I bought my 2016 Manual Chevy Spark LS in August. We flat towed it behind our motor home for a bit and last week some luggage slipped in the cargo compartment and I’m afraid it hit the shifter into 4th gear. Drove like that for one quarter mile before seeing smoke in the rear view and pulling over. Had smelled a burning smell prior to this but mechanics couldn’t tell me what it was. Replaced the throttle body due to a code and no start. Still nothing. Took to the Chevy dealer who tells me that the flywheel contacted the engine and they spun in gear with no oil since the engine wasn’t on. Tells me the bearings are shot and not worth rebuilding on this car so it’ll be $8200 to put in a new clutch AND a new long block engine. We paid $7500 for the car three months ago…
I’m somewhat mechanically inclined and learning everyday. What are my options here? Does this sound like damage that could’ve occurred for driving that short of a distance in gear?
Can I buy a scrap yard engine and put it in and it work? Are there aftermarket engines that could work? What can I do? It just seems like such a huge loss to have to scrap it for parts after having put all the money into the flat tow setup as well.
Oh yeah I agree that paying the dealership isn’t worth it. But I’m asking if I can find a scrapyard spark or engine for less than $1000 or so would it be worth it to try putting it in? And as someone who has done minor mechanical jobs but never swapped an engine is that something feasible or am I being naive?
An engine change isn’t overly difficult with the proper equipment but it’s much more complex than disconnecting a few things and pulling the motor. It can be quite the undertaking if you don’t know what you’re doing.