OK last week I noticed a chatter when holding a steady rpm.
Being over a oil change by a grand I figured the oil just needs changing.

Fast Forward>> I changed the oil last Mon. chatter still there.
I felt sure I had some type of upper engine noise. thought maybe time for new guides or tensioner.

Fast Forward>> I went to a Auto-X and school this weekend.
Sat. i probably made 15 passes at the school . The noise was getting louder. Sun. I decided to check it out a little more. popped the hood and the noise was very similar to my cousins classic was making before it expired with rod bearing failure.
I decided to take some timing out to see if that would help. Went and run a few laps and the noise was definately softer.
I ran a few more laps and the noise was getting louder again.
For safety sake I decided to a little more timing out before I drove home.
Well I have driven it several miles since the Auto-X and the noise is there but kinda comes and goes. I have pretty much backed my timing down that it is probably around TDC.

OK as result I have bumped up my plan to swap out to a JDM

Advice Part!!!

OK heres the deal. I have been running extremely too much advancement in my timing. Strange thing is I have done so for 2 years with no problem. Anyways I don't know if I was a victom of Pinging, detonation or both, I only heard the same noise the whole time.
To be honest I was running past the last timing mark on the advanced side. Yeah and I WAS WRONG! Let me serve as a lesson for some of the guys out there that might advance there timing without a light. don't do it!!!

Well my question is this engine is extremely good and propelled me to a 9.484 pass just a few weeks ago at a local 1/8.
I want to save the engine for future use.
How long before I totalled ruin the engine. I am going to do the swap in a week or 2 depending on how fast I can get all the parts. Clutch, PP, water pump gaskets, pulleys got JDM already waiting to go in

Thanks,

Well without being able to hear the engine myself, it's tough to say, but here are some ideas. If it is knocking, when you return the car to a more realistic setting the noise should have stopped. So we are onto a possible bad crank bearing or a common high mileage problem, the hydraulic valve adjusters. In some rare cases the timing chain tensioner/chain will make an odd noise. The 1st thing is to isolate the upper and lower parts of the engine for location of noise and then cylinder #. This can be done with a screw driver pressed against different parts of the engine. cup the other end with your hand and put your ear against the other end of your hand. Now you can hear what's going on inside. Sounds like you need to get this sorted out pretty quick.

Cossie

i remember serban posting a .wav or a video file of his or someone elses car with rod knock. if you hear his your should probably be able to diagnose your own car.

I still dont think advancing your timing like a lunatic caused a spun bearing ( if thats what this is ). Sport compact car ran 21 degrees without any pinging. Check for little silvery things on your spark plugs under a magnifying glass. detonation should cause things like blown rings or head gasket as far as i know.

throw your jdm in there and call it a day.

EDIT: check the oil you drained for metal shavings. If you spun a bearing i believe you can find some end trails in your oil. If you cant check the oil from the last oil change drain some of the oil you have in there right now. Actually cut open your old filter and check for metal shavings.

Pull each spark plug one by one with the motor running, this takes the load off the cylinder and it should stop but only if it is a bad bearing. I diagnosed mine two weeks ago as #2 and low and behold today I punched a hole in the block and part of the rod is now on the desk next to me. dont drive it.

Well I pulled the plugs today and everyone looked normal. When driving it home I never really heard it knock. When I got home
knowing it was warm I decided to give it a couple of 3,000 rpm revs. The noise is there but is very faint.

when you return the car to a more realistic setting the noise should have stopped.

The noise didn't totally stop but it definately helped a lot.


I still dont think advancing your timing like a lunatic caused a spun bearing ( if thats what this is ). Sport compact car ran 21 degrees without any pinging.

Well I ran the timing just a hair beyond the last mark on BTDC side. I believe the last mark is 21 degrees. Like I said before I ran it like that for 2 years. Never heard any pinging, just smooth revs.

Maybe I am just a victom of the high mileage bearing failure and nothing more.