Mazda Repair: Mazda Protege oil consumption/engine noise, salvage title, salvage yard

Question
My college age son has a 2003 Mazda Protege (salvage) with 40K miles (35K of which he has put on the car in 2 years).  Started using a quart of oil per 100 miles; engine makes a big racket at 3000 rpm.  Is this enough info for you to guess at the problem?

Answer
To put it bluntly, this thing is screwed!
It will need at least a good engine replacement.

I believe "especially if it is a southern salvage title"
That at some point it may have made a journey into a body of water while it was still running "floater". This broke a few piston rings and probably bent a rod. It will also be noted that the valves were probably bent in the process. I get 300,000 miles on Mazda’s all the time; no way has this car gone through this much damage naturally.

talk to a few shops about cost involved in replacing the engine and then see about finding a new engine from a salvage yard.
If they clamed a head gasket and a valve job will fix it do not take the bait and stick to a replacement engine.
It will save you in more in the end.

Regards,


John