Automotive → Any idea what could have caused this?

Obviously fubared now.

1999 Camry, 185,000 miles, being junked but curious what could have caused the hole. The white thing is the oil filter.

where is the oil? lol looks like there was no oil in it, u can even see rust in side the block?

It threw a rod.

Should have spewed oil all over. Must have been run out of oil.

It's been peeing oil for a while now so we just keep putting it in as needed.

I thought the rods were higher in the engine? On top of the cylinders, not below them.

You are thinking push rods, not connecting rods. Connecting rods go between the crank and piston.

Most engines these days have no push rods as they are overhead cam.

The hole is high up so no oil would not be going everywhere...

The rust is very very VERY curious...

Did this thing sit for a long time?

185k... rust in the motor...

It threw a rod...

What can you do? Nothing aside from normal maintenance... Listen to the motor you tend to hear a rod knock before it throws the rod...

You can google cross section of engine... and see what is going on in there.

But that rust is... just why... and you can see pitting on the crank where the bearings should be...

Yes, the original owners let it sit for a year or two in the yard before selling it to the jerk before me who beat it up. I only got it because I needed a car and he owed me money he didn't have.

I've always had an ear for engine sounds and this never sounded any different before the kaboom.

Thankfully I hadn't done needed repairs before this happened! Just window motors, passenger fan resistor, and new steel rims up front so nothing that would have affected this.

Ok, so the thrown rod was the one that rides on the lobes and pushes up on the bottom of the piston?

Yes.

Does not look like rust inside to me, more like dark varnish. I bet once it started leaking oil, it was not changed often.

said by shdesigns:

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Does not look like rust inside to me, more like dark varnish. I bet once it started leaking oil, it was not changed often.

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Nope, just replenished at the rate of one quart per 80 miles, though I tried not to drive it too much. I would have done more had the rest of the car not been falling apart/not working too.

Holy shit! I had a car with a somewhat leaky front and rear main seals, and that was leaking only about a quart per 250 - 300 miles.

Instead of that, JB wield a plate over the hole, unplug the injectors for that cylinder, and call it "a fuel efficient inline 3!"

said by aurgathor:

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Holy shit! I had a car with a somewhat leaky front and rear main seals, and that was leaking only about a quart per 250 - 300 miles.

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I think it was also burning it based on the ever blackening back end of the car over the exhaust