Name that expensive noise
 

Built block & rebuilt head with about 400 miles on it.

Pls halp...

Check all your exhaust bolts are tight, in fact any bolt attached to something that could rattle at a given RPM.

I had a similar issue on an previous car that I'd just had rebuilt. Heard the noise, felt like I'd been sucker punched in the stomach, then got under the car and found an exhaust bolt loose which was rattling right around 2500rpm. I thought I'd spun a shell...

It sounds external to me but i really had to crank up the volume.
I agree with Sam jack it up and give every bolt within reach a twiddle to see if its spinnable. Something sounds loose.

There's a bracket attached to the tranny bell housing that bolts to an exhaust bracket. Easy to get to from either top (under the hood) or underneath. Check that first.

I'm running a MK turbo kit, so no downpipe to bell housing bracket, and no exhaust bolts (just v bands). I'm gonna take a really close look at pulleys. I have no AC or PS, so I'm going to look closely at crank, WP, & alt pulleys.

This noise puzzles me. It's not quite a heat shield rattle type resonant buzz, and it doesn't quite sound engine internal.

I pulled my whole supercharger system because the nut fir the power steering pump pivot bolt had fallen off. That was a hell of a noise...

Mechanics stethoscope and just poke around the engine bay until you find the noise.

Yeah, that's the plan. Now that I can replicate the noise in neutral, I can just rev it in the engine bay & listen for the horror.

It really sounds like maybe a dust cover bolt hitting the crank pulley or something, but I just haven't found it yet. I'm really hoping it's not engine internal. Or even inside the bell housing for that matter.

I only had a couple minutes outside to poke around the engine bay, but a conspiracy is unfolding. The lower timing dust cover is broken at one mounting location, and the back side of the timing wheel is polished to a mirror finish. There's some molten plastic shreds around that almost look like spider webs. I think it might be the teeth on the timing wheel making that noise.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...903209e7b1.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a3904bd4b4.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...375ca1986e.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ab8266e9aa.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...46e4fc9417.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a4c4557808.jpg


Could have been that TDC bump on the timing wheel making racket. No obvious lose bolts yet. Gotta order in a new cover & see how it sounds.

looks probable. I'd throw it back together and run without the cover just for diagnostic purposes.

Yeah, what I'm thinking. Ordered a new cover anyway. That old one is pretty hosed

Yuppers. That was it.

Glad to hear!

Glad to hear it wasn't a terminal engine noise!

Well, I wish I could say my problem is gone, but it isn't. After replacing the timing cover, I fired up the car and revved it a bit. No noise! But today I took it for a drive, and it starts this racket. It seems to only do it when it's up to temp. It isn't the VVT. I unplugged the oil control valve, and it hasn't gone away.

Well, I pulled the valve cover, aaaannnnnd... The oil is all kinds of gold and sparkly. Spun bearing.

So... Learn me about what I can do. What parts of this motor can be salvaged, and how do I clean what I can keep?

Ok, that gives me some hope. I had the short block built at a shop, so I guess we'll have a conversation about the rebuild.

I have put probably less than 25 miles on the motor since noticing the onset of the noise basically just trying to diagnose the noise.

Take it apart really slowly and carefully and inspect it like you've never inspected anything in your entire life. With spun bearings the likelihood of clogged passages is so high, and I've seen way too many re-rebuilt engines die again exactly the same way due to hidden issues.

Bummer it died so quickly.

Follow these steps.

1. Go inside and get a bottle of liqueur.
2. Take several swigs from bottle.
3. Cry.
4. Go to step 2 and start again from there.


Loosing built motors sucks I am well aware of how you are feeling.

I have another VVT actuator, and an entire extra valve cover, so I can more or less just swap the VVT stuff over. I have an extra crank too. I hear crud can be almost impossible to get out of the crank journals. That would be mostly just be annoying because I had the rotating assembly balanced.

So here's my thinking:

Tear down the head, and check cam journals to see if they're still good. If they're still good, uncork the oil journals and hot tank it. Put it back together with the extra VVT bits I have laying around.

For the bottom end, inspect the crank, journals, and rods for damage. Pull all the galley plugs on the block, and get it tanked. If the crank is still good, how do you clean the crank galleys? Am I better off just using my spare crank and getting the rotating assembly rebalanced?

Also, as Curly mentioned, I'll need to get a new oil cooler.

Anything I should do to the oil pump?
Should I re-hone/re-ring?

New rings and re-hone anytime pistons are out and the motor has run before.

I have a parts bath that I plumbed a giant oil filter into, and 10 gallons of mineral spirits, so minimal brake cleaner required. I'll just swap the VVT stuff for known good since I have it, and it gives me peace of mind.

The real question next is how much damage has been done.

Damn so it was an expensive noise after all :(

What I wanna know about that spun bearing... How could he have avoided this? Is it even certain that there was an assembly mistake?

Really curious

Anyway, gl man. Don't drink and cry, keep wrenching!