got more frequent until I stopped 5 miles after the cloud of smoke. The car was idling fine and the temperature was fine. About 1 to 2 miles after the puff of smoke, the car had stopped smoking from under the hood.
I popped the hood and a good portion of it was coated in engine oil. I pulled the dipstick, wiped it off, stuck it back in and when I pulled it out there was nothing on it. I looking around under the hood and couldn't find anything obvious. I inspected the oil filter and that looked fine, and the oil didn't come from the dipstick or the filler cap. Luckily, I was running Mobil 1 synthetic and think there was still enough oil around the engine so that I didn't do any major damage.
I had to get to a wedding and didn't have time to mess with the car. It was towed by a towing company and I rented a car to return home. I am contemplating whether or not I want to return and take a look at the car (6 hours each way).
Looking at the way the engines are orientated and where the oil pressure sensor is I am thinking that the sensor failed and shot oil into the fan which is why it was all over the engine bay.
Does anyone have any theories of other things that it could be? Anything that would cause the engine to loose oil that quickly? While the car is only worth about a thousand dollars and I am probably better off saying screw it, I really did like the car and have had a great 10 years with. I am reluctant to do 12 hours worth of driving if it is more likely to be something major. Any suggestions/information is greatly appreciated.
I had driven about 20 miles and braked rather hard to avoid hitting someone that pulled out in front of me. That's when a puff of smoke came from the car. I kept driving (stupidly) paying close attention to the dash. About a minute or two later the oil indicator flashed and then got more frequent until I stopped 5 miles after the cloud of smoke. The car was idling fine and the temperature was fine. About 1 to 2 miles after the puff of smoke, the car had stopped smoking from under the hood.
I popped the hood and a good portion of it was coated in engine oil. I pulled the dipstick, wiped it off, stuck it back in and when I pulled it out there was nothing on it. I looking around under the hood and couldn't find anything obvious. I inspected the oil filter and that looked fine, and the oil didn't come from the dipstick or the filler cap. Luckily, I was running Mobil 1 synthetic and think there was still enough oil around the engine so that I didn't do any major damage.
I had to get to a wedding and didn't have time to mess with the car. It was towed by a towing company and I rented a car to return home. I am contemplating whether or not I want to return and take a look at the car (6 hours each way).
Looking at the way the engines are orientated and where the oil pressure sensor is I am thinking that the sensor failed and shot oil into the fan which is why it was all over the engine bay.
Does anyone have any theories of other things that it could be? Anything that would cause the engine to loose oil that quickly? While the car is only worth about a thousand dollars and I am probably better off saying screw it, I really did like the car and have had a great 10 years with. I am reluctant to do 12 hours worth of driving if it is more likely to be something major. Any suggestions/information is greatly appreciated.
