[PYTHON]

alright watch this....

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v249/sundaysbest/?action=view&current=Pictures.flv


i know its short but its the only thing we got. we think its a vavle hitting the top of a piston....anyone else have some input?

 

[Caldera]

sounds like maybe a rod bearing?

 

[Miatadam]

The rod bearings are brand new.. but they were installed by the previous owner's (a doctor) mechanic. So, i honestly dont know the quality of the installation. But the sound seems to be coming from the top end of the motor.. and is specific to certain rpms and load on the engine. Hence, it's nice and loud a 3/4 to WOT.

 

[PYTHON]

new video!

 

[Bryan]

Did you check your spark plugs?

 

[Miatadam]

Checking right now. What could cause that other than them being tightened to far into the head? :?:

 

[Dicker]

i had one that was making that noise, and it was loose.

 

[Tsukuba]

I've noticed I've got a little bit of noise now. Possibly valves. Could be belt noise. I'm going to switch to lighter oil and see if it makes a difference.

Slightly OT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO-_-CnxUsc

 

[Miatadam]

Spark plugs are fine. I'm going to hypothesize on this one... the car was purchased from a guy who overheated the engine, his mechanic pulled the old head, milled the block and put a brand new head on it.. i'm thinking it may have been possible that he milled the head a little much?? BUT, the problem has progressively gotten worse.. any ideas responses to such a hypothesis :?: :?:

 

[Bryan]

Oh yeah...one other thing...your timing may be off.

 

[Diego Dangers.]

sounds like a rod bearing right there.

 

[Miatadam]

Timing definitely isn't off. It's been a progressive problem. The sound is coming from the top end of the motor which kind of strays me away from the rod bearing thing.. although the sound is similar. Another new hypothesis is a stuck hydraulic lifter.. any comments there?

 

[terry pham]

that sounds to me like a rod bearing going out... one of my old miata motors did this... it gets progressively worse, especially worse real quick the more you rev it up.

TeRRy

 

[Bryan]

Timing definitely isn't off. It's been a progressive problem.

Now that I think about it (at 4am :roll: ), since the Miata is non-interference, you couldn't have valves hitting pistons without valve float or overrevs...

 

[Miatadam]

Ok, so i'm starting to swing more towards a rod bearing given that the noise seems to be coming more from inside the engine than just beneath the valve cover. Is it possible that there could be slack where the top of the rod connects to the bottom of the piston? I say this just because it doesnt sound like the noise is in the very bottom of the motor.

 

[Miatadam]

I ask all of these questions because this is my one and only, daily driver car. I'm going to go ahead and pull the oil pan this afternoon and attempt to check for slack in any of the rods.

 

[Bryan]

Good luck! I wish I had more advice for you

 

[Miatadam]

I'm pretty convinced that's what it is especially after reading the "buying a used miata" post on miatanet that states: "Once the engine is warmed up, grab the throttle valve and rev the engine slowly up, listening for knocking sounds that come on at a certain rpm levels and fade away. Early signs of rod and main bearing wear will show up here." And this is exactly what is happening. I just tried to void it as a last option because the guy I bought it from said it had brand new rod bearings. I actually dropped him an email about it to see if his mechanic would check it out. He responded: "How much do you want for the car with the bad engine?" :evil:

 

[Diego Dangers.]

yeah man, I know how you feel. after I drove my car when I bought it for about 100 miles, I started to develope a knock when its fully heated up.

gl on the project.

 

[Turns101]

How much do you want!!!

Meet with him and punch his face in!!!

Steal his wallet and get the engine fixed.

What a dirt bag.

-Jeff