Resolved 95 TSI started tapping/knocking

[Motorcru]

Hello everyone, my name is Ali and I’ve been a huge lurker in the forums since 2009 when I got my first dsm, 95 TSI AWD. Just want to start off saying thank you for allowing me to be a part of such a great community and since then I’ve learned so much from the forums and I am still learning to this day. I love to do my own work on my cars even though I don’t have a place to properly work on them and limits me from really getting to know my motor. Which leads me to my main question.

My 95 TSI has recently started tapping/knocking that sounds like it’s coming from the head and not the lower end. I’ve read up on numerous posts that point to many possibilities as to what it could be. I would like to try to diagnose and repair the motor as it only has 67000 original miles on it, however I do not have a place to do so. Is there anybody in the Los Angeles/ socal region that would be willing to help diagnose and work on the car with me at their place?

I have contacted C&A auto but they are so backed up at the moment and short staffed that they wouldn’t be able to take the car in for another month or so. I am willing to do as much as I am capable of mechanically and more if I have the right teacher and I am also willing to pay for services and storage.

Please let me know if my post is in the appropriate place or not and where would be the best place to post as this is my first post ever after lurking for so long. Thank you I’m advance and sorry for the long post.

 

[voodoogsx]

What area in burbank are you in? I used to live near Victory and Buena Vista for quite a while so I'm familiar with the city. I also have a 95 GSX so pretty similar. You could get a recording and post it, that could help for a possible diag. I don't have a place to work on a car however as I usually go to a friends place to work on mine....

 

[Motorcru]

What area in burbank are you in? I used to live near Victory and Buena Vista for quite a while so I'm familiar with the city. I also have a 95 GSX so pretty similar. You could get a recording and post it, that could help for a possible diag. I don't have a place to work on a car however as I usually go to a friends place to work on mine....

Thanks for the reply, I am out by sunset canyon and walnut. Currently renting a room and the garage is off limits for doing mechanical repairs unfortunately.

That’s so crazy my fiancé’s dad has a little law office right off Victory and Hollywood way by the park, just past Buena Vista and Victory.

That’s super cool the GSX is awesome. I have a video I took about a week ago of the noise I can post up. I did drain the oil when the symptoms first started a few years back and the let the car sit ever since. I did notice a chunk of metal drop out when draining it. Looked like a bearing so I assumed the worst and started piecing together a 6bolt long block in case it was rod knock, but after doing a bunch of research and starting her back up with the ticking coming from the head, I feel it might be a balance shaft bearing spun out. It’s hard for me to tell exactly without dropping the pan to check the rod bearings. The car idles normally and can be driven it seems, though I have not tried driving it since the knocking began.

Thanks for any info/help and really appreciate the reply.

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[voodoogsx]

Thanks for the reply, I am out by sunset canyon and walnut. Currently renting a room and the garage is off limits for doing mechanical repairs unfortunately.

That’s so crazy my fiancé’s dad has a little law office right off Victory and Hollywood way by the park, just past Buena Vista and Victory.

That’s super cool the GSX is awesome. I have a video I took about a week ago of the noise I can post up. I did drain the oil when the symptoms first started a few years back and the let the car sit ever since. I did notice a chunk of metal drop out when draining it. Looked like a bearing so I assumed the worst and started piecing together a 6bolt long block in case it was rod knock, but after doing a bunch of research and starting her back up with the ticking coming from the head, I feel it might be a balance shaft bearing spun out. It’s hard for me to tell exactly without dropping the pan to check the rod bearings. The car idles normally and can be driven it seems, though I have not tried driving it since the knocking began.

Thanks for any info/help and really appreciate the reply.

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Hmm...my first guess is it sounds like the lifters(my best guess) though it seems loud for that...My car has a lifter tick on startup but goes away pretty quickly and only slightly longer when it's cold out. If you can do a compression check, that might help to diag.

If it is the case that it's just the lifters, you'd need some place to do the work as it will be several hours to work on it. It can be done by just pulling the valve cover(and NOT the head) but you have to follow a pretty strict procedure to do it. I actually just did my valve seals as they were leaking oil and causing me to fail smog. It's pretty much the same procedure exepct you don't have to pull the valve springs which adds both time and complexity...though since your in there...it's certainly a good time to do it.

This would also mean pulling the timing belt(yeah, fun fun) as you can only access the lifters by removing the cam shafts.
If you end up changing out/finding/replacing the bad one/s, you should also do the valve seals while you have it all apart....especially if you don't know if they've been replaced. It's $20 for the seals and as long as the valves stem guides are still in good shape, you can do it and not have to worry about it for a while....plus it'll be one less thing to worry about for smog.
To get an idea of whats involved, take a look at this video.

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I pretty much followed the steps and got my seals replaced. I wrote down all of the steps from the above video plus notes along the way as he doesn't go over some suff and got all of the tools(I have the spring compressor and the tools for the timing belt that I could lend out if you find a spot to work on your car)
The seals I got were from here.

1G/2G DSM 4G63 Valves, Guides, Keepers & Seals

Buy new intake and exhaust valves, guides, keepers, locks, seals, rockers and of course, the answer to your ticking engine, brand new lifters. Shop parts for the 1990-1999 1G/2G 4G63 DSM Eclipse GST and GSX, Talon TSi and Laser turbo models.

stmtuned.com

The GSC valve stem seals.

 

[pauleyman]

Have you at least taken the valve cover off and looked? If the rockers aren't tight when you go full a full cycle (720 degrees not 360) it will be evident. If it's a lifter you have at least one that isn't working at all to be that loud.

 

[dgdsm]

I could come by and make a visit to your dsm, and discuss possible options.
Left you a PM.

 

[Motorcru]

Hmm...my first guess is it sounds like the lifters(my best guess) though it seems loud for that...My car has a lifter tick on startup but goes away pretty quickly and only slightly longer when it's cold out. If you can do a compression check, that might help to diag.

If it is the case that it's just the lifters, you'd need some place to do the work as it will be several hours to work on it. It can be done by just pulling the valve cover(and NOT the head) but you have to follow a pretty strict procedure to do it. I actually just did my valve seals as they were leaking oil and causing me to fail smog. It's pretty much the same procedure exepct you don't have to pull the valve springs which adds both time and complexity...though since your in there...it's certainly a good time to do it.

This would also mean pulling the timing belt(yeah, fun fun) as you can only access the lifters by removing the cam shafts.
If you end up changing out/finding/replacing the bad one/s, you should also do the valve seals while you have it all apart....especially if you don't know if they've been replaced. It's $20 for the seals and as long as the valves stem guides are still in good shape, you can do it and not have to worry about it for a while....plus it'll be one less thing to worry about for smog.
To get an idea of whats involved, take a look at this video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

I pretty much followed the steps and got my seals replaced. I wrote down all of the steps from the above video plus notes along the way as he doesn't go over some suff and got all of the tools(I have the spring compressor and the tools for the timing belt that I could lend out if you find a spot to work on your car)
The seals I got were from here.

1G/2G DSM 4G63 Valves, Guides, Keepers & Seals

Buy new intake and exhaust valves, guides, keepers, locks, seals, rockers and of course, the answer to your ticking engine, brand new lifters. Shop parts for the 1990-1999 1G/2G 4G63 DSM Eclipse GST and GSX, Talon TSi and Laser turbo models.

stmtuned.com

The GSC valve stem seals.

Thanks voodoo for the reply, I had previously replaced the lifters with revised ones about six months prior to the noise starting. It could be that one or more of the new lifters was defective and collapsed and will double check if that is the case. Thanks for the valve stem seal info as well this could be possible and will look into it, great video and and links for the work and parts needed to accomplish the task. I really appreciate your wisdom and great full that you are offering to lend me the tools for the procedure. I will double check the lifters and get back to you on the results. I had to move the car out from where it was parked yesterday because I couldn’t keep it there any longer and towed it to a local mechanic here in Burbank who was recommended to me by my cousin. I didn’t want to but needed a place to take it and maybe even get an honest educated opinion. However the mechanic called me this morning stating that after a few test such as compression and leak down, he determined the bottom end is bad. I have my doubts on this because it didn’t sound like he took the pan off to check the bearings or for rod play. Wouldn’t bad compression prevent the car from holding a steady idle and start misfiring? I feel that he just wants to do a rebuilt 7 bolt swap to make things easy rather than diagnose the actual issue. I kind of knew that would be the case with any mechanic other than the guys at C&A who are booked until the end of the month before they can touch my car, but with the car being on non op I really needed a place to put it to prevent it from being impounded for being on the street and was hoping for the best for a second opinion. The shop is a really good place and has great reviews, however I don’t think they are too familiar with our cars and probably don’t know how or want to diagnose it properly.

 

[Motorcru]

Have you at least taken the valve cover off and looked? If the rockers aren't tight when you go full a full cycle (720 degrees not 360) it will be evident. If it's a lifter you have at least one that isn't working at all to be that loud.

Thank you for the reply Pauleyman,
I have taken the valve cover off and visually inspected the revised lifters that I installed months before the noise started occurring. However I did not hand crank the motor to a full cycle to be sure. If it is a collapsed lifter and after I do a full rotation what should I be looking for? Anything specific or would the rockers just be obviously loose? Thank you again for your wisdom and reply. I am still waiting to hear back from the mechanic I took the car to for a possible diagnose here in Burbank. He claims the bottom end is no good by just doing compression and leak down tests, I don’t think he physically inspected the rod bearing or checked the rod for play. I did not want to take the car to any other shop other than C&A, who are booked until the end of the month, but had little options because I had to take the car out from where it was being stored yesterday. I guess I’m just trying to buy some time to figure out my best options at the moment. Any info, advice and opinions is greatly appreciated.

 

[pauleyman]

Given how loud that is a rocker would be very loose. You could also easily check for a bent valve, other broken parts etc etc.

 

[voodoogsx]

Which shop did you go to? The one I was recommended to and trusted in Burbank was Tyermans on magnolia, though they seemed to deal with the older 50's era cars. I still had some good exp with them.

I know the pain though with finding a good mechanic. When I brought my car to see about the repair, they quoted it around 3k and asked me if the car was worth it(coming from the owner, I was taken aback by that comment)...but they also would have had to pull the head, which in the case of what I did, wasn't necessary(unless I fubar'd things and dropped a part). So yeah, I get it.

So with no compression on 1 cyl, the car could still run, but it would be rough...like really rough...like old car loping rough from what I've heard. With some compression issues, the car should still run. I haven't run into issues on the bottom end before so I can't really say for sure what would happen, though I know there are others on the forum with the sage wisdom that can hopefully chime in.

I think what Paulyman said would have been a good start. Removing the valve cover is only a few bolts and you can check for unexpected play on some of the lifters...and just see if anything looks off in general. As long as you don't damage the valve cover gasket, you could reuse it.

The C&A guys are great. I had to have them replace the rear axls and the timing belt on my car a long time ago as I also didn't have a place readily available to work on mine.

If you have AAA, you can go to the location in burbank and get a moving permit(as long as the car is insured) to move it. I did that several times in order to take it to and from my friends place when I worked on it.

 

[Motorcru]

Given how loud that is rocker would be very loose. You could also easily check for a belt valve, other broken parts etc etc.

Copy that, I will try to see if my landlord will allow me to use the driveway for diagnosing the actual problem or storing the car until C&A is ready for it, seeing as how the mechanic I took it to wants to jump right into a motor swap, and if that’s what the car needs I would rather wait to have the guys at C&A do the swap. In the meantime I can go over checking the car with the motor and head still in the vehicle and see what comes up. Thank you again for the speedy response.

 

[Motorcru]

Which shop did you go to? The one I was recommended to and trusted in Burbank was Tyermans on magnolia, though they seemed to deal with the older 50's era cars. I still had some good exp with them.

I know the pain though with finding a good mechanic. When I brought my car to see about the repair, they quoted it around 3k and asked me if the car was worth it(coming from the owner, I was taken aback by that comment)...but they also would have had to pull the head, which in the case of what I did, wasn't necessary(unless I fubar'd things and dropped a part). So yeah, I get it.

So with no compression on 1 cyl, the car could still run, but it would be rough...like really rough...like old car loping rough from what I've heard. With some compression issues, the car should still run. I haven't run into issues on the bottom end before so I can't really say for sure what would happen, though I know there are others on the forum with the sage wisdom that can hopefully chime in.

I think what Paulyman said would have been a good start. Removing the valve cover is only a few bolts and you can check for unexpected play on some of the lifters...and just see if anything looks off in general. As long as you don't damage the valve cover gasket, you could reuse it.

The C&A guys are great. I had to have them replace the rear axls and the timing belt on my car a long time ago as I also didn't have a place readily available to work on mine.

If you have AAA, you can go to the location in burbank and get a moving permit(as long as the car is insured) to move it. I did that several times in order to take it to and from my friends place when I worked on it.

Thank you for the reply voodoo, I have also been skeptical about taking the car to mechanics and try to do all the work myself, but in this situation my options are very limited considering the work that might need to take place. I had taken the car over to pit stop Automotive on 2227 W Burbank Blvd. They have great reviews on Yelp and my cousin recommended them to me, however I don’t think they’re all too knowledgeable about DSMs. I was so happy when I found C&A on the forums here because they’ve proven their skill and knowledge with many member’s vehicles and just about any mitsu vehicle. That’s what I thought too, with a cylinder on low compression you would defiantly be able to tell, and could be a number of things I would think as well as bearing/rod failure. However the noise is definitely coming from the head and not the bottom end and is consistent with rpm. I could be wrong too. I just got off the phone with Peter at Tyermams to possibly bring it in to them for a diag and possible repair. Just need to get the car out from pit stop. I am considering asking my landlord to use the driveway to check what’s been recommend to me by you and other members before taking it to another mechanic shop, or even just storing it in the driveway until C&A has room. I do have aaa and insurance on it and considered getting a moving permit for it however I don’t want to cause more damage if the motor can still be repaired. What would be the consequences of running the motor the way it is now, would a few miles totally destroy what could be repairable?

 

[voodoogsx]

Thank you for the reply voodoo, I have also been skeptical about taking the car to mechanics and try to do all the work myself, but in this situation my options are very limited considering the work that might need to take place. I had taken the car over to pit stop Automotive on 2227 W Burbank Blvd. They have great reviews on Yelp and my cousin recommended them to me, however I don’t think they’re all too knowledgeable about DSMs. I was so happy when I found C&A on the forums here because they’ve proven their skill and knowledge with many member’s vehicles and just about any mitsu vehicle. That’s what I thought too, with a cylinder on low compression you would defiantly be able to tell, and could be a number of things I would think as well as bearing/rod failure. However the noise is definitely coming from the head and not the bottom end and is consistent with rpm. I could be wrong too. I just got off the phone with Peter at Tyermams to possibly bring it in to them for a diag and possible repair. Just need to get the car out from pit stop. I am considering asking my landlord to use the driveway to check what’s been recommend to me by you and other members before taking it to another mechanic shop, or even just storing it in the driveway until C&A has room. I do have aaa and insurance on it and considered getting a moving permit for it however I don’t want to cause more damage if the motor can still be repaired. What would be the consequences of running the motor the way it is now, would a few miles totally destroy what could be repairable?

I've head/seen pitstop, though have no opinion of them. C&A is the way to go if you can. Their shop is tricky to get into...at least when I went there many years ago, so a tow truck might have some difficulty getting it in there.

You said you had a metal piece come out of the oil drain. Do you still have it?
I'm not familiar enough with rod knock/failure/bearing failure as I've not run into it as of yet...thankfully...

You are correct. Probably best to not run it without further diagnosis, or at least avoid driving it around...

 

[motomattx]

I have had tensioner or idler pulley bolts come loose and cause that sound, due to the belt having extra slack in it and the tensioner arm smacking off of the tensioner body every revolution, a simple pull of the timing cover would show that, a mis-tensioned belt or failed hydraulic unit could allow that kind of slap also. I feel that it sounds like multiple lifters from the video but sounds can be deceiving on a video rather than in person, if you check and find collapsed lifters, they can be removed without pulling the timing belt or cams out, the rockers can be popped off temporarily and the lifters removed, they even make/made a special tool to do the job. As for storage and a place to work, I can relate...what about renting a storage unit to keep it in temporarily?

 

[Motorcru]

I've head/seen pitstop, though have no opinion of them. C&A is the way to go if you can. Their shop is tricky to get into...at least when I went there many years ago, so a tow truck might have some difficulty getting it in there.

You said you had a metal piece come out of the oil drain. Do you still have it?
I'm not familiar enough with rod knock/failure/bearing failure as I've not run into it as of yet...thankfully...

You are correct. Probably best to not run it without further diagnosis, or at least avoid driving it around...

Thanks for the reply, the mechanic from pit stop got back to me informing me that a full rebuilt 7 bolt swap would be a little over 4k for parts and labor and rebuilding the motor that’s in it would be the same. I’m not 100% on board with this especially after he said he talked to his buddy who claims a 92 6 bolt long block would have issues because the ecu would not match up and cause problems. From my understanding that is not true and a few splices in the ecu and or plug wire rearrangement should be able to correct that issue. I thought the only problem would have only been the cas harness which I have gotten an adaptor harness to remedy that. All in all I think I’m going to take car out of there and tow it to the driveway so I can check over the recommendations from all the members so far and if I’m unable to trace the problem at least I have a place to keep it off the street until I can get it over to C&A at the end of the month. I unfortunately got rid of the piece of metal that plopped out from the pan thinking it was an automatic rod bearing failure however it was about the size of a golf ball maybe smaller and quite beat up. Now after changing the oil and only checking the oil on the dipstick I didn’t see any metal shavings but will drain the oil again tomorrow to double check if I’m still getting metal shavings from the rods and bearings scraping around. Thanks again for your input and advice man.

 

[Motorcru]

I have had tensioner or idler pulley bolts come loose and cause that sound, due to the belt having extra slack in it and the tensioner arm smacking off of the tensioner body every revolution, a simple pull of the timing cover would show that, a mis-tensioned belt or failed hydraulic unit could allow that kind of slap also. I feel that it sounds like multiple lifters from the video but sounds can be deceiving on a video rather than in person, if you check and find collapsed lifters, they can be removed without pulling the timing belt or cams out, the rockers can be popped off temporarily and the lifters removed, they even make/made a special tool to do the job. As for storage and a place to work, I can relate...what about renting a storage unit to keep it in temporarily?

Thank you for the reply motomattx, that’s a really helpful suggestion and will definitely be looking into that as soon as I can get the car out of that shop and into the driveway. I have tried looking into renting a storage unit for the time being, however they require the car to be currently registered and have no mechanical issues from what I gathered. I talked to my landlord and was lucky enough to have permission to keep the car in the driveway until I can either remedy the problem/s or take it over to C&A at the end of the month. Will keep everyone posted as soon as I can check it out tomorrow.

 

[motomattx]

Thanks for the reply, the mechanic from pit stop got back to me informing me that a full rebuilt 7 bolt swap would be a little over 4k for parts and labor and rebuilding the motor that’s in it would be the same. I’m not 100% on board with this especially after he said he talked to his buddy who claims a 92 6 bolt long block would have issues because the ecu would not match up and cause problems. From my understanding that is not true and a few splices in the ecu and or plug wire rearrangement should be able to correct that issue. I thought the only problem would have only been the cas harness which I have gotten an adaptor harness to remedy that. All in all I think I’m going to take car out of there and tow it to the driveway so I can check over the recommendations from all the members so far and if I’m unable to trace the problem at least I have a place to keep it off the street until I can get it over to C&A at the end of the month. I unfortunately got rid of the piece of metal that plopped out from the pan thinking it was an automatic rod bearing failure however it was about the size of a golf ball maybe smaller and quite beat up. Now after changing the oil and only checking the oil on the dipstick I didn’t see any metal shavings but will drain the oil again tomorrow to double check if I’m still getting metal shavings from the rods and bearings scraping around. Thanks again for your input and advice man.

How did something the size of a golf ball come out of your oil drain?

 

[Motorcru]

How did something the size of a golf ball come out of your oil drain?

That is true man sorry for not being clear but it’s length was about as long as the diameter of a golf ball so like an inch an a half or so but flat and thin in shape. Sorry it’s been a while since this happened.

 

[voodoogsx]

That is true man sorry for not being clear but it’s length was about as long as the diameter of a golf ball so like an inch an a half or so but flat and thin in shape. Sorry it’s been a while since this happened.

Thanks for the reply, the mechanic from pit stop got back to me informing me that a full rebuilt 7 bolt swap would be a little over 4k for parts and labor and rebuilding the motor that’s in it would be the same. I’m not 100% on board with this especially after he said he talked to his buddy who claims a 92 6 bolt long block would have issues because the ecu would not match up and cause problems. From my understanding that is not true and a few splices in the ecu and or plug wire rearrangement should be able to correct that issue. I thought the only problem would have only been the cas harness which I have gotten an adaptor harness to remedy that. All in all I think I’m going to take car out of there and tow it to the driveway so I can check over the recommendations from all the members so far and if I’m unable to trace the problem at least I have a place to keep it off the street until I can get it over to C&A at the end of the month. I unfortunately got rid of the piece of metal that plopped out from the pan thinking it was an automatic rod bearing failure however it was about the size of a golf ball maybe smaller and quite beat up. Now after changing the oil and only checking the oil on the dipstick I didn’t see any metal shavings but will drain the oil again tomorrow to double check if I’m still getting metal shavings from the rods and bearings scraping around. Thanks again for your input and advice man.

Yea, it's that labor that gets ya for something like this...even if you could source an engine...the time it takes to put it all in and get everything working is expensive.

Technically, the mechanic is telling the truth, it's not a direct bolt in as you also point out...some wire splicing and change are needed. Curious as to why you are going with a 6 bolt? I've had the stock 7 in mine for nearly 20 years(Though I never checked if this was the original engine) and have not had an issue with it. It's been solid....and the abuse(driving hard at the track) I've done to it(while not to the complete extreme) it's held out pretty well.

I'm surprised at both the size of the piece you mentioned and that it came out. If it was metal, I'd think it would settle at the bottom and not come out(unless it just happened to be at the drainplug...maybe it was stuck on the magnet?). But since you mention the size, and the sounds you are getting, it could be one of the lifters failed and or somehow came undone(not sure how). but yeah, once you get the car back and can remove the valve cover, that should give some clarity to the current questions.

 

[Motorcru]

Yea, it's that labor that gets ya for something like this...even if you could source an engine...the time it takes to put it all in and get everything working is expensive.

Technically, the mechanic is telling the truth, it's not a direct bolt in as you also point out...some wire splicing and change are needed. Curious as to why you are going with a 6 bolt? I've had the stock 7 in mine for nearly 20 years(Though I never checked if this was the original engine) and have not had an issue with it. It's been solid....and the abuse(driving hard at the track) I've done to it(while not to the complete extreme) it's held out pretty well.

I'm surprised at both the size of the piece you mentioned and that it came out. If it was metal, I'd think it would settle at the bottom and not come out(unless it just happened to be at the drainplug...maybe it was stuck on the magnet?). But since you mention the size, and the sounds you are getting, it could be one of the lifters failed and or somehow came undone(not sure how). but yeah, once you get the car back and can remove the valve cover, that should give some clarity to the current questions.

Thanks man, it’s so true I’ve been slicing parts for a six bolt long block for the past few years to do the 6 bolt swap. I was able to pick up the long block from a buddy for 300 bucks so I couldn’t turn that down and I needed a motor so I figured I would go down the 6 bolt swap road and have been researching it for the past few years on what needs to be done and how. So I’ve finally got the car back and parked in the driveway now. As I was loading it onto the trailer the check engine came on and I was just able to read the code. Code read p0340 camshaft position sensor A circuit bank 1 or single sensor. I asked the mechanic what the compression readings where so I could run it by you guys and when he asked his mechanic who diagnosed the car the guy said he never ran a compression test on it and just heard the terrible noise so doubt they did any real digging as to what the issue was. The only thing he mentioned that the oil pressure from the gauge read super low which is not able to pump oil through the motor properly. When I was loading it up on the trailer the car was able to drive the short distance out from the lot and onto the trailer no problem and idled for a bit normally and that’s when the CEL came on. After I made it to my place to unload the car keep shutting off shortly after cranking even with giving it some gas. I was able to limp it into the driveway by giving it gas and it dying a few times. But that’s the update for now and will pull the cable cover to check for collapsed lifers and also check for the tensioner pulley as well after I drop the truck and trailer off. Will also read watch the cod that is being thrown and what can be casing that. Thanks again for all the responses guys. Here’s a pic of the code as well.

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[voodoogsx]

Hmm..if you are talking about the timing belt tensioner, that will require pulling the multiple covers to get to it...though I don't know what that will tell you atm. It doesn't seem like a tensioner issue atm as the engine does run. As you noted that this was a 95, you'll need to pull the cam cover off to check the sensor though you can check the plug to see if it's plugged in or other issues with it. Maybe plug and unplug, check the connectors...
If anything, the part should be easy to acquire...however..the replacing is a pita....again, have to take off the cam shafts....

Looking forward to the pics with the valve cover off...
Check your oil level too, see if it's at the full line.
I'd even go as far as to check the turbo inlet.

 

[pauleyman]

please fill out a profile and give us some history of the car.

 

[Motorcru]

Hmm..if you are talking about the timing belt tensioner, that will require pulling the multiple covers to get to it...though I don't know what that will tell you atm. It doesn't seem like a tensioner issue atm as the engine does run. As you noted that this was a 95, you'll need to pull the cam cover off to check the sensor though you can check the plug to see if it's plugged in or other issues with it. Maybe plug and unplug, check the connectors...
If anything, the part should be easy to acquire...however..the replacing is a pita....again, have to take off the cam shafts....

Looking forward to the pics with the valve cover off...
Check your oil level too, see if it's at the full line.
I'd even go as far as to check the turbo inlet.

Ok so I started to take off the timing cover to get the valve cover off and decided to check the tension on the timing belt and this does not seem right, seems like there’s a ton of slack and the intake cam gear is rocking!?!? I have a video of what’s going on. What could be the issue as to why that’s happening. Will be continuing with valve cover removal as well just thought I’d share right away as I go on.

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[Motorcru]

Ok so I started to take off the timing cover to get the valve cover off and decided to check the tension on the timing belt and this does not seem right, seems like there’s a ton of slack and the intake cam gear is rocking!?!? I have a video of what’s going on. What could be the issue as to why that’s happening. Will be continuing with valve cover removal as well just thought I’d share right away as I go on.

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Here is a video of the valve cover off I will rotate the cranks to a full cycle to see if any rockers or lifters are loose or bad.

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[pauleyman]

Take the rest of the covers off and you will likely see the problem. You need to check all timing marks.