So I have a 2015 Fit LX with 167,000 miles on it. There’s a terrible sound when we start it up, and it’s been leaking oil. We took it to the dealership we bought it from and they told us there’s definitely something wrong inside the engine, and the suggestion was to either see about replacing/rebuilding the engine or just driving it until it gives out. We will find out specifics here soon but my question is, is it worth it to look at saving the vehicle, or trade it in? I have been using it to commute to work 4 days a week, and my daily commute is about 120 miles round trip. Our other vehicle is a 2011 Kia Sedona with 158k miles and still going strong like a beast.

 

A loud rattle on start up - when the engine is cold - is probably the VTC actuator problem detailed in Honda Service Bulletin 16-088. This problem does not happen when the engine is warm.

"Leaking oil" is such a vague statement. How much? Where from? I had a Toyota Camry which leaked oil for at least 10 years until I got off my but and replaced the valve cover gasket for about $20 and an hour or two of my time.

 

The noise in the engine is every start up regardless of warm or cold, and the noise is also noticeable when I am stopped with the engine running(i.e. stoplights).

The oil leak was very noticeable a few nights ago. When I stopped for gas, it left a 20 foot trail with a few puddles. I put in a quart of oil in and it hasn’t leaked since. Oil life says it’s about 50%.

The puddles that were left when I moved my vehicle.

This shows the general area where the leak was.

 

So I see two problems here: startup rattle and oil leak.

As woof noted, the startup rattle is likely the VTC actuator. At first, just a rattling noise on cold startup. This can be a progressive problem, though. If it's been going on for years, there's a possibility your timing chain has stretched and/or slipped. That's the endpoint if memory serves. No way to fix that without tearing down half the engine to get there.

The oil leak could be something completely different. I'm thinking bad gaskets, specifically head gasket or oil pan gasket.

If it were my vehicle, I'd at least want to have the gaskets checked. Getting sufficient engine oil without a leak is top priority if you want to keep it. If not, time to sell or trade.

 

Just a clarification based on my (possible mis-)understanding of something you said. The oil life (50%) has nothing to do with how much oil is in the crankcase. If you're leaking oil at a rate fast enough to leave trails and puddles, you need to check the dipstick every time you drive the car.

I personally wouldn't be driving a car leaking oil like that. If you have a weak seal or gasket, who's to say that it won't let go during your commute? I don't know if the Fit has a warning light for low oil pressure, but even if it does you don't have very long between "no oil" and "no engine." Having said that, if the dealership immediately jumped to replacing or rebuilding the engine, I would get a second opinion. There are lots of places where oil can leak from the engine. Some are minor/quick repairs (= inexpensive).

As for repairing the car or moving on, in my opinion that comes down to the overall condition of the vehicle and your budget. Is the car solid? No rust, no other issues? Car prices are coming down a bit, but if you have a vehicle you know is in good condition (other than the engine issues, which may or may not be serious at this point) it could be cheaper to fix it than find something different. This is coming from someone who hates shopping (groceries, clothes, vehicles, whatever) so I would much prefer fixing the car I have over trying to find a different car.

 

There is a UV dye that can be added to the oil and then after running the engine for a while a UV light can be used to trace the source of the leak. For an oil leak that bad though it should be easy for a mechanic to spot where it's coming from as is if the car's on a lift.

 

If you are going to change the head gasket, mind as well do a valve adjustment too while you have things opened up. And if you haven't changed your serpentine belt, do that also.

 

I would suggest Junk it.

High miles and not worth fixing.

 

i would think if you're losing that much oil , you've probably been running the car with not too much oil in your engine for quite a while , which can eventually stretch the timing chain , which in turn ,
will cause quite a rattly noise . to find the oil leak , gunk the engine down and hose it off .once the egine is clean , it'll be obvious where the leak is coming from . yea , that's a lot of oil . do you get your
oil changes at jiffy lube ? asking for a friend

 

That's way too much oil lost after a few nights. Should definitely have someone check it out. Maybe they didn't tighten the oil plug enough or they broke it by over tightening it. Maybe the oil pan gasket is leaking or the oil filter is damaged. If it can be fixed for cheap and whatever cheap is to you then I would say save it, but if not time for another car.

 

I think it`s worth more investigation by another mechanic. An oil leak can be inexpensive depending on which gasket needs to be replaced. It`s leaking so fast it probably won`t take much time to locate the leak. I would recommend checking the dip stick before you go out. The oil life indicator doesn`t show how much oil you have. It shows how close you are to the next recommended oil change. As for the engine noise that`s worth having a mechanic look at. It could mean a new engine or a simple adjustment. Take it to a couple of garages and get an opinion on what's wrong and a quote to fix. I'm team never toss a car unless it's completely undrivable and the cost to fix it is more than the cost to buy a replacement.