Knocking coming from head... VIDEOS

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

Just my luck. First my valve seals, now this. I havent even gotten the chance to get the seals done. I have this loud knocking coming from what sounds like the head. It only does it at idle. When I drive around everything sounds normal and it drives fine. There may be a minimal amount of performance decrease from this. Its so small I can hardly tell. Also Ive noticed the rpm drops faster when I put the clutch in and it idles like 50 rpm lower at 700rpm compared to its normal solid 750. I think oil pressure may be lower while I am driving around. But I am uncertain about that as I have only driven it a few times since the noise started. Im thinking its something along the lines of a loose rocker or a fubared lifter. I pretty positive it isnt rod knock as I know all too well what that sounds like. What do you guys think? Also I forgot to mention that when I first heard it I was WOT in 3rd and in the upper rpm's I heard it buzzing. Im going to pull the valve cover whenever I have time and take a look. But what do you guys think?

 

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

Ok I just got done looking throughout the head and feeling to see if any rockers were loose. Everything looks just as it should and they all feel fine. Damnit... everytime there is a knock/rattle/buzz it sounds like its coming from the head but it isnt. But I did find one thing a little weird in the head. In the pic next to the nickel.

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What in the hell was that doing in there!?! I sure hope it didnt screw anything. It was just chillin in a spot away from oil passages. Anyways.. now I dont know what in the hell it is. It may just be rod knock and its not as bad as the knock Ive heard before. I have 2 videos of the sound... one at idle and another reving a little. Ill post them in a sec.

 

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

K heres the vids.

This one is of it idling. 3.6MB in size.
http://home.comcast.net/~zenkairacer/idle_knocking.MPG

This is one at idle with a little reving. 4.4MB in size
http://home.comcast.net/~zenkairacer/rev_knock.MPG

 

[Defiant]

Dead motor.
Is that the end of a snapped-off valve guide in that picture?

 

[LiquidOC]

it looks like a little flower to me.

 

[blue92laser]

What? a snapped off valve guide?

You definately weren't serious when you said that right?
Even if you were, I'll just assume you weren't.

That is a little flower....how did it get in there? I don't even think its possible to find that answer, or search for how a tiny flower could of gotten in there. I would love to find out how it did. If anyone has anything on how a flower could of gotten in his engine....let us know ASAP.

The noise sounds like a really bad lifter, instead of period clicking or ticking. It is ticking indefinately. Its probably collapsed...I heard its bad for valve float at high RPM's. I may be wrong though.

Oh yeah....I did not bash on anyone...ok?...I don't feel like getting harrassed for some stupid comment I made.

 

[blue92laser]

Ok, I just got a chance to listen to the second video. I now, think it is not a lifter. I have, no idea what it is.

I watched those videos seriously a hundred times each already and I can't tell you what it is. I am usually pretty good at diagnosing the problems, but this one...has me stumped.

As far as it being a "dead motor", i wouldn't say its that. Probbly something to do with the head though.

 

[Eclipse90GSX]

that thing looks like a little dead flower, and if its metal then its WAY weird!

 

[DevilSperm]

im gonna say lifter or rocker also....pull the valve cover and check it out...its not good :thumbdown

 

[blue92laser]

He said he pulled the valve cover, i think. But also, if you didnt really do a thorough check under the valve cover do it again and make sure one of the rockers didnt pop off. For a while, one of my friends engine wasnt making any compression and they said they checked the cams and rockers and such but i guess they missed the 8 intake rockers that popped off due to the timing jumping...how they missed it... I dunno...but take a close look.

def. get back with an answer though....

 

[tommiman]

After I cleaned out my lifters that's the exact sound I got. It went away after a few minutes of driving.

I doubt it's the lifters because ticking ceases when you rev the engine. If it was the lifters then the ticking frequency would increase when you rev the engine.

If people ask what that noise is say you swapped for a diesel engine. :laugh:

anyhow that's too bad... I feel for you man

 

[1gp0wer]

try cranking it over a little bit, just so the cams will change position, then look at the rockers.. my car was making a noise identical to yours in the video, except that it seemed like in the video where you rev'd it, the ticking stopped when rev'd. mine ticked constantly, regardless of rpm. but anyway, the first time i looked under the valve cover, the cam lobes were pushing on the rockers, and i couldn't tell that they were loose. i put the valve cover back on, and messed with it for hours, and then in exhasperation i looked under the valve cover again, and they were loose as hell. from the responses you've gotten and my own experience, a head problem seems most likely (as much as that sucks,) but it's worth checking out.

 

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

Yes that is a little flower. How it got in there? I have no freakin clue. But as I said I did take the valve cover off and looked around in there for a good bit. I even played with the rockers. None of the rockers are out of place. Sigh... I dont know what to do... I dont have the cash for a shop to fix this and Ive had this car since the middle of August and still havent recieved my warranty info that I was supposed to have purchased at the time I bought the car. If it is indeed something in the head shouldnt I hear it when I rev or drive and not just at idle? Idle is the only time I hear it.

 

[Defiant]

That is a little flower....how did it get in there?

Ah. That exquisite, hi-megapixel photo made it look like bronze from here. Perhaps he should upgrade to a phone camera.

I'd be more concerned about random bits of folliage in the engine.

 

[92awddsm]

Sounds like a collapsed lifter. Sometimes, they wont hold pressure at idle making the same noise but when you rev, the oil pressure comes up enough for the sound to go away.

 

[Geo2g]

I hope someone can solve this problem. I am having the same problem but not as loud. When you rev past 2000rpms it goes away. I can say I feel your pain first hand.

 

[Nelstar800TSi]

I gave up on my similar problem and just dropped off my car at the dealership. Similar sound coming from the valve cover (or so it seems) but is less bad at idle and gets worse as rpms increase. Maybe a similar part gone bad or maybe not. I'll find out tomorrow what the problem is. Most importantly, I'll find out how bad my bank account is going to get raped. I hope the diagnosis is something the rest of you guys with this problem can fix and save a trip to the $$drain.

 

[NVRLOST]

I had the same problem with one of my engines, the sound seem to be coming from the head also. I removed the oil pan and to my surprise I found a oil squirter that backed out. The crank had minor crankwalk so when you gave it throttle the crank moved just a hair and the counterweight would just miss the oil squirter. I Hope you have the same problem because it's a quick fix, except for the crankwalk part.......

 

[v2ner]

that sound is familiar....ur lifters are tellin u that they're full of carbon deposits. i used three whole cans of Mopar Combustion Chamber Cleaner(MCCC) on each engine and both my sixbolt and sevenbolt decided to silence my lifters.

 

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

Ok so I drove it again today to work. Before it warms up there is a very small amount of sound. Also while driving around I can hear it kind of buzzing at certain rpm's. I put the clutch in and reved it at different rpms. And at 1000-1500 I can hear some "buzz" and also around 3000. I didnt go any higher then 3k though.

 

[tommiman]

If there is no noise when you start it cold then there is no way that it's the lifters.

 

[92awddsm]

If there is no noise when you start it cold then there is no way that it's the lifters.

Actually you are wrong. At cold startup, oil is thicker and oil pressuser is higher and can quiet a bad lifter. Im not talking about a clogged lifter which is what will make more noise at cold startup. A collapsed lifter can run quieter at cold startup and get louder as the engine heats up and the oil thins out.

 

[Defiant]

If you keep driving it without a clue, it might tell you quite loudly what had been wrong with it.

Cut your losses, pay a mechanic while there's still enough there for him to work on.

 

[tommiman]

Actually you are wrong. At cold startup, oil is thicker and oil pressuser is higher and can quiet a bad lifter. Im not talking about a clogged lifter which is what will make more noise at cold startup. A collapsed lifter can run quieter at cold startup and get louder as the engine heats up and the oil thins out.

You're wrong. At start up there isn't enough pressure to reach the lifters.

 

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

As I was driving it today. It came to me. Its one of the damn balance shaft bearings again. The sounds are the exact sounds I heard when I test drove this thing 2 months ago except the buzzing is quieter, probably because its not as bad yet. They repaired it before I picked it up. Now its doing it again. Im just going to remove the damn shafts this time. Ill post up if the problem is gone once I remove the shafts. Im almost positive this is the problem as the sounds are exactly as it was before. At that time I also thought it was coming from the head.... Ugh. My hate for this car rivals my love for it.