What's the best engine for 82 Corolla?

HELP! 98 Toyota Corolla Engine Problems?

• Hi, I have a few questions, first off, my car has been eating oil for a while now, about a quart every two weeks. I looked for leaks but couldn't find any. But when changing out spark plugs, there was a little oil in 2 of the holes so i figured i need a new gasket. But now, when i had the car running with the oil cap off, it kinda sounded like a muffler from the oil filler hole thing where the cap went. Then when i started to pour oil in it, it wouldn't reach the hole because of the air blowing out. the engine knocks when low on oil or real cold out. today, it won't start at all. Whats wronge with the engine in your opinion? thanks.

• Answer:

  Does the car smoke? If so, then you are burning oil that is leaking into your compression chamber through the piston rings or valve guides. A car with bad rings will have low compression, which would make starting difficult. What do your spark plugs look like? Are they black and oily? If so, you're burning oil. If it doesn't smoke, then it's not being burned, so it has to be escaping another way. Two quarts every two weeks is a huge amount of oil to be losing (unless you're driving non-stop). Get under the car and look for big patches of oil on the under-side. You could be blowing oil from a gasket when the engine rpm's rise, but none when the car isn't running. You could also be dripping oil onto an exhaust pipe, but you would probably have mentioned the smell. The sound from the oil cap with the engine running is normal, you're hearing (and feeling) the pumping noises coming from the pistons going up and down in the crankcase. Oil isn't normally poured into a running motor, it is going to be a messy business if you try. The knocking noise, does it happen only when the engine is cold (that is, does it go away when the engine has warmed up?) Some motors will make more noise than others until the engine parts have had a chance to warm and clearances begin to tighten up. It is possible that the main bearings at the crankshaft could have been damaged if the oil level was allowed to drop too low, that is often what a loud knocking noise is, but would always be present. If it's more of a clicking noise, that would be a valve/cam noise, which I suspect is the case with your car.