Spyder Bought my first DSM and am in quite a situation

[Bladed]

This is a long story and a lot of stuff happened so bare with me, I’m aware I’m kinda at fault for most of this, it’s my first DSM however I have some experience with them from family who owned multiple.

So I went out and bought a 97 GST Spyder with 160k miles, replaced belts, replaced seals, replaced water pump, new Konig backbones and good tires, small oil leak on the right side (seller suspected cross threaded bolt or loose bolt of some sort), a power drain somewhere (suspected something with the convertible so I switched top to manual mode), automatic but it shifted fine, 100% rust free even strut towers, and bone stock besides a 16g turbo. I drove it for about a hour at highway speeds and long story short, I rear ended my friend at maybe about 10mph (owe him a bumper and scuffed up mine but it was super scuffed before so I wasn’t too worried).

The car threw a few lights up but they went away immediately and the car continued to chug along and my friend was in a rush to get home, cut to about an hour later I noticed the low oil light going on and off inconsistently. I went to the nearest gas station since I was also low on gas and picked up a quart of full synthetic that the seller said he was using, I top off the oil use maybe half the quart and then eventually get going again.

Well cut to me driving on the highway, acceleration wasn’t being great so I gave I slowed down and then gave it a little gas and then shortly after car starting being a bit rough then there was pretty distinctly blueish maybe whiteish smoke coming from the exhaust. I immediately pulled over and shut off the car and the battery died while waiting for a tow since I was worried about the timing belt or bent valve stems. I don’t recall hearing any bad mechanical metal on metal type noises but the cabin was so insanely loud at highway speeds I'm not 100%. The tow driver asked to look at the engine bay and there was lots of oil kinda everywhere near but not touching the timing belts and turbo.

Later I take a look at stuff myself and I found a coolant line disconnected from the radiator, at this point I’m suspecting either turbo or headgasket issue primarily and planned on removing the exhaust manifold to see if the ports were wet and to take a closer look at the turbo itself. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get to that part because my neighbor in a large truck backed into the driver side of the car leaving their driveway which messed up my hood, broke the headlight, and messed up the bumper some more.

I do not yet have insurance on the vehicle but was told by an officer that essentially my insurance company should help take care of me with getting it insured even after this. I haven’t yet seen if there’s any structural damage but the neighbor was just backing out of the driveway so I don’t think so, but in this situation I’m not sure what the good ending is as I still need to charge the battery and see if the car even runs. I’m worried that the cost of repair will likely cost more than the car so not sure how I should approach this. I will try discussing with my neighbor and seeing if they are maybe willing to pay for the parts out of pocket and I might just do the labor myself regardless of it being 100% their fault as I found a replacement headlight and hood in the same color however not a front bumper color in the same color.

I would love to see this car live mainly due to the rust free factor and it really did seem like a great project to fix up but not sure which angle to approach this at. Any guidance is appreciated, I’m aware that I was kinda extremely stupid about a lot of this as to be honest I was only really looking out for crankwalk and replaced timing belt, tensioner, 60/120k stuff.

I suspect the coolant line detached when I hit my friend and it overheated but I think it’s more something with the turbo then the headgasket. Any advice is appreciated and im aware It’ll likely be deemed totaled but if it is then I’ll maybe part out some interior pieces and keep the wheels and move on, just really don’t wanna see it go since it’s totally rust free. (I’ll try to add photos soon)

 

[Dericsh]

Compression/leakdown test to verify condition of the engine. If it’s good, then inspect turbo. (Is it an eBay 16g?)

If you’re not your own mechanic, then yeah these problems are going to cost more than the car is worth.

Talk to your neighbor about helping you fix the car, don’t let that linger on as they will likely start trying to avoid you.

 

[Bladed]

Compression/leakdown test to verify condition of the engine. If it’s good, then inspect turbo. (Is it an eBay 16g?)

If you’re not your own mechanic, then yeah these problems are going to cost more than the car is worth.

Talk to your neighbor about helping you fix the car, don’t let that linger on as they will likely start trying to avoid you.

Im pretty mechanically inclined and spent a pretty long amount of time lurking on the forum months before I found one, very willing to fix the car just lacking the space a little, I’m also not too sure about the difficulty level or how long it takes to replace the bumper, hood, and headlights and need to get those done first to park where I at

 

[Dericsh]

If the actual body underneath isn’t damaged, replacing those parts is an easy afternoon project.

 

[Bladed]

If the actual body underneath isn’t damaged, replacing those parts is an easy afternoon project.

What should I look for with the turbo and the engine and all that? I honestly have no clue if it’s a eBay turbo or not but what turbo should I buy if I happen to need a new one?

Im fine with the stock motor I just want it to work so I'd be fine getting a smaller OEM turbo or something instead of the 16g. I also kinda suspect the bolt the guy was talking about to be the one between the oil filter and housing since it did leak a small palm sized puddle at stops when it did run.

I also discovered some oil in my exhaust leading me to believe it’s maybe a turbo seal or something

 

[Dericsh]

Worrying about what to buy is skipping too far ahead of the task at hand.

Take the intake tube off and take pictures of the turbo. Someone here will help identify it.

You’ll also have access to inspect it for excessive play/damage at that point.

 

[Bladed]

Worrying about what to buy is skipping too far ahead of the task at hand.

Take the intake tube off and take pictures of the turbo. Someone here will help identify it.

You’ll also have access to inspect it for excessive play/damage at that point.

So should I try to get my neighbors to pay for cost of parts out of pocket? Not fixing it isn’t really an option for me and I’m not too hopeful about what insurance will think of it in it’s current non running state

 

[Dericsh]

It depends on the relationship you have with your neighbor. If I hit my neighbors car, I would have already ordered all the parts and be fixing it for him by now.

I’m not sure which insurance you’re talking about, since you said it’s uninsured. Your neighbors? Your home?

Either way, It’s none of the insurance companies business if the car runs or not.

 

[dwb]

OK, let me see if I understand.

• You bought a 2g turbo DSM.
• It ran decent enough to drive.
• You performed some maintenance.
• You got in a front-end accident and dash lights turned on.

What dash lights? Did you inspect under the hood for damage? Anything leaking?

• You continued driving
• Oil light turns on
• You continued driving (!)
• Added a quart of oil

What was the oil level according to the dipstick, either before or after adding a quart?

• You continued driving
• Car started acting strange
• You continued driving and 'got on it' a bit
• Car started blowing smoke

Was this from the exhaust or from the engine bay?

• You pulled over and called a tow truck
• There is oil all over the engine bay

Did you check your oil level at this point?

• You find a disconnected radiator hose

Antifreeze has a very distinct sweet smell, did you notice any of this while driving? Does your temp gauge work and did you notice it on the high side? It's also possible you were out of coolant and therefore your gauge didn't register the temp of the block since there was an air cavity at the sensor.

• Towed the car home and parked it.
• A neighbor backed into the car while parked, causing more front-end damage.

Parked on a public road or private property? Was it legally parked? I'd see if the neighbor's insurance will cover it. It doesn't matter if you plan to fix it yourself or not. I don't know if you are in an at-fault state either, so depending on that you might be on the hook for your own repairs. Document EVERYTHING if you plan to go after the neighbor for damages, but don't be a jerk about it.

At this point you will be lucky if you don't have multiple mechanical issues. Sounds like the engine might have overheated. Possibly ran out of oil. Multiple leaks under the hood, both oil and coolant. Time to start diagnosing. Look for coolant in your oil/oil in your coolant (if any is left). Fix any obvious leaks, fill with oil and perform a compression test.

 

[Bladed]

OK, let me see if I understand.

• You bought a 2g turbo DSM.
• It ran decent enough to drive.
• You performed some maintenance.
• You got in a front-end accident and dash lights turned on.

What dash lights? Did you inspect under the hood for damage? Anything leaking?

• You continued driving
• Oil light turns on
• You continued driving (!)
• Added a quart of oil

What was the oil level according to the dipstick, either before or after adding a quart?

• You continued driving
• Car started acting strange
• You continued driving and 'got on it' a bit
• Car started blowing smoke

Was this from the exhaust or from the engine bay?

• You pulled over and called a tow truck
• There is oil all over the engine bay

Did you check your oil level at this point?

• You find a disconnected radiator hose

Antifreeze has a very distinct sweet smell, did you notice any of this while driving? Does your temp gauge work and did you notice it on the high side? It's also possible you were out of coolant and therefore your gauge didn't register the temp of the block since there was an air cavity at the sensor.

• Towed the car home and parked it.
• A neighbor backed into the car while parked, causing more front-end damage.

Parked on a public road or private property? Was it legally parked? I'd see if the neighbor's insurance will cover it. It doesn't matter if you plan to fix it yourself or not. I don't know if you are in an at-fault state either, so depending on that you might be on the hook for your own repairs. Document EVERYTHING if you plan to go after the neighbor for damages, but don't be a jerk about it.

At this point you will be lucky if you don't have multiple mechanical issues. Sounds like the engine might have overheated. Possibly ran out of oil. Multiple leaks under the hood, both oil and coolant. Time to start diagnosing. Look for coolant in your oil/oil in your coolant (if any is left). Fix any obvious leaks, fill with oil and perform a compression test.

smoke was blowing from the exhaust and I discovered oil in it, I’m in a at fault state and there was no dipstick but the oil was full before I left however I didn’t check the oil level after it got towed, I’m going to try to talk to the neighbor about ordering parts but my dad keeps insisting that we charge the battery and try to start the car which I’m very much against, what should I look for on the spark plugs when I remove them since I know they usually indicate stuff

 

[dwb]

Don't turn the engine over until you have verified your oil level is appropriate. It takes a full 5 quarts. If you don't have a dipstick, get one ASAP!

No ill intentions, and I tried helping you format so it was a little easier to understand, but this run-on sentence makes my head hurt.

 

[Bladed]

Don't turn the engine over until you have verified your oil level is appropriate. It takes a full 5 quarts. If you don't have a dipstick, get one ASAP!

No ill intentions, and I tried helping you format so it was a little easier to understand, but this run-on sentence makes my head hurt.

my bad about the formatting I’m on mobile, after I drain the possible leftover oil could I just add a quart or two I have lying around then try to turn it over?

 

[Dericsh]

my bad about the formatting I’m on mobile, after I drain the possible leftover oil could I just add a quart or two I have lying around then try to turn it over?

No. You need a dipstick.

 

[dwb]

If you drain the oil, add at very least 4 fresh quarts. That would put you to the low mark on the dipstick (if you had one). You really should add 5 quarts, though.

Oil is not worth messing around with. A few bucks for oil or a few thousand for a rebuild. Also not worth messing around without a dipstick - you'll never know if or how much it's leaking/using.

EDIT: BTW, you're probably blowing oil all over the engine bay without a dipstick.

Here's a dipstick for a 2g. Less than 20 bucks. Get one!

EXTREME PSI : Your #1 Source for In Stock Performance Parts

www.extremepsi.com

 

[GReddyTalon]

+1 on probably blowing oil out because of no dipstick. I wouldn't try starting it again until you have one.

 

[Bladed]

If you drain the oil, add at very least 4 fresh quarts. That would put you to the low mark on the dipstick (if you had one). You really should add 5 quarts, though.

Oil is not worth messing around with. A few bucks for oil or a few thousand for a rebuild. Also not worth messing around without a dipstick - you'll never know if or how much it's leaking/using.

EDIT: BTW, you're probably blowing oil all over the engine bay without a dipstick.

Here's a dipstick for a 2g. Less than 20 bucks. Get one!

EXTREME PSI : Your #1 Source for In Stock Performance Parts

www.extremepsi.com

I’ll pick up 5 quarts of Mobil 1 full synthetic and a dipstick asap but can I reuse that oil when it inevitably leaks out? I’m a little strapped for cash right now and that won’t be a issue soon but If I can collect the oil from the leak instead of wasting it that’d be ideal since I’m probably not going to get around to properly taking stuff apart and working on it and fixing the leak until next week. Also any tips on how to convince my parents to let me borrow garage space is much appreciated. Just don’t want to see the potential go to waste since it’s rust free and completely stock aside from the turbo.

 

[Bladed]

I’ll pick up 5 quarts of Mobil 1 full synthetic and a dipstick asap but can I reuse that oil when it inevitably leaks out? I’m a little strapped for cash right now and that won’t be a issue soon but If I can collect the oil from the leak instead of wasting it that’d be ideal since I’m probably not going to get around to properly taking stuff apart and working on it and fixing the leak until next week. Also any tips on how to convince my parents to let me borrow garage space is much appreciated. Just don’t want to see the potential go to waste since it’s rust free and completely stock aside from the turbo.

Assuming the oil isn’t contaminated or something when it leaks out

 

[dwb]

I would never put dirty oil in it. Fix the leak or don't drive it if it's that bad.

 

[Mello]

I’ll pick up 5 quarts of Mobil 1 full synthetic

Just use regular cenventional dino oil until you get the leaks fixed. You don't have to buy expensive oil just do regular oil changes.

 

[Bladed]

I would never put dirty oil in it. Fix the leak or don't drive it if it's that bad.

If it’s fresh oil I just put in though shouldn’t it be relatively clean and fine to use? If it’s dirty or anything then definitely not and I won’t be using whatever oil might be leftover in it currently but I just want to see if the car turns over before I start taking everything apart. Don’t plan on actually driving it until I get the leaks and front end sorted out. Also would it be worth getting some sort of metal coolant lines in the much farther future if I get it running well again?

 

[Bladed]

Just use regular cenventional dino oil until you get the leaks fixed. You don't have to buy expensive oil just do regular oil changes.

It shouldn’t have any negative effects right? I just want to locate leaks and see if the car turns over but i know that the past owner used Mobil 1 full synthetic so I wasn’t sure and don’t want to mess it up even more.

 

[Mello]

It won't be a problem. I wouldn't use any oil than ran down the outside of the motor that's collected in a drip tray though. Just imagine all the crud that it can pick up. Run a finger through one of the drip trails and rub them together, you can feel all the little grit particles the oil will pick up.

 

[dwb]

If it’s fresh oil I just put in though shouldn’t it be relatively clean and fine to use? If it’s dirty or anything then definitely not and I won’t be using whatever oil might be leftover in it currently but I just want to see if the car turns over before I start taking everything apart. Don’t plan on actually driving it until I get the leaks and front end sorted out. Also would it be worth getting some sort of metal coolant lines in the much farther future if I get it running well again?

You're playing Russian roulette by putting used oil back in. You'll find the leak very quickly if it's as bad as you think. Sucks to waste it but is the risk worth it?

For coolant lines I'd stick with the rubber lines, just replace them if they're old.

 

[Bladed]

You're playing Russian roulette by putting used oil back in. You'll find the leak very quickly if it's as bad as you think. Sucks to waste it but is the risk worth it?

For coolant lines I'd stick with the rubber lines, just replace them if they're old.

Yah, I think I’ll just buy some sort of dino oil and use that since I don’t plan on driving the car. Just figuring stuff out for now and Ill buy the synthetic stuff if I get the leak fixed and all that.

Also I’m currently looking for a black OEM front bumper cover, black hood, and driver side headlight. I’ll see if my neighbor is willing to cover the cost without getting me having to get his insurance involved.

The current plan was to find and buy OEM pieces off cars in junkyards or someone parting one out so the parts fits easier and because I really don’t want the hood and bumper to just be primer. Is this a good approach to take?

I found a black hood at a junkyard not too far from me which I inquired about and it’s relatively easy finding a new headlight but I’m having trouble finding a front bumper cover in black so not sure what to do about that since I want to talk to the neighbor about ordering those parts asap.

 

[Dericsh]

Also I’m currently looking for a black OEM front bumper cover, black hood, and driver side headlight. I’ll see if my neighbor is willing to cover the cost without getting me having to get his insurance involved.

Where are you located?