1993 Holden Barina Pricing and Specs

It won't be the sump itself disintegrating, but my guess is that somebody who has changed the oil in the past has over-tightened the drain plug when they've replaced it. That stretches the threads on what is often a relatively soft metal and, as a result, the threads have broken away from the rest of the oil pan as you've tightened the plug.

This is actually more common than you think and happens because people don't stop to think about how much force they use when they replace the plug. While it's true that you don't want the plug undoing itself while you're driving, it's also the case that all that sump plug has to do is keep the oil inside the engine. It serves no other purpose and simply doesn't need to be too tight. Sometimes, home mechanics ignore the need to replace the crush washer on this plug with the result that they then notice an oil a leak a few days later. That's when they'll reach for the big spanner and try to tighten the sump plug some more to stop the leak. And that's when the threads break away and they're in the position you now find yourself.

The solution is to get the vehicle to a workshop (you may have to tow it as it can't be driven with no oil in the engine) which should be able to drill the hole in the sump to the next over-size and fit a slightly larger, new sump plug. It's tricky though, as you don't want to allow swarf (little metal filings from the drilling process) into the engine where they'll damage those expensive internal parts.

From what I can gather, the engine in your Barina is an interference design. That is, if the timing belt breaks, the pistons and valves (in the cylinder head) will, indeed, meet head on at speed, turning the engine to junk in a slip-second. So make sure the timing belt is changed every 100,000km to reduce the risk of this happening.

Some engines with timing belts are non-interference designs, meaning that a broken belt will simply allow the pistons and crankshaft to continue to rotate without hitting (or damaging) the valves. Replacing the belt and retiming the engine will return it to full health. You'll still be stranded by the roadside if it happens, of course.

By 'rides' I’ll assume you mean 'slips', which then slowly allows the car to build up to speed (as in, the rest of the car catches up with the engine). There are two major causes of this, the first is a clutch that is out of adjustment, and the second is a clutch that really needs replacement.

The problem you have, though, is that even if the clutch on the Barina is adjustable (and some clutches aren’t) the fact that you’ve been driving it with the clutch slipping suggests that you’ve already damaged the clutch to the point where it would need to be replaced anyway. Continuing to drive it can also put 'hot-spots' on the car’s flywheel (to which the clutch attaches) and that can mean the flywheel also needs to be resurfaced when you replace the clutch.

I reckon, at the minimum, you’re looking at a new clutch kit. Ignoring it will eventually wind up with the clutch expiring completely and you walking home.