Bladecutter

The answer to the question in bold needs to be done in several parts.

First part is that the owner before you didn't take care of the car very well.
There's nothing you can do about that except be more picky when you buy a used car, and especially a used sports car. Honestly, I don't ever recommend buying a used sports car at all, just because you never know how the car was treated, unless you either know the person, or you have some serious documentation to go with the car, that can't be fabricated.

The second part is that the person who worked on the car today was in a rush, didn't fully know what they were doing, and didn't use a TORQUE WRENCH when tightening the spark plugs, and probably didn't make sure to feel each spark plug wire snap onto the ignition coil and onto the spark plug. These are the two most common mistakes made by someone who has never changed a spark plug before.

I'm 38 years old, have been working on cars and motorcycles since I was 10 years old. I learned how to work on cars when I started helping my neighbors work on their cars. They taught me to always use one, and when I went to college for an ASE program, we were drilled to not tighten any bolt or nut down without using a torque wrench first. I still use a torque wrench today on any fastener that I can get one on, and that I have a torque spec for.

Hopefully, you didn't actually kill the engine.
Chances are, your oil filter just crapped out on you. Buy a new one, remove the old one, look all around the oil filter mount to see if that's the source of your massive oil leak, and install the new oil filter if everything looks good. MAKE SURE that you check the old oil filter so that you KNOW it has its gasket on it, and that there isn't another oil filter gasket still attached to the filter mount on the engine. That's the second most common mistake that a newbie to working on cars makes.

You didn't happen to change your oil today too, did you?

BC.

iSki123

The spark plugs were torqued down to the proper specifications, I didn't use any lock-tight or whatever people say to use. The vibrations must have caused the plugs to shake a little bit loose, sadly this wasn't the cause for all the issues I've had with it today. I guess I just picked the right time to maintain my vehicle. It's just funny when I start to replace things that everything seems to go to hell.
I started the car up soon after making sure everything was PERFECT under the hood to find out that oil was leaking...

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (3)

You did not torque down the spark plugs properly if they are still loose. "Vibration" is never going to loosen spark plugs that are properly tightened.

I just wonder if somehow you stripped or cross threaded them.

Bladecutter

As RR said, there are no coincidences.

Spark plugs that are properly tightened, do not loosen themselves.
They either were tight, and stay tight, or they were installed wrong.
It really is as simple as that.

If it were my car, I would undo everything that I did, start with a pile of parts, and make sure I put the Leading plugs in the leading spark plug holes, the trailing plugs in the trailing spark plug holes, snap the wires fully onto the spark plugs, snap the wires fully onto the ignition coils, and double check that the oil filter is on properly.

Oh, and check the oil level.
I wonder if you might have had an oil line to one of your housings break...
Sometimes things just go wrong at the worst times...

BC.

iSki123

Well, engine is toast. I blew the side seals & apex seals. The repair shop is saying 5-6k to get it running again & a two week turnaround. But that's just a rebuild. I wish there were some guys in Chicago that could do this cheaper...

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (3)

I could do it for half that.

jasonrxeight

if youve done that you didnt see severe oil burn? although your oil leak might be due to side seal leaking air into the crank case which pushed the oil out from the vents.

iSki123

I wish you lived closer, shipping & install would probably eat me alive by that time. I've seen your threads, you look like a high quality rebuilder.

iSki123

No burning oil, just pouring between the transmission & engine.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (3)

When I said I could do it for half that, that included remove/install.

A dolly or trailer rental from penske or uhaul doesn't cost that much. Borrow a truck. I've had cars trailered to me from as far away as maine and kansas. There's a woman in san francisco right now who is looking to ship her FD to me for rebuild because I can still do the job for half of what it would cost out there and even after shipping and plane tickets/gas she'll save a couple grand AND have the luxury of getting the rebuild and remove/install work done at the same place.

Bladecutter

Take him up on his offer, kid.
Get a small U-Haul or Penske truck, their trailer to tow it on, and drive down there, and get your car fixed, the right way, the very first time.

And when he's finished making your car better than when it was new, post a review on the forum about how your experience working with him was. It will make him very, very happy.

BC.

iSki123

I say it's a great offer, I just messaged him regarding this.

- iSki123

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

u were doing it wrong.

my way to torque spark plug, common way actually, hand tight till it's stop, then give it another 1/4 turn. done.

and take RR's offer. he can give ya ride a brand new start

iSki123

Yep, meh. I'm just afraid the rotors and rotor housing is to ****. I won't know unless I physically take it apart. Unless he's talking about swapping and putting a new Renesis 4 port in there. Otherwise it's questionable if it needs a rebuild or a swap out.

- iSki123

Bladecutter

You have a 4 port car?
Ick.

Well, good luck to you on getting it replaced.

BC.

Mr.Mango

iTrader: (2)

This is great practice for any DIY'er but you might be thee ONLY mechanic on earth that actually torques every bolt. Been flat rate we would all be living in cardboard boxes under the freeway if that was the case :p Granted I do torque all yielded bolts and some important bolts.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (3)

The only fasteners I torque are the tension bolts when building a block, or similar critical fasteners on piston engines such as rod and main caps, cylinder head bolts, etc. Drivetrain, suspension, and engine accessory fasteners just get tightened by hand or with an impact, depending on the size and grade of the fastener and the working space.

Bladecutter

That's because I'm not a mechanic, and haven't been one in many years.
I do side jobs for people who don't trust their bike shops to take the extra time to make sure their motorcycles are getting the extra special care they need to get.

Ducati owners especially, don't want a part to break because a ham-fisted gorilla in a dealership didn't use a torque wrench one day. It can sometimes take weeks to get a replacement part from Italy, and the parts aren't cheap, to put it nicely.

So, they bring their prized toys to me, and I take care of their bikes the same exact way I take care of my own bikes and cars. Slowly, and with a torque wrench in hand.

I've had one bolt break on me in a very long time.
It was a front brake caliper mounting bolt to my '89 Honda Pacific Coast.
I was using a torque wrench, and the bolt just snapped in half. It was a 15 ft-lbs tightening torque, too, so not very much.
Sometimes, **** just happens, but I prefer to minimize it.

I guess for me, its because I've worked on motorcycles for so many more years than cars, I'm just used to using torque wrenches compared to all our friends on the forum you prefer doing it by feel, since they've mostly worked on cars.

BC.