oil warning and noise (!!)

[my240isapiece]

Sooooo I had to swap in a new engine on my 91 240 (KA24DE) because my water pump on the old engine broke and warped the heads. I bought a new engine for $1000 from a guy at my brothers shop but it has some disturbing symptoms:

1. The oil warning light is dimmed some, but always on (scary!).

2. There is a loud rattle at around 2500 RPM, my brother suspects it may be a broken lifter?

3. The temp gauge jitters around the cold area at about the same RPM and the rattling/knocking sound mentioned earlier. Under those RPM it is dead center between H and C. Above or at those RPM it stays and jumps around the cold area. (weird)

4. Problem started when brother changed oil and replaced my 5x-40 synthetic with 20w-50 regular oil. He did this because he thought it would help the rattling problem but it didnt, I changed the oil and filters several times since and am running 10w-40 regular in it right now. Problem persists, next im going to try running synthetic again...

I tried some GUNK engine flush thinking maybe something in the engine was clogged but it did not help (other than removing crap from my engine in general) Plugs are newish NGK V-Powers, so it shouldnt be mis-fires. Anyways have any clue whats going on here? I'm stumped, and too poor to take it to a shop

Also I heard that mixing diesel fuel and new oil and running it for a few minutes then draining will clean your engine like whoa, I have no confirmed this, but just throwing a chip into the pile

- Raleigh

[my240isapiece]

also I am running 93 octane and I did not screw with the timing so that shouldnt be an issue either.

- Raleigh

[masticatingcow]

Where is the rattling coming from? Have someone start her up and stand RIGHT OVER the engine bay and check it out. Pay very close attention to it because frankly, rattling could be LOTS of things. Post up when you have a SPECIFIC location of the rattle, and we can help you a lot more.

The dimmed oil light sounds like an electrical problem, not an oil problem.

The erratic behavior of the temp needle is VERY WEIRD. When you isolate the rattling, maybe we can help for with that. I am inclined to think that that is also an electrical problem, however.

I would NOT run a diesel mix through your engine just yet. No matter what you were told when you got raped for $1000, it's not brand new. I promise you that. However, I think the rattling, which seems to be the biggest problem, is probably an easy fix. I won't go whole hog on that until you get some more specific detail, but we'll see.

[my240isapiece]

Where is the rattling coming from? Have someone start her up and stand RIGHT OVER the engine bay and check it out. Pay very close attention to it because frankly, rattling could be LOTS of things. Post up when you have a SPECIFIC location of the rattle, and we can help you a lot more.

The dimmed oil light sounds like an electrical problem, not an oil problem.

The erratic behavior of the temp needle is VERY WEIRD. When you isolate the rattling, maybe we can help for with that. I am inclined to think that that is also an electrical problem, however.

I would NOT run a diesel mix through your engine just yet. No matter what you were told when you got raped for $1000, it's not brand new. I promise you that. However, I think the rattling, which seems to be the biggest problem, is probably an easy fix. I won't go whole hog on that until you get some more specific detail, but we'll see.

Ill check it out tommorow and post again. I actually got the whole car for $1000 not jus tthe engine (last owner hit something and bent the lower subframe, everything else appearced to be fine), I just pulled the engine (and later the water pump) because thats what i needed to get rolling again on the original car.

I would describe the sound more as knocking then rattling, and sometimes i hear some metalic pinging sounds (very briefly) when decelerating. Also the dimmed light I should have said earlier dims at varrying levels. Like when I start it its glowing a certain amount, after driving it a few minutes it usually dims more but never completely goes out.

Anyways i'll give more detailed info tommorow and try to isolate the location of the noise. Thanks!

- Raleigh

[Nismo_Freak]

Check the oil pan for dents. Sounds like you have very little oil pressure, which would cause the engine to rattle (tensioner is oil pressure assisted).

I would not drive this engine without diagnosing the problem.

[my240isapiece]

Crap crap crap! Soooo I put in regular gas today because high test was a rip where I went, and it made the knocking much louder and knocks are idle RPM. Acceleration crapped out significantly too. I also opened up the hood right after parking the car and there was smoke coming from underneath the engine. It wasnt a lot of smoke but I assume any smoke is bad, it looked to be coming from underneath the heat shield over the headers. Smoke was not blue or oddly colored and I think it might be just an exhaust leak (I hope).

Knocking noise is coming from... the engine, sorry that doesnt help at all but it is hard to isolate the noise as it is a fairly loud knock. Sound seems to be near the top of engine. If the problem is oil pressure do i just need an oil pump? Is this an expensive fix ?

I am not a car expert but I'm thinking nizmo is on the right track, because it the timing chain tensioner is oil pressure assisted and i have low pressure, that offers the explanation that the timing is off due to incorrect timing chain tensioning and thus causing the knocking... or am i mis-understanding something?

Thanks for the help btw guys.

- Raleigh

[Nismo_Freak]

Your motor just threw a rod.

Do not drive it, it will punch through the block and can cause an oil fire.

Time for another motor.

Sorry.

[my240isapiece]

I thought when you throw a rod that the engine now longer works? The acceleration didnt crap out until i put the 87 octane in it, with the high test it still has good pull. I guess I was just under the impression that engines wont rnu at all with thrown rods ?

- Raleigh

[my240isapiece]

shop called today said the engine was "gone" so im gonna guess its a thrown rod like nismo said. How long can I drive on it before it goes completely?

- Raleigh

[masticatingcow]

Dang, sorry to hear about this. I was hoping it would be a timing chain or even an exhaust leak. A thrown rod is bad news.

It won't drive very long, and when it goes, depending on what you're doing at the time, it could take a lot with it (including you). If you're in a pinch for time, ask the shop if there's anything they can do, though I can't think of any cheap temporary fix to a thrown rod. When my old pickup detonated, the shop I took it to bought me about a month extra on the engine. I honestly don't know what they did or how they did it, but the engine ran reliably until I sold it, though it had significantly less power. (I sold it to my parents, who got a rebuilt engine a couple days later.) My GUESS is that they cut fuel and spark to the bad cylinder, but I got my 240sx too soon to really research it or even care.

As for a thrown rod? I don't know. I just hope you can find a replacement engine in short order. If you're used to throwing down $1000 at a time for parts, maybe even consider swapping a different engine? I don't know. One thing that is for certain is that KA is toast. Part out whatever is still good and sell that 240sx shell for whatever it's worth. Hopefully you can use that money to get rolling again.

Good luck man.

[Nismo_Freak]

shop called today said the engine was "gone" so im gonna guess its a thrown rod like nismo said. How long can I drive on it before it goes completely?

- Raleigh

Not long ... I wouldn't imagine you could get more than 10 - 20 miles before it goes completely.

A "thrown rod" is when you have excessive clearance between the rod bearings and the crankshaft. That ticking you were hearing is from the gap widening, once that starts the engine needs to be replaced, then it continued into a louder knock and it will eventually snap the rod bolts and kill the block. At that point either the rod will snap in two pieces or you will stop. Odds are it will snap in two pieces and punch a nice window in your block.

BTW, I got money on the 2nd cylinder being the one that goes first

At this point, I'd get another engine, and rev the living dog **** out of the one that is in your car now and listen to the death of a motor. Heheh...

I suggest having a fire extinguisher near by you never know.

[my240isapiece]

I appears that the first cylinder actually went badi unplugged all the fuel pump wires one at a time and listened for knocking, pulling the wire from the front cylinder seems to make it knock less. I just filled up the friggin gas tank before i took it to the shop so im driving it whether it likes it or not!

- Raleigh

[95nismo240]

I appears that the first cylinder actually went badi unplugged all the fuel pump wires one at a time and listened for knocking, pulling the wire from the front cylinder seems to make it knock less. I just filled up the friggin gas tank before i took it to the shop so im driving it whether it likes it or not!

- Raleigh

damn!!! that sucks. AND u have a full tank of gas! that would piss me off

[john 89]

get a video camera and do some burnouts

[DAEDALUS]

Cost of full tank of gas: $30Cost of bad engine dying on freeway or in the middle of an intersection: Priceless

Try to maintain perspective. Spring's here. You could just jump the fuel pump every now and then and pump enough out to fill the lawnmower every few weeks, or transfer it to another vehicle.

[sanioll]

Cost of full tank of gas: $30Cost of bad engine dying on freeway or in the middle of an intersection: Priceless

God, you have a point. -----------

i wonder why you spent $1000 on an engine. For $1000 it had to be good. Talk to the guy, ask him for a settlement, since he sold you messed up engine.

[89 240 SOHC]

I like the camera, old set of tires, burnouts till the engine blows........mmmmm sounds fun. GO FOR IT MAN

[my240isapiece]

sorry guys im too poor to recklessly destroy whats left of the car. I have a question though, how can I get the gas out of the tank? I bought a Datsun 280Z that needs some gas, anyone have pics or detailed instructions on where the fuel drain is or how I can get the gas out? $30 is $30 to this poor college kid

I got this 280Z for $950. It has rust and the interior looks like **** but it is mechanically sound, good deal huh?

- Raleigh

[masticatingcow]

Just splice the fuel line and jump the pump. The gas will pump out of the line into whatever you have waiting to collect it.

[Joe]

Crap crap crap! Soooo I put in regular gas today because high test was a rip where I went, and it made the knocking much louder and knocks are idle RPM. Acceleration crapped out significantly too. I also opened up the hood right after parking the car and there was smoke coming from underneath the engine. It wasnt a lot of smoke but I assume any smoke is bad, it looked to be coming from underneath the heat shield over the headers. Smoke was not blue or oddly colored and I think it might be just an exhaust leak (I hope).

Knocking noise is coming from... the engine, sorry that doesnt help at all but it is hard to isolate the noise as it is a fairly loud knock. Sound seems to be near the top of engine. If the problem is oil pressure do i just need an oil pump? Is this an expensive fix ?

I am not a car expert but I'm thinking nizmo is on the right track, because it the timing chain tensioner is oil pressure assisted and i have low pressure, that offers the explanation that the timing is off due to incorrect timing chain tensioning and thus causing the knocking... or am i mis-understanding something?

Thanks for the help btw guys.

- Raleigh

why in the hell did you do that? the knocking is from the lack of oil lubricating all the moving parts in the engine. ill guarntee you spun a bearing. the engine now needs a rebuild. that is a very costly lesson you learned. never EVER EVER EVER DRIVE A CAR WITH THE OIL LIGHT ON.

[masticatingcow]

Yeah, lesson learned already. His engine is dead.

[my240isapiece]

I don't know how to do that, where is the fuel pump? What does it look like? Do I have to turn the car on to do this?

I drove the engine with the light on because i had to go back to school, my brother had just changed the oil and put in 20w-50 as i said earlier, I thought the oil warning light came on because of poor circulation due to the overly thick oil. I thought it would thin out as it got hotter but as I said, I'm no mechanic ;p

- Raleigh

[240marcuSX]

this is a shot in the dark, but check around your oil filter.

last time the filter was changed, if they did not apply oil to the gasket, it could have stuck to the block, thus the next time you changed the filter, the filter would not be seated properly and thus leaking oil, and the tapping would just be oil starvation in the head.

[masticatingcow]

Open your trunk/hatch and pull up all the carpeting and such. You'll find a little roundish pod sitting there, bolted in. That's the fuel pump. Now that I think about it, you may not need to jump the pump. If it still works, every time you go to start the car, it'll pump fuel into the lines, priming them for start up. This might be a better idea for you, since I wouldn't screw with the fuel pump and risk putting a spark too near the gas tank if you aren't sure of what you're doing. Splice or disconnect the fuel line from the engine carefully and then just turn the key. Fuel should start pumping into the can you will want to have waiting for it.

[my240isapiece]

can i just turn the key and pull the tube before the fuel filter? Or will it not be pressurized?

[masticatingcow]

Do you WANT it pressurized? I wouldn't...