Avoid Major Engine Damage: Keep An Eye Out for These 4 Things

August 19, 2019

Engine damage is something that nobody wants to have. It's inconvenient, frightening, and expensive. Fortunately, you can often avoid major engine damage if you pay attention to what's happening in your vehicle while also being aware of how you're driving it.

At Capitol Toyota, we want to make sure you have quality information about how best to take care of your Toyota car, truck, or SUV. With that in mind, check out these four common causes of major engine damage--and how to avoid them.

4. Hydrolocked Engine

The pistons in combustion engines are designed to compress a mixture of fuel and air in the cylinder. Air is easy to compress, which is why this system works so well. Water, on the other hand, is incredibly difficult to compress. If too much water gets into the cylinders, the piston or related components like the piston rod will very likely break as it tries to compress it, especially at high RPMs.

One of the quickest ways to hydrolock your engine is to drive during flood conditions. Even if the water isn't quite high enough to reach the air intake, the water in a wake caused by another car could do the trick. It's also possible for a blown head gasket to cause hydrolocking--but more about that later.

3. Low Engine Oil Levels

The oil in your engine plays a vital role. It lubricates the moving parts of the engine so they don't become damaged and overheat due to friction. If your engine doesn't have enough oil, the engine will eventually become damaged.

To avoid getting into a situation where you don't have enough oil in the engine, be sure to check your oil on a regular basis. In addition, if the oil pressure warning light comes on in your instrument cluster, don't ignore it. In fact, you should shut the engine off as soon as it's safe to do so when the oil pressure warning light comes on. This can make the difference between an engine that can be fixed and one that's damaged beyond repair.

2. Broken Timing Belt

Many modern engines are interference engines. This means that the pistons and the valves occupy some of the same space within the cylinders, though not at the same time. If the timing belt in your Toyota breaks, the pistons may strike the valves when they're open, destroying them. This is a fast way to suffer massive engine damage.

If your Toyota has a timing belt rather than a timing chain, the best way to avoid this problem is to make sure that you have it replaced when the owner's manual tells you to.