Thread: spun a bearing??!

okay, let me start by saying that i always seem to have bad luck with cars... okay, well i was taking my gp 3.8l n/a on its first test run after getting it running. it was running great, and i drove it for a few hours. no problems. then i pulled up to my buds house, and he said theres a strange sound.. so i turned down the music, and i heard a loud ticking/knocking from the rear of the motor. it sounded like it was coming from the rear valve cover. and then the sound dissapeared. so i decided its best to take it back home and grab my other dd b4 work. the sound came back on the way, and the oil lights started blinking at low idle when it was making the sound. its currently not making the sound. oil is black, smells like gasoline, and was higher than full. might have just overfilled it i think.(usefull info might be that the engine was really flooded with gas from so many starting attempts from when i couldnt get it running). coolant is normal levels, no odd colors or smells, and the engine is staying at 210 or lower. i have no loss in power, and the engine felt like it was running fine...except for that dreaded sound. im afraid to even start the engine for fear of damaging it further. so, what could i be looking at here? im already expecting the worst. i was gonna put some seafoam in the oil, run it, and then change it+filter. any ideas? thanks in advanced.

yea, but the sound went away? theres likely no way its salvageable?

it honestly sounded more like a rocker arm slapping. not a chirping. im too worried to start it for a video, and its not making the sound anymore. and it only had one oil change since the job... probably not even close to enough. i will search a bit on youtube and try and find a vid that matches the sound.

yea, but its not making the sound right now anyway. i was looking at some vids of spun bearings, and it sounds much different. its a much lighter knocking sound. not nearly as loud, and the engine isnt really chugging. if it starts making the sound again, ill make the vid.

sounds just like this: Engine ticking noise #1 - YouTube from the rear cover

i started it today to put in the yard for repairs, and it sounded great. put sea-foam in the oil, and let it run for a good hour, and no strange sounds the me or my bud could here whatso-ever. is this a good sign??? or could the bearing still be spun, just not so bad yet?? when i drain the oil 2morrow, if i see no metal flakes, is it likely that the bearings r fine, and it could be something else?

this could just be wishful thinking though... lol

one more question b4 i head to work, can u replace the bearings without removing the engine? cause i dont have a lift..

No you cannot. And you cannot just slap new rod and main bearings in it and call it good. These motors need to come out and have a machine shop align hone the bottom end to ensure they are true or you will have a 200mi. motor, as it will knock again in under 200 miles. And the rod and main bolts are TTY, which means they are not reuseable. Your best and cheapest bet would be to find a good low mileage longblock and swap all your stuff onto it and drop it in. Not having to worry about the bottom end coming apart again is worth the extra $$ you may pay for a longblock. And probably will be less time in the end.

honestly, if a bearing spun, im gonna go with ford's advice, and pull a long from the scrap yard. but i will check the oil/pan, and rockers in the morning and pray for a miracle lol. but it definitly sounded top end, not bottom. if it makes the sound again, would it help to listenfrom the bottom of the car?

You could try and put a wooden dowl rod or something of the like against the pan and try to isolate the noise. I'd pull the cover and have a look. Maybe its just a collapsed or sticky lifter. I've heard lifters clatter when they go bad. The only thing that concerns me is the low oil light popping on. Since you stated that you flooded it and smell fuel in the oil and it was overfull it would be best if you changed the oil and filter now before you wash out the rings and bearings, then you will need a longblock, lol.. Fuel likes to clean things that oil needs to stick to (cylinder walls, rings, cam, crank, etc...).

Yea. Gina definitely give the oil more attention. Might it be a good idea to go to a thicker oil when I change it?

No, I'd stay with the recommended 10W-30. Thicker oil won't fix this one, unless you want to sell it while it's quiet, lol. But that'd be a dick move for sure.

Check the oil for sparkly metal bits as mentioned and hope you don't see anything. Also, check the oil pressure sensor while you are changing the filter. I've seen them go bad and cause a light before falsely. It's the sensor that screws into the oil filter housing towards the firewall side.

noise has been gone. no signs of what it is now. will look more at the oil in the morning. valvetrain? u mean like the push rods/rockers? how would i go about checkin these? besides the obvious tightening check lol. is it possible that the gunked up oil is causing a sticking valve?