Is a car totaled if the engine moved?
An engine shifting out of alignment usually stems from broken engine mounts, throwing off the precise alignment required for surrounding components to function. While it creates severe structural concerns that make the car feel entirely dead to drive, it is mechanically fixable depending on the extent of the underlying damage.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1checking the oil levelDid this help you?
- 2checking whether the plastic underbody cover is bentDid this help you?
- 3Disconnecting a fuel injector to isolate the cylinder and confirm the source of the noise.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Somehow I was the only one who pointed out uhmm the engines completely moved. Used to have a crack in the engine mounts so I’m guessing it’s that. Is it fixable?”source ↗
“if the engine moved the car is dead? i dont think you understand how much would rely on everything there being lined up.”source ↗
“Bought this car almost a month ago didn't start doing this till yesterday I think and almost certain rod knocking”source ↗
“I disconnected the fuel injector to the 1 cylinder and the sound almost completely disappeared.”source ↗
“If this is my engines fate what should I do?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 11Why did my low mileage engine fail?
- 9Why is my engine pulley wobbling and making a grinding noise?
- 2Camshaft timing off by half a tooth after rotating engine
- 3Cracked engine head while torquing oil pressure sensor
- 5Engine stalling after replacing mass air flow sensor
- 10Why does a new engine part break right after expensive dealership repairs?