[PEEWEE91]

okay, so ive had that tapping sound going on for a couple weeks, i had always thought it was the motor was cold. im driving back from a day of snowboarding and the car is running, then suddenly a horrendous knocking sound, and i swear i heard something shredding. so i pull over, and turn off the car. I turn it back on to see if i could find the problem, and i couldnt, but it ran really rough. i turned it off and got it towed home. im nervous it might be a valve seat, as my friend said it sounded like a loss of compression, im hoping it isnt something like that, as ive just replaced the transmission and dont have the money to repair right now.

im basically looking for what to do now, its at my house and in the morning im going t olook at it some more, take off the timing cove,r check the plugs etc but is there anything else i could look for?

 

[pextor]

1. pull plug #4
2. confirm electrode is smashed, shiny, or just otherwise damaged.
3. cuss repeatedly.

sounds like a dropped valve seat. the noise was your "warning"

 

[white-lightning]

It does sound like a valve-seat. Once you comfirm that is it call your local machine shops till you find one that is familiar with the engine, so they rebuild the head right. It cost me $250 to have the head redone at a machine shop.

 

[PEEWEE91]

well, i took out the spark plugs, and none of them are damaged. they all look the same, no shineeness or anything, infact the sparkplugs were the problem. plug number 3 was really loose, so loose that when i pull the plug wire the spark plug went with it. so i tightened them all up, and tried starting it, and it works!, no loud pinging or anything!

 

[ethangsmith]

You lucky, lucky man. That's good that's all it was!

 

[pextor]

dodged a bullet, you did.

the matrix is strong in this one.....

 

[PEEWEE91]

yeah, does anyone have an idea why a sparkplug would become really loose suddenly? i changed the plugs in june, and it wasnt like that before.
now theres no ticking noises at all!

 

[Jeffescortlx]

Lucky!

Unless the threads in the head are wrecked, I would'nt worry about it.