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Engine Knock



i spun a bearing and it was alot louder then those videos. this past year i had a rocker bolt break and the rocker fall to the side and it wasnt as loud as the bearing but the same kind of sound.

easiest would be drain the oil and look for metal. pull the valve covers and check there first, its easier then pulling the motor. then if nothing looks wrong in the valve train pull the motor and remove the oil pan. trust ive been through this $hit it sux but sometimes you end up lucky like i did with the rocker bolt.
 
I'll take a shot and open her up. Worst case, I suppose, is I'm sending her to the junkyard. Best case scenario, it is something simple and I get to change all the gaskets.
 
tdm571 said:
Maybe you have $2k laying around, I don't. Better to cut my losses and concentrate on my better GP.
Click to expand...

If you have another car why not park this one, when you see a good deal on a nice low mileage engine get it, drop it in, and then be good as new. I had to refinance my original $4500 loan to put the "new" low mileage engine that I picked up for $700. Worth it in the end, I couldn't get my money back on my car with a bad engine and scrapping a whole GP would only get you 4-500 with a bad engine. If you look these engines are abundant and can be picked up for cheap. I spent 1300 to buy the motor, pick it up, pay the tech at work to put it in and we put all new gaskets top to bottom to make sure the motor was solid for me. You don't need 2k
 


4 engines at $500 a piece = $2000. I've not done anything as extensive as getting to the lifters and rods myself, at least not with the intention of putting it back together. I've taken a few apart in the junkyard though.

The funny thing is that unlike Hippo, I didn't run it hard at all before my P0304 was thrown. Not run at all when knock started after doing the plugs. If I drain the oil, I'm afraid I won't see much as anything big would stay in the pan.

Other than metal shavings what else could I look for if I drain my oil?
 
What costs 2 grand?

You can get a bottom end from Morad that is warranty'd for around $500.

I sourced my parts elsewhere...I spent over a grand on a fully built motor...if you want to see what 2 grand looks like...click the link in my signature next to the blue car...there's a mod list there.

I bought junky higher mileage motors...for like a hundred bucks. Tossed them in...blew them up...tossed in another one. KFish went through 8 of them. Probably spent more on gaskets than the engines themselves. What I'm saying is these motors aren't that bad to work on, take simple tools, and are a dime a dozen. It's a 350 with 2 less cylinders for the most part...probably one of the easist motors to rebuild for a guy that is new into the mech world...take on the project...and do it right the first time...that way you have the future skill...and the personal satisfaction knowing it was done correctly.
 
OK, got the back cover off. Nothing visible. Looks fine to me. Everything is pretty tight. Guess I'll drain some coolant and get the LIM off now.

Here's some pics:

From overhead
IMG_20110713_145530.jpg


Cylinder 6 up close
IMG_20110713_145549.jpg


Cylinder 4 up close
IMG_20110713_145556.jpg


Cylinder 2 up close
IMG_20110713_145629.jpg
 
Got the UIM off. Is it normal for there to be oil in the front drivers and rear passenger corners of the LIM.

IMG_20110713_172706.jpg


IMG_20110713_172617.jpg
 


OK, LIM is off, pulled the rear rockers, push rods, and lifters. I only did the rear because the code was P0304 and the knocking sounded like it was coming from the rear. From what I can see, everything looks fine. Gonna go pull the front ones now.

Here's some pics:

Left to right: 6 4 2
IMG_20110713_190546.jpg


IMG_20110713_190558.jpg


IMG_20110713_190613.jpg
 
Fronts are off. I see nothing. At this point, I'm assuming it's a bearing or piston because it sure doesn't look like the valvetrain. Going to put her back together and ponder on what to do next. Not sure a 97SE is worth a new engine.

Final pics:

Left to right: 5-3-1
IMG_20110713_195035.jpg


IMG_20110713_195045.jpg


IMG_20110713_195055.jpg
 
tdm571 said:
The funny thing is that unlike Hippo, I didn't run it hard at all before my P0304 was thrown. Not run at all when knock started after doing the plugs. If I drain the oil, I'm afraid I won't see much as anything big would stay in the pan
Click to expand...

I've been told over and over that this problem will happen to every one of these engines eventually... **** happens
 
if they are factory rocker bolts then they are torque to yield and arent reusable. dont bother buying new ones until you figure out whats wrong. and youll need to drop the subframe or pull the motor to get the oil pan off.
 


lol well when my motor was knocking i said it was bottom end and others told me it was lifters when it was the broken bolt, so why not start with the easy thing.

but yes you are right.
 
I agree...cheap, easy stuff first no doubt...but from the get go you can tell that is rotating assembly related.

Sucks...but its true.
 
The upside is that I got the opportunity to purposefully dig into the engine. Though it didn't produce the hopeful result, it did have its advantages.
 
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