Engine Noise / Ticking, Knocking, Tapping MERGED

[eric489]

All threads with vague titles regarding engine bay noises are now merged HERE.

If you honestly feel we can diagnose an internal engine problem from a poor description or low-quality video / audio sample, give it a shot.


I own a 1997 gst spyder and there is a ticking noise comming fron the engine. It comes and goes and it mostly sounds bad at idle. I have 97,000 miles on it and i change the oil regularly. I changed it about 2000 miles ago I need help to fix the problem.

 

[Quicksilvergsx]

I realize how hard it is to diagnose some noise, but I am looking for some options. Here is the clip: Car noise 34 - Putfile.com

This sound seems to have slowly gotten worse over the 700 miles I have put on the fully rebuilt 6 bolt block and head. I had some mechanics use a stethiscope on it and say they thought the noise was comeing from the lifters. I swapped my cleaned 2g lifters with cleaned 1g lifters and the sound did not change. To me it sounds louder then lifters anyway. At about 500 miles I had the head off and noticed the number 2 cylinder had a faint scratch in the cylinder.

Few possiblilites:

Piston slap?
Spun bearing?

Please let me know what you think.

 

[bastarddsm]

thats a fairly severe sounding noise. I have had my car be low on water and make a sound like that from the waterpump cavitating, it always when away when it got up to operating temperature, but it wasn't that loud. To mee it sounds like its from the lower end, rod bearings maybe. check for somthing rubbing or somthing stupid like that, if that fails drop the pan. and check rod brearings.

 

[fwdmaster]

Spun bearings

Sounds like this miata

YouTube - Miata Rod Knock

 

[shaggy4411]

Before taking out the 4 12mm bolts on the crank pulley, what all belts need to be taken off or loosened? Or is there a way to relieve tension of the crank pulley belt by itself?

 

[slipstream808]

Do you have the timing belt tensioner? Get one or get a new tensioner. That or do you have a vise? You have to compress the tensioner to get it back on. Also to loosen the belt you just undo the timing belt tensioner pulley's bolt. It'll loosen up the whole belt.

Look at the 2g timing belt install VFAQ.

 

[No_Skillz]

Do you have the timing belt tensioner? Get one or get a new tensioner. That or do you have a vise? You have to compress the tensioner to get it back on. Also to loosen the belt you just undo the timing belt tensioner pulley's bolt. It'll loosen up the whole belt.

Look at the 2g timing belt install VFAQ.

We are not talking about the timing belt anymore.

You need to remove the AC belt and the alternator belt to take off the crank pulley. Just loosen their respective tightening brackets until the belts can slip off. Your waterpump/PS belt can stay on.

 

[Fast-Orange]

if its bouncing in and out like that hopefully its not the thrust washer on your main bearings
thats gone

 

[Fast-Orange]

did you get a confirmed fix yet?

 

[shaggy4411]

Yes, got the Harmonic Balancer replaced and back to running normal. Hopefully im on my way to the big 200k.

Thanks for all the help in diagnosing this issue.

 

[Pirrofab]

Glad to here everythings back to normal. with 195k on my cars clock i've been wondering alot lately about my harmonic balancer. Im on my way to 200k plus. my car has been deamed the miracle dsm by a few of my friends because it just doesn't die. If and when it goes I'll be going with a Fluidampr harmonic balancer.

 

[Fast-Orange]

awsome thanks!

my 91 1.8L has 323km on it and only burns 1l of oil between oil changes, still runs awesome

 

[JBDdsmer610]

Ok so I bought this 91 gsx about 5 months ago. This is my second DSM well for now well to get to the point I parked the car b/c it had a loud knocking noise. When I bought the car the balance shaft belt was broken. So I replaced the belt and I was driving it for about a day when it started knocking. I pulled the plug wires out 1 by to see if the knock went away but it still knocked. The weird part is that when it’s at idle it makes the knocking noise but as soon as it hit 1000 rpms there is no knocking at all. My oil is very clean and there are no metal flakes in it at all. I am throwing a CEL for a 31 code (knock sensor) I replaced the sensor right when it happened and it still throws it. I’m just curious as to what it could be I am thinking the balance shafts but I don’t know

 

[throwedgsx]

it could be piston slap. Your piston rings are bad if that's the case

 

[JBDdsmer610]

The car has 155 compression accross the board

 

[JBDdsmer610]

I will see if i can get a video clip or something so everyone can here it like i said at idle the engine shakes and knocks soon as it his 1000 rpms there is no noise

 

[soccerplayaz16]

could just be your lifters....mine do the same thing....as soon as the oil pressure goes up it quits

 

[JBDdsmer610]

I was thinking the lifters too.....well its possible. And when it dose start to knock at idle the engine shakes a little bit.

 

[JBDdsmer610]

Anyone else have any input on this?

 

[dsm1212]

does it sound like this?

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[cano86]

That would most likely be a lifter mine also use to do that before the engine was rebuilt and found out it was a lifter that was no lubricating

 

[JBDdsmer610]

IT kinda sounds like that but it dosent do it when you rev it ill go make a vid real quick

 

[VTEC_THIS]

It's hard to diagnose without hearing it, try to get a video for us. If it's rod knock it sounds more like clanking then knocking. If you've heard it before you probably know what I'm talking about.

 

[Thomas98GSSNTBT]

Does your oil light come on at all thats what happened to mine it was making like a ticking noise and the rod bearing was crushed.

 

[JBDdsmer610]

<embed width="448" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i165.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid165.photobucket.com/albums/u64/JBDdsmer610/IMGP0067.flv">

Dont mind the exhaust i just have the down pipe on. i am in the proccess of repairing my cat back. And the car dose not make the noise when its cold only when the car warms up.

 

[91tizzy]

interesting....doesnt sound like a bearing noice of any kind and since it is not consistent with rpm I would rule that out anyway...obviously sounds like something with the valvetrain...did you do the big ole' flathead screwdriver/prybar trick to see where it is most prominent? Could be a sticking lifter in my opinion.