bad noise coming from engine (video)

[cavernicola]

My car started making this weird noise some days? after a grueling 600 mile drive. I drove it pretty hard, taking it up to 120mph several times.
It had a recent oil change and all the fluids were good before the trip. The car has good power and is fairly smooth except for a little roughness when decelerating at around 2200rpm, this is in neutral of course. Here's a link to a video of the car: http://www.missouri.edu/~lnra54/325ES3.wmv

You can clearly hear the valves ticking, but there's another noise which I can only describe as an old washing machine. I think its coming from the front of the engine, but its really hard to pinpoint exactly. Could it be a bad waterpump or a spun bearing? Plz help me!!

[Jordan]

Not a water pump. Doesn't sound like a spun bearing. Sounds like some large debris in the oil pan or (more likely) the head getting bounced around.

Could be a broken rocker arm, does the car feel down on power?

Who knows what it would be in the oil pan, but it would have to be very large... which means part of the oil pump. How is the oil pressure?

[cavernicola]

I have no means of testing the oil pressure. The oil light is off though(could it be broken). What do you mean the head bouncing? Could it be the fan clutch?

[cavernicola]

Theres oil inside the valve cover so i guess oil is getting there. Could it be a broken rocker arm? help plz

[arsevader]

Theres oil inside the valve cover so i guess oil is getting there. Could it be a broken rocker arm? help plz

Sounds to me like a rattley catalytic converter. Check the heatsheilds around the cat.

James

[cavernicola]

I'm sure its not the cat. The noise is coming from the front of the engine. Cam belt tensioner maybe?

[Jordan]

You have issues reading, also replying to questions asked of you.

You do not know jack shit about your car/engine, so please stop the completely random speculations. Its just a waste of everyones time.

Listen now.

Remove your valve cover.

Look for debris.

Replace valve cover.

Post your findings here.

[cavernicola]

At least I posted a damn video :x Oh well, I guess Ill have to take the valve cover off. Ill let you know how it went. :D

[uflnuceng]

At least I posted a damn video :x Oh well, I guess Ill have to take the valve cover off. Ill let you know how it went. :D

Kudos on the video, but taking the valve cover off is easy. There will be oil in there because the oil bar sprays oil to lubricate the cam.

When you ask a question and someone says "check x" then go and check x and report y. The ticking definitely sounds like a valve adjustment is in order, especially after a high RPM 600 mile jaunt. I did that once with my 325i and I must not have tightened an eccentric well enough cos it was spinning all over the damn place.

To my mostly unqualified ear it doesn't sound like a spun bearing or a water pump (you would know immediately because your car would most likely blow up). It definitely sounds like it could be a rattley exhaust. Check the exhaust hangers (they have broken on me before on several hundred mile trips as well) and check the bolts as well. Check the fan to see if it is rubbing on the shroud.

Good luck... let us know what it ends up being.

p.s. - Mind the FAQ and try not to piss Jordan off ;)

[deejayrock]

could be..............

could it be your fan hitting something, fan shroud/cover for example? Just a question, try put your ear down to the engine and follow the sound, it might help locate where the sound/problem is coming. Just my suggestion....

[bddog]

Hello cavernicola.Listen-
Get a stick.
A cut down broom stick works perfect.
Touch one end to your ear and the other to the valve cover. Listen.
If there is a broken rocker you will hear it. If this is where your noise is coming from you will hear it. You can even tell which one is broken. You can tell which valves need adjusting.
You can find your noise. You can use this stick method to find bad bearings. The closer you get to the source the louder it will get.
BE CAREFULL!! Dont get stick caught in engine.
A word to the wise; find and verify your problem before you start to dissassemble your car.
Walk down the hill, son.
Good luck---Steve

[euro3]

Another random guess????

If removing the valve cover doesn't shed some light, you could remove the belts....It will eliminate the water pump, gen, power steering, or AC.

To me it sounded like a pulley rubbing against something metal (water cross over tube, timing cover) Good Luck!

[tommyboy]

Check the fan to see if it is rubbing on the shroud.

[cavernicola]

Finally got around opening the valve cover today. Everything looks fine (very clean actually) and I adjusted the valve clearance while at it. The engine sounds a bit quieter now (less ticking) and a bit smoother, but the unknown noise is still there. I checked the fan and fan shroud and didnt find anything except the fan is missing one blade, but no rubbing issues. The fan clutch seems to be a bit "loose" you can easily stop it at idle and at high rpms it takes some effort to stop. Is this nornal, or should it take a lot effort to stop the fan?

All I can say at this point is that the noise is definitely coming from the front area of the engine. I was reading on e30tech and someone had a similar problem with their car and he found it to be the timing belt was loose, making the cam jumpy. Another guy had a similar issue and it came out to be a bad rod bearing, it was too late, and the rod broke through the engine block (scary indeed).

I guess the next logical step would be a timing belt change. How hard is it to change it? It looks like you have to take apart a lot of shit to get to it (belts, covers, pipes). Is it true you have to take out the fan and clutch (big 22mm thin wall socket) or is it an optional step? I have never done heavy mechanic work and dont want to start something I cant finish since this is my only car. Can it be done in less than 8 hrs by a rookie?

[e30Matt]

My auto was making strange noises from the front of the engine, turned out to be alternator bushings gone bad.