Hi there, My car recently started rattling heavily when the engine fires up and then calms down and runs normally. My mechanic diagnosed and below were the findings: 1. Cylinder 2 & 4 were misfiring out of which cylinder 4 was misfiring a lot of number of times. 2. Figured that the ignition coils were bad. 3. Surprisingly, dip stick showed there’s waster in the engine oil. Fixes: 1. Drained all the oil. Replaced oil and oil filter. Dip stick showed no water this time. 2. Replaced all the four ignition coils. The car is still rattling whenever the is coming on. Can u suggest what next I can do. Sparks?
3. Water in the oil. Diagnosis = headgasket failed allowing water from the cooling system into the engine combustion chambers, that's what is causing the rough, shaky engine and water in the oil. Your mechanic doesn't sound like a very competent one. You should seek out another. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Fixes: 1. Drained all the oil. Replaced oil and oil filter. Dip stick showed no water this time. 2. Replaced all the four ignition coils. Number 1 sounds absurd. If you replace the oil and the oil filter, it would not show water. Water (coolant) gets in there when there's a bad headgasket, changing the oil doesn't fix a darn thing. Number 2, well you should replace the spark plugs too, after you fix the headgasket of course.
Unfortunately back in January it may have been just a head gasket. Now the very common head gasket problem has progressed. Water in the oil is end stage. Have to assume there is very serious piston damage by now. A used or rebuilt engine or junking the car is in its future. The problem does not present in the same way conventional cars do with a failed head gasket. An all aluminum engine often warps the head. Confuses uninitiated mechanics and dismayed owners almost every time. Shudder video
