420A 420A Engine Telling Knock Knock Jokes

[dsm_noob123]

Just got back from getting towed 30min from my house. I think I might be pretty screwed.

I was driving on the highway. It was pretty nice, music playing, window cracked. I was going to go the canyons to take pictures and have lunch. It was a really nice day today. This, and I needed to drive it a bit for emissions data.

Then, I begin to notice my car (97 Eclipse RS) was slightly struggling on the highway. It would have to take me practically flooring it to get any sort of change in speed. Eventually, it got so bad to where I had to pull of into the dirt. I slowed and hit park. Immediately shut off the engine. The skin on the back of my neck prickled and dread filled the pit of my stomach.

I get out, smell some weird ass burning. It isn't the belts. They look nice. Checked the oil and saw smoke from the dipstick hole. Popped the oil cap off and more came out. Not sure if this could point to an issue since this happens commonly in other vehicles.

I also noticed my sparkplug wire rubber wasn't fully seated on the valve cover. I press it down and go to start the engine. It seems close to seized. As it cools, it gets easier to start. I wait a bit more, talk to the tow truck guy, look at the forums and yt videos. Then, I start it.

A really nasty noise comes from the bay. Metallic, like the sound of something lose is rattling around and bouncing up top. Also, I think I heard knocking. I'll post a vid later when I give the vehicle a full look through.

I noticed when I pressed down on the rubber on the sparkplug wire directly into the valve cover, the sound quieted slightly.

I shut it off and waited in silence.

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I've been putting work into this car. I had plans on using it to drive to and from college. I not too recently was given a 2009 Altima that I ended spending over $3000 in repairs before the CVT gave. The person who gave it to me was my grandpa. A mechanic supposedly. He said everything was fine. It was not. Wasn't drivable after a year. Had it towed away. They gave me $200.

I got the Eclipse off FB for $4250 at 97k mi. Told myself if I was going to be pouring money into a car, I'd at least want to like the car, y'know. And now, here I am. Doing research and talking on the forums about what happened today. I haven't even gotten the car registered or insured. It's just really unfortunate, but I guess that's just how it is. I did tell myself that I'd be devoting a lot of time into fixing up my 2G. Probably not a good idea in my situation.

My dad has a gs back in his day. It was in that purple that looked really nice in the dark. He blew up his from crankwalk. He told me he should have never let it go and regreted selling it. Said that he would've kept it for me if he could so we could work on it.

I don't want to give up. I want to take my Eclipse and drive it in the canyons. I want to do night-driving in the city lights. I want to take it to visit my uncles in Arizona and Texas. I want to take my dad and I to car shows in it. It's a beautiful car. It doesn't deserve to rot somewhere in a pic-a-part or get crushed. So I won't give up. I won't let it go.

I'm gonna try and diagnose the issue if it has to take all-nighters. I'll post pictures and video like I said to try and document my situation.

 

[dsm_noob123]

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There we go.

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[dsm_noob123]

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[jesse12345]

That really is unfortunate and trust me I've been down this same road. If you love the car get the engine rebuilt, if not throw a junkyard unit in it and send it down the road. I personally will do anything to hang onto these cars if I'm being honest. There worth every cent in my book but I don't look at them as an investment, some people do. It's all in what you want and what you like. I will say this as I love the 420a it is far from a power house compared stock to stock gst/gsx. If that doesn't bother you and you just love them all like I do, I try not to keep track how much I put in. This is just me though and everyone thinks differently on these types of situations.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

That rod bearing is definitely spun. Remove the rod cap and see what the crank journal looks like. I'd imagine it's probably ruined.

 

[dsm_noob123]

I have a buddy coming over to help me pull the engine. So far, I've been prepping to get it out, bagging and marking everything. I'm trying to get the rod caps off but I'm scared I might strip them. I'll lay down some pb on it or something, but I also happened to notice both 3 and 4 are fked. 4 is even worse. Here are some photos out of order of progress.

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[dsm_noob123]

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[dsm_noob123]

Im almost done. Here's a look at 3s cap and bearing

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Yep, totally spun like I thought. Bare minimum that rod would have to be replaced. You may as well get some Eagle rods just for the hell of it at this point.

 

[97egl]

If you don't mind doing some work you can save some money and buy a neon engine to replace the bottom end. 95-00 neons use the same bottom end (crank, rods, and block) as the 420a. You will have to swap everything else over including the pistons. I'd check your cam journals before you go this route because if the journals are shot then you need a head as well. You may also be able to use the 00-05 neon blocks but I can't remember for sure. You'd have to look into that more. It's been a long time since I messed with 420a builds.

If you need a head also and are looking for a whole engine you also can find 420a engine in 95-99 Avengers and Chrysler Sebrings.

 

[dsm_noob123]

Im almost there. Gonna pick it and put it on a stand. I'll make sure everything is bolted up and covered before I do. I heard I have to support the trans, correct?

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[jesse12345]

You can pull the engine with the transmission in the car but from my experience it was way faster pulling the engine and transmission together. That's if the car isn't rusty and things come apart but yeah you'll have to support the transmission when pulling the engine.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

I've done both. Engine & trans or leaving trans in. I prefer both at once so I can also tackle the trans fluid and axle seals. It doesn't save a ton of time either way if you know what you're doing. If you decide one way or another let us know when you have any questions.

 

[jesse12345]

Yeah I should have said easier rather than faster and that's if those axles don't fight with you to much. Everything always seems to roll pretty smooth for me. Pulling all at once is definitely nice for fluid and seal changes.

 

[dsm_noob123]

Okay. The plan is I pull it and tear everything apart. I want to take the long block to a machine shop to see if it is salvageable. I'll show you guys the pics of it apart for input around this weekend.

I'll go ahead and take accountability on what might have spun the bearing. When I was pulling the harness, I noticed the "wiring job" I did on the OPSS was horrible enough for the wire to detach . Before then, the light would flicker on and off, so I replaced it.

It should have been my first sign that something was compromising oil pressure. I figured since the light went away after I replaces the sensor, I was set.

My mind also goes to a bad pump. Another idea was the pan was smashed in by the previous owner, inherently smashing in the oil pick up as well. This could have caused the starvation that killed my engine. Combination of a bit of everything, along with a bit of incompetence and stupidity on my part blew it up. Though, I still have questions on whether the timing skipping a tooth was a cause or effect.

Also, the guy who was gonna help me pull it is leaving me hanging. I'm gonna try to do it myself. I have the Haynes and Mitsu Service Manual so hopefully it goes well. Gonna do some more research.

 

[jesse12345]

Once you dig in it gets easier. You'll definitely get it down and you'll get it down your way. Good luck on the project.

 

[dsm_noob123]

Update: things are on hold. I got things I'm dealing with that take priority.

Sucks, but now I'm talking to a few people on information about trying to kswap it instead of putting another 420A in it. Big jump considering my skill level, but you gotta be thrown into the fire sometimes. I have some CAD and machining experience. It's gonna be lots of money. Lots of time. Lots of learning. Lots of research. Custom mounts, custom shafts, wiring headaches, welding, fabrication. A whole new trans, maybe. I know people on this and the 2GNT forums say it's not worth it, but I guess time will tell if I chicken out or not. I just gotta do something. I'll be digging in inevitably.

 

[CrackedDSM]

If you K-swap it, can I have your power steering pump and clutch fork? Lol.