Valve clacking and oil light on...

[NICONick]

Ok so as I was going to take my dad to pick up his vette my oil light came on and at idle, maybe while driving as well, I began to hear a loud clacking. Almost like the timing chain guide rattle, only way louder. Any ideas? I was thinking oil pump. Car has oil. Oil was abt 1/2 a quart low but not anywhere close to low enough to cause that clacking...

[RustspecS13]

First Fill your oil completely up

Second make sure the oil light isnt on. If it is, your likely screwed. That light comes on when pressure is below 12psi or so. An engine can not run with 12psi, normally its 30-80psi.

Third find where the noise is coming from. If it sounds like it has multiple sources from the top of the head, you might be ok. If it sounds like one loud/deep source in the bottom of the block, you need a new engine.

Fourth look on you tube for similar noises, search for "valve tick" or "rod knock" and similar things.

If it is rod knock, you don't have many miles left on your motor. My sohc KA started making faint noises on my last two laps at the track last week, and I stopped right away. It only knocked 3500+ rpms at first. I tried to drive it home, and I made it 9.5 miles before it sounded like the rod wanted to exit the block at any time. I don't care because I have an RB to replace it.

You can pick up a KA very cheap though, any where from free to $250 is pretty typical.

Good luck ~Alex

[super240sx7185]

An engine can and will idle fine on 12 psi and the dummy light comes on in the range 3-5 psi. All its there for is too tell ya your engine is done most of the time lol. If i was the op i would get a good mechanical gauge to confirm the oil pressure.

[OutToWinPAHC]

Spun bearing or rod knock

[NICONick]

First Fill your oil completely up

Second make sure the oil light isnt on. If it is, your likely screwed. That light comes on when pressure is below 12psi or so. An engine can not run with 12psi, normally its 30-80psi.

Third find where the noise is coming from. If it sounds like it has multiple sources from the top of the head, you might be ok. If it sounds like one loud/deep source in the bottom of the block, you need a new engine.

Fourth look on you tube for similar noises, search for "valve tick" or "rod knock" and similar things.

If it is rod knock, you don't have many miles left on your motor. My sohc KA started making faint noises on my last two laps at the track last week, and I stopped right away. It only knocked 3500+ rpms at first. I tried to drive it home, and I made it 9.5 miles before it sounded like the rod wanted to exit the block at any time. I don't care because I have an RB to replace it.

You can pick up a KA very cheap though, any where from free to $250 is pretty typical.

Good luck ~Alex

OK well I didn't want to continue driving the car the way it was so I had it towed to a shop. To address some of those points... It def was coming from the top end, and the noise was def valves ticking due to low oil pressure. Just not sure as to why the oil pressure was or is so low and what causes the oil pressure to go so low...

Car was oddly running fine with the oil light on which is what was surprising to me. I didn't even attempt to accelerate with any kind of force but overall car was idling and running normal other than the loud clicking and oil light being on.

[NICONick]

OK, so I looked up rod knock and the sound that Im getting is nothing like rod knock. The sound is much faster and more high pitched, it basically sounds like valves clacking due to lack of oil. The more people I talk to the more it seems to be the fuel pump. Shop hasn't called me yet today.

How difficult is the Oil Pump replacement? Special tools needed? Should I just have the shop do it if that's what they say is the problem?

[NICONick]

OK so the shop just called me up with the good news. I was told that it was the timing chain tensioner and in order to fix the tensioner I'd basically have to buy a whole timing chain kit and replace all the parts that come within that kit. The number I was given was $1700, which at that number I really don't see a point in fixing my car for that kind of money...

Comments? Ideas? Thoughts? Is what the shop telling me accurate?

[numbnuts240]

remove valve cover, remove upper timing cover, douse tensioner in wd-40, push it in and out until it moves freely, put s*** back together. 2 hours, tops.

[NICONick]

remove valve cover, remove upper timing cover, douse tensioner in wd-40, push it in and out until it moves freely, put s*** back together. 2 hours, tops.

So its just likely that the tensioner has become stuck? I mean do they malfunction too often? Or is it just that its all gummed up in there?

[numbnuts240]

probably just gummed up. mine was a little bit gummed up, so when i removed the guides, i freed it up with wd-40 and it's been doing just fine since.

[NICONick]

probably just gummed up. mine was a little bit gummed up, so when i removed the guides, i freed it up with wd-40 and it's been doing just fine since.

Usually just the upper guide that gets stuck? Because don't you need to take of the dizzy in order to get to the lower guide?

EDIT* Prob a dumb question but how safe is it to drive the way it is?

[numbnuts240]

not the guide, tensioner. you need to remove the upper timing chain cover to get to it, which means you have to pull the dizzy. it's not hard at all. follow the write up for removing the guides (might as well do that while you're in there). it makes note of "conditioning" the tensioner.

[NICONick]

How dangerous is it to drive the car in the condition its in? Not saying I want to just want to know my options, if driving it is even an option... Im assuming not but...

[OutToWinPAHC]

Oil light on..... key off tow it home.... dont drive it man.

Check oil, check actual pressure (real gauge) and then use a wooden dowel to source the noise, it could just be lifter noise, but if you got the light and lost pressure I would think bearing.

[NICONick]

Oil light on..... key off tow it home.... dont drive it man.

Check oil, check actual pressure (real gauge) and then use a wooden dowel to source the noise, it could just be lifter noise, but if you got the light and lost pressure I would think bearing.

Do you even bother to read posts? I already stated that the shop told me that it was the timing chain tensioner...

Is it true what the shop told me? That you have to take apart the whole top end in order to replace the timing chain tensioners? Also, that you have to buy they in a kit and can only buy them in a kit with the timing chain, tensioners, gears, etc.? Thats just what the shop told me.....

[krash]

Do you read what other people post?

not the guide, tensioner. you need to remove the upper timing chain cover to get to it, which means you have to pull the dizzy. it's not hard at all. follow the write up for removing the guides (might as well do that while you're in there). it makes note of "conditioning" the tensioner.

[fiznowler]

Oil light on..... key off tow it home.... dont drive it man.

Check oil, check actual pressure (real gauge) and then use a wooden dowel to source the noise, it could just be lifter noise, but if you got the light and lost pressure I would think bearing.

Do you even bother to read posts? I already stated that the shop told me that it was the timing chain tensioner...

Is it true what the shop told me? That you have to take apart the whole top end in order to replace the timing chain tensioners? Also, that you have to buy they in a kit and can only buy them in a kit with the timing chain, tensioners, gears, etc.? Thats just what the shop told me.....

If you are that far in why would you not replace the chain if you don't know the history? Would the tensioner cause that much of a drop in oil pressure? That doesnt' sound right to me but I haven't researched either.

[NICONick]

If you are that far in why would you not replace the chain if you don't know the history? Would the tensioner cause that much of a drop in oil pressure? That doesnt' sound right to me but I haven't researched either.

Very tru... Well the shop said that the hydraulic tensioner went and thats what was causing no oil to get up there. I dont kno if there is any difference in the upper n lower tensioners and the hydraulic tensioner... needless to say I had it towed to a reputable source (one i kno is not going to try to d!ck me over) they are going to just replace the motor, said he would charge me less in labor to do the swap. So, Im having an 86k KA put in...

Is there a such thing as hydraulic tensioner...

[numbnuts240]

both upper and lower tensioners are hydraulically actuated. oil pressure pushes the tensioner against the chain to keep it taught. the tensioner won't cause low oil pressure, something else will.

[fiznowler]

Kinda what i was thinking is maybe there wasn't enough pressure to actuate the tensioner and that is causing it to make the noise. You can replace tensioner but that still isn't curing the oil pressure issue and the new one is likely to have the same slack. Is this a correct assumption. I have never had a ka torndown and like i said I have never had the time or need to really research one.