How to fix Engine Ping/Knock

PerfectCreature

Its starting to get a little dark, and it hasn't been changed in the life of the car, and the transmission fluid that GM puts in their vehicles is usually only good for about 100,000 miles. I'm a little over that. It has started to blacken, and its more a brownish black cherry color. So he said it wouldn't hurt to change it.
As for the blowing my car up...again I wouldn't get much for it
As long as the mechanic doesn't use any of that synthetic stuff I think It would be OK.
And I meant engine restore in the oil. Not in the tranny. That would mostly ruin my trans.
Unless the masses advise that given the problem changing out the tranny oil would just clean out the **** and bring light to more burried problems?

nooshinjohn

PerfectCreature wrote: »

Unless the masses advise that given the problem changing out the tranny oil would just clean out the **** and bring light to more burried problems?

I think I said that already... I was a GM service advisor for years and have seen this happen time and time again. The best thing you can do for that transmission is to LEAVE IT ALONE!

schutz2106

Ok, too many posts to read everything. WHAT year is it? And to start out by raising some eyebrows.... I have ran a couple differnt 3.1's to well over 200k. Actually my daughter just turned her van upside down last week and if I could find a good used lumina with a 3.1 I would buy it. Used to work on these things. My speakers on my laptop suck so hard to tell by your video. Gm had problems with the piston coating on quite a few of there engines. Noise always sounded bad but would run forever with this problem. They even went so far as to replace shortblocks under warranty for this noise. somewhere back they had a special policy for up to 75k on this to warranty them. I personally replaced quite afew of these. I had a 91 lumina that gm gave me a free new shortblock at 110k noise ended up coming back later though. Same thing. Pulling pistons out and looking at them you really couldnt tell much. Some abrasion on them but basically there was a coating they used on the outside of the piston that wore off and the noise you were hearing was the clearance it created. Like I said before its hard to tell by your video. Noise was usually worse when started and the colder out the more noise. And seafoam wont fix your noise. If there was ever 1 product that I hated was seafoam. Not that it did any damage that I know of but It didnt fix your problems. I compare it to the tonics of the 1800's. Like a snake oil salesman claimed his tonic would fix everything, actually look at a can of seafoam and look at what the stuff is supposed to fix. Been years since I have seen a can though but we had a napa store in town that pushed the stuff heavily. Was pretty funny when people would bring there car in and had a few empty cans of seafoam on the floor but still had there problems. There I said it. I HATE seafoam. I feel so much better now..

Kex

schutz2106 wrote: »

... There I said it. I HATE seafoam. I feel so much better now..

You are too new to C.P. to know this, but we used to have a troll that frequented the forum talking about spearker cable all the time. He was called seafoam too, so I'm not surprised you don't like it. We didn't think much of him either.

lightman1

Kex wrote: »

You are too new to C.P. to know this, but we used to have a troll that frequented the forum talking about spearker cable all the time. He was called seafoam too, so I'm not surprised you don't like it. We didn't think much of him either.

..AAAAAAAnd we don't think too much of you either, Karen.








The King of A$$holia has spoken!

Jstas

lightman1 wrote: »

..AAAAAAAnd we don't think too much of you either, Karen.








The King of A$$holia has spoken!

Who's Karen? Or do you know something we don't there, Russweena?

sucks2beme

Take it from a guy that runs them into the dirt. Sometimes you just have to start looking, and be prepared for the day it grenades out in the driveway.
As long as you get a few dollars ahead, you'll be ok. But all cars die sooner or later.
I don't think there's any cheap fix for this one. The preventive stuff is the only way to make them last. Once they start the downhill slide, let them die in peace. It may drive another year sounding bad for all we know. Heaven knows there's a few around here that sound already dead. Yet they start up
every morning.

disneyjoe7

PerfectCreature wrote: »

So where can I buy engine honey....and how much to I put in?

Here's one place sorry I had the name wrong it's Motor Honey. If nothing else this what it looks like.

http://www.amazon.com/Casite-C162-Motor-Honey-oz/dp/B000FW4LSK

lightman1

Jstas wrote: »

Who's Karen? Or do you know something we don't there, Russweena?

Top secret stuff, John. I'd tell ya but then I would have ta.....you know........











piss in your bushes.:)

lightman1

Oh ! And has anybody tried Marvel(?) mystery oil in their motors? VW is getting long in the tooth and losing her pep.

nooshinjohn

lightman1 wrote: »

Oh ! And has anybody tried Marvel(?) mystery oil in their motors? VW is getting long in the tooth and losing her pep.

Good stuff for top cylinder lubrication but would prove ineffective for the OP's concerns.:cool:

PerfectCreature

Yeah my dad ran that in his truck, it got back a lot of lost power.
I'm adding some engine restore it was on sale for like $3 so I figured why not the reviews are good on it.
Well, tomorrow. I will have a mechanic take a through look at it. Give me the verdict and then I will probably just run it into the ground until there is nothing left but a blazing piece of metal in the back yard that my uncle who's happens to be the fire chief in my town has to put it out and then fine me for not having a permit....
Okay. I feel better now. Ha.
Anyway, it was really warm out and didn't hear it much aside from start off. So I am thinking more on a valve issue since it seems to do it more at start up and taper off as the engine warms up. Only tomorrow will tell.
Wish me luck.

Oh, I bought Car Quest filter, Engine restore, Pennzoil HM 5w-30....and may add some of that honey if the mechanic thinks its ok. I also realized I havn't replaced my valve seal on the oil pan...so I will be putting a new on so it will be a tight seal. I don't even think the I screwed the nut back in with a seal in the first place...oh well.
I guess well find out tomorrow. I'm kinda exited but at the same time dreading it if it is something horribly wrong.
Hopefully he will tell me that I can get like another 20-30k miles that will bring well into next year and by then I can buy a better car...or that it is an easy fix which I highly doubt.

tonyb

Have you heard of this thing called insurance fraud ? It's when a guy with a car thats about to die,drives out to the middle of nowhere with a gas can and a book of matches.
He then reports the car stolen from a shopping center parking lot. He knows the insurance company will pay blue book value on the car,which happens to be more than it's really worth. Have you heard of this fraudulant practice?

JimKellyfan

I had one engine with a fram filter and it knocked while cold until i changed it.
never bought another fram again.
any car i care about gets an oem filter ( factory )
my new truck gets synthetic oil, and my caprice gets name brand oil
used cars, i change the oil when i cannot read through it ( dipstick notches or words )
i flush all fluids regularly, as all fluids break down
new car initial flush at 15k after break in, used car flushes between 24 and 30k, depending upon abuse level ( usually high for me, i drive like a crazed lunatic )

anyway, yours is pinging, when removing the spark plugs for inspection, check for a slight hue of antifreeze color used, as there may be an intake gasket or head gasket leak, as these cars are notorious of that

good luck

PerfectCreature

Will do. Thanks for the advise.

PerfectCreature

Ok, took it to my tranny mechanic. He said sounds alot like a valve problem and it is not worth even fretting over he said it will either run for another 100,000 or it could run for another 30,000 he said it is always a toss up. He said that some newer cars do the same thing. He also said it could be the filter as well, or the fact I may have not used a gasket but he said it is highly unlikely given the sound it makes.
As for the tranny flush, we cleaned it all out, inspected everything and all looks to be fine. New fluid and new filter, shifting is easier and I don't even notice it anymore. I may add a bit of lucas in a couple hundred miles just as a precaution.
Ran it home, the damn fools didn't listen, my hood almost buckled....you have to slam down my hood otherwise it doesn't latch 100%.
Oh well. I caught it before any damage.
It seemed to knock a bit on the way home, I changed the oil and all of that ran it for about 10 minutes took it for a drive. I added some of that engine restore, seemed to work fairly well. I step on the gas and it jolts....never used to do that. Seems like it has a little more power....
Since I didn't even use an oil gasket for the last change, so I added one of those. Tightened that bolt like no tomorrow. So all in all, I am waiting for it to cool down, see if after all that it goes away, if it doesn't I am going to have to agree with everyone and say its a valve problem.
Anyway, I may seafoam it in a couple of days, the mechanic said that it could help it run a little better, and even if it didn't he said it is one heck of a smoke show.
So, all in all, seems alright. We will tell for sure in the next few days how it runs from now until then.
Will wait a week or so and mull over the seafoam Idea....I still haven't decided if I want to do it yet....

nooshinjohn

Start saving your pennies now... that transmission will take a dump by the end of the summer.

PerfectCreature

We gave it a through inspection, there didn't seem to be any wear and tear problems that looks serious. He is an esteemed mechanic and most everyone trusts him. So, I mean if he says that it looked fine, I mean I was there when he looked at all of it, and the pan didn't look that dirty...I may have changed it sometime and not remembered. I haven't a clue but there wasn't a whole lot of build up or debris in the filter.
With the valve problem, I don;t think it could have really hurt anything anyway. Since that motors is basically on bought time anyhow.
Anyone else think that changing the tranny oils gunna kill it off?
Thanks.

lightman1

nooshinjohn wrote: »

Good stuff for top cylinder lubrication but would prove ineffective for the OP's concerns.:cool:

Cool. Thanks John. Sorry 'bout the thread jack, Perfect.: Back to your concerns.:o

PerfectCreature

It's expected to have a little thread jacking. No problem. Now....back to my concerns haha.