Howdy From Nashville- Engine Ran Dry. Might be toast.

[Ryon]

2004 Ford Ranger XLT 4x2 2.3L Mazda engine. 175k miles.

it has been burning almost a quart per 1000 miles the last year or so. the oil light came on once or twice when I was going up and down hills this week so I was planning to do an oil change this weekend. On the way to AutoZone this morning the check engine light came on along with the oil light and the whole car started to stutter and the engine started knocking hard. I slammed in the clutch pulled it onto the shoulder and killed the engine.

Popped the hood and smelled a faint burning smell. opened the oil cap and smoke came out. checked the dip stick-- bone dry not a drop on it.

Towed it back to my place. and put 3 quarts in it to help cool things off and stop things from seizing up if they hadn't already. Got it back pretty quick engine was still warm when I got the oil in it.
I gave it 4 hours to cool off then drained the oil into a pan and ran a strong magnet through the pan didnt pick up anything.
Oil had a golden glitter look to it so strained the oil into two clean bins with some cheese cloth to see what metal shavings pop up. only one shaving about 1mm wide 3 mm long and super thin like a hair. Rest is all just glitter sized metal specs.

flushed another quart of oil through system. changed the oil filter and filled it back up.
Gonna let it sit tonight then pull the spark plugs to release pressure and manually crank it tomorrow with the vehicle off so I can see how it feels.

Not sure what to do after that. Any advice would be awesome. I would like to put a new engine on it. I have been planning on doing that when it finally died.

What brand? things to look for? cautions? vendors? any good mechanics near Nashville TN? warranty scams or good warranties? etc...

Thanks!

 

[SenorNoob]

Welcome to TRS! Sounds like you did everything you could except check the oil earlier. If it was truly burning that much before it was probably already done for, unless it was being pulled through a bad PCV or something.

I'm up in Lafayette. We have other local members. Maybe they'll stop in to say hi.

My understanding that engine would later develop into the turbo version used in the newest trucks and the Mustang. Ford/Mazda must've been pretty confident in it to later add a turbo.

Probably the best thing you could do is take it to a shop and let them use their preferred suppliers. That way parts/labor have at least a little warranty. Be prepared for a serious price though. I'd expect north of 5K for a replacement. Parts store price on a rebuilt block is $3200.