miningman said:
Additional lessons include never buy a used vehicle without first having a pre-purchase inspection performed by an independent competent mechanic. Never rely on your own personal understanding of the local "fit for purpose" leglisation. Altho called different things in different countries , none of them provide the consumer much protection once cash has changed hands. Never run your vehicle so low of oil that the warning light comes on.
How could a used car inspection even catch this? If it didn't smoke, and didn't leak, the best bet would be a long test drive and an oil analysis
danielerror said:
I didn't ask the question the defence did. I thought the low oil warning came on the first trip with the caravan because it weighed three tonnes. Level was fine when I set off. Low oil warning came on and went off, but I checked it at the end of the trip and it was on the low level on the stick so I topped up.
Classic sign here of crankcase oil dilution with diesel. It could have had low compression when you bought it, I.E. the fit of the pistons was such that diesel would make its way into the crankcase. A very thorough inspection could have caught the low compression or leak down. Or oil analysis could have caught it.
danielerror said:
Hi Miningman it was in the one trip the low oil warning came on, it turned off again immediately once the revs dropped. I checked at the end of that trip and it was low on the dipstick.
Also a fatal error. Depending on the engine design, Engine oil will get flung all over the crank case/block/cylinder heads at higher RPM, and is more likely to stay in the crankcase longer without returning to the oil pan sump.
If the oil pressure light comes on at all, you pull over and put more oil in pronto. I learned that with the tercel, oil light came on at high RPM, I thought I could limp it home. Low RPM it was off. Still didn't make it.
danielerror said:
I'm looking for some documentation or a video on low oil warnings or cylinder wall damage, do you know where I could find that information?
This also sounds like the classic oil dilution. Oil dilution damages the engine slowly, over time, because fuel of any kind (except maybe biodiesel) does not provide anywhere the lubrication your engine needs.
In a gas engine the fuel easily washes the cylinder walls of oil when cold, or when rich sometimes, and destroys it that way in short time.
There was a funny video on youtube by VinWiki where this guy boughta GMC motor home. They didn't make it home, and the engine had low compression when at a mechanic shop. They wondered why, it ran strong when they got it. It got way worse fuel economy though than it should have.
Turns out the carburetor was leaky letting in extra fuel. Bad MPGs and led to engine damage.
Your landcruiser may have a tune leading to extra fuel injection. Can you check this out to make sure? I'm not sure if tuning is prevalent in AU like it is in USA.
Could also just have been oil dilution and low quality oil. Always use synthetic, and make sure the oil level never goes up. It will fool you into thinking the oil level is correct, when infact, it's oil and diesel in there.
Also, it may feel like you're defending yourself, however, it's just a side effect of conversing with people who speak matter of factly. I sympathize with you, however, I just don't see a way that they were out to get you, or even if they were out to get you, that you can prove it. They may have been as clueless as you were. In these life instances it's unfortunately the best to put these behind us and learn from the experience. I can't think of a way with the info you have to prove your case.
Engineering student. Electrical or mechanical, I can't decide!
Minoring in psychology
