Diagnose please...

[bnsportsr33]

Now what? lol I took a 2x4 and it definitely sounds top end like it's coming from cyl 3,4,5, or 6? on the exhaust side. IT could very well just be a bad lifter? How can I tell though? I don't want to buy a bunch of lifters and they aren't even bad or take all that apart again if it's not the lifters :/ There has gotta be a sure fire way to diagnose it :/

I had them all out and they all seemed good, when I pre-bled them before putting back in car they were all hard as a stone like they are supposed to be, not able to push the little piston down after the air was out.

[Skym]

Did you put them back in the same position in the head? They are bed in with each lobe. Should have a tray where you can lay them out in the position they were removed from the head. Also did you mix the parts from the other lifters???

You do get faulty lifters sometimes and the sound is there when engine is cold or hot.

[bnsportsr33]

Did you put them back in the same position in the head? They are bed in with each lobe. Should have a tray where you can lay them out in the position they were removed from the head. Also did you mix the parts from the other lifters???

You do get faulty lifters sometimes and the sound is there when engine is cold or hot.

For the most part they were in the same position... I had them all laid out nicely on a piece of wood with labels and when I was putting the wood down on the table something was underneath it and caught the edge, so a few of them jumbled up but I tried to put them in their correct locations. I did lose one ball bearing but I was able to go to a local place and get the exact same size and kind of ball. I may have mixed up a few of the lifters. But I thought that shouldn't matter, according to McFly who put all his lifters in a strainer basket (all of them were in different spots for sure)...

I am at a loss for what to do/try next... I just want to get this damn thing fixed, very frustrating and summer is running out very quickly.

How can I test lifters and find out exactly which ones are bad, they are $71 new from Nissan but I found TOG ones from Napa for $28 (thanks 99_SI).

Also, I tried unplugging each coilpack 1 at a time and the noise didn't ever go away. I thought if there was a more serious problem IE: bottom end that whichever cylinder was ****** the noise would go away when I unplugged that cylinder? Is this wrong information?

I'm so stumped... Prob woulda been cheaper to buy a new motor already.

[bnsportsr33]

How about this, when I blew my turbo a month ago is when this noise started occuring. Could like an old fin/part of the old turbo wheel be stuck somewhere in my engine causing this noise? It sure does sound like it could be something loose. I did also take a 2x4 and put it right on top of the turbo/manifold area and it sounded very loud in that area. Just trying to come up with anything now.

Appreciate all the help guys, I'm sorry it's probably very annoying but it is for me too, I just want to drive!

[Skym]

You're welcome. We understand the frustration, as been there a few times ourselves.

Being out of position in head could explain the noise. The parts for each lifter should be kept together with that lifter and in same position in head.

It sounds like one lifter. Do you remember where that lifter was placed in the head (the one with the lost ball bearing)? Same position where the sound is coming from??? Just because the ballbearing appears to be the same size, doesn't mean it would work.

Like I said above, put a mechanics stethoscope on cam covers, only way to pinpoint it accurately.

I believe unplugging each coilpack is for faulty coilpacks only.

Borescope can help to see if there is anything in the cylinder and see if there are score marks on side of cylinders from foreign objects.

[bnsportsr33]

I do remembner where I put it , and it was actually on the other side the intake side, in cyl 3 so I don't think that's it.

Going to get a mechanics steth tomorrow, will i know what i'm listening for when i put it on, never used one before

Also Skym, don't forget that video was taken before I took apart and cleaned the lifters, so in that video they were all in the "correcT" spot from factory.

[Skym]

A mechanics stethoscope helps to listen for exactly where the noise you are hearing is coming from.

Then it's possibly a faulty lifter. Sometimes they can't be fixed.

[bnsportsr33]

Well I no longer think it's lifters. Was able to fire it up a few times today and sometimes the noise would be there and sometimes not? Very odd, it would idle perfectly fine for a little while. Went n got a mechanic's stethoscope and placed it on every part of the engine I possibly could. The 100% place its coming from is inside the exhaust manifold? Right in the center of it the sound is the loudest, I put my steth all over the cam covers on each lifter and they all sound quiet and the same.

What could it be, exhaust manifold gasket blown out? piece stuck inside the manifold?

I even put the steth on the block below the manifold and normal operation, the tick/knock/ whatever the f you wanna call it is coming from inside that exhaust manifold.

I think tomorrow i'm going to pull off my turbo and manifold and take a peak.

[bnsportsr33]

Oh also hooked up an oil pressure gauge, just manual one to the block and I am getting oil pressure. The gauge was very cheap so I'm not sure if it's accurate but at least I know i'm getting oil press and the pump is working.

[bnsportsr33]

Here is a video from earlier in the day, started it up and let it run for a bit and this was the video. Its DEFINITELY quieter than before I cleaned the lifters. But as I already said it sounds like the sound is coming from the exhaust manifold!

Also you'll notice like crackling from the manifold???

[bnsportsr33]

And here is a video from about 1 hour ago, I went tonight to help my buddy pull his motor out of his H22 euro R civic. So the car was sitting cold for a good 6-7 hours.. but the results are amazing... Sound is almost completely gone... I still want to pull off the exhaust manifold tomorrow... I keep thinking maybe I have a bent connecting rod cuz some of the videos I hear sorta sound like it. But wouldn't a bent rod sound be constantly around?

[Dragon Humper]

Another thing you can do is hook up a timing light and see if the clack is in time with the strobe. If it is it is definately cam/valve related. If the light is running at half speed to the clack then it is crank related. It really does sound like a rod though, when you revved it up and the clack got much louder on the wind down, that is a classic give away for a rod brg. The cold engine oil would make the sound quieter too. Dump a bunch of Lucas Oil supliment in there and see if it gets quieter still...that will confirm for sure.



Jon.

[bnsportsr33]

rod brg again though? I just changed them, they are brand new.. I haven't even driven the car on the new ones?

maybe a bent rod I could see but I don't think it could be rod brg's.

I'll maybe try going out to buy a timing light cuz i don't have one.

I'm going to do a dry and wet compression test today and then see the results. I['ll post them up

then I'll prolly pull of my exhaust mani and check around there.

Thanks guys

[Dragon Humper]

Well...it sounds like it through a cell phone watched again on a cell phone...lol. Sometimes the cam followers take a long time to set into place. Try the Lucas trick...you can always drain it afterwards. Let here run for a while and see if the noise goes away or gets much queiter with the Lucas.



Jon.

[bnsportsr33]

I didn't even put any lucas in today but I was running it for a good little bit. The noise is virtually gone, the only time you can hear it is if you take a mechanic's stethoscope and put it directly on the exhaust manifold, other than that you can not hear the noise....

I did compression test. Dry and Wet.

Cyl 1 - 140 dry, 150 wet
cyl 2 - 140 dry, 170 wet
cyl 3 - 140 dry, 170 wet
cyl 4 - 140 dry, 170 wet
cyl 5 - 140 dry, 170 wet
cyl 6 - 140 dry, 170 wet

I know cyl 1 is a little low, but these are stock rings that have been in there for 20 or so years, could that just be the rings worn a bit?

Also this is likely a stupid question but I just want to make sure, I started the car up after doing the compression test, the car started instantly smoking like crazy, but I'm going to chalk it up to pouring oil in the cylinders while doing the compression test, it was just burning the oil out of the combustion chamber? Is that a correct assessment?