Help!!! Doing high speed and now have engine noise...

AlanEdwards

Registered User
I changed my plug wires today and wanted to see the top speed performance. I got up to 125 mph on a Texas staight away. Everything seemed OK. I slowed down, turned around, gunned it and it got up to 70 fine, then it wouldn't go over 90. I slowed down and kicked it in again, and again nothing over 90. I then slowed down by coasting and heard a little rattle while slowing down. It got to about 65 and I pressed the gas a little to keep the speed. I heard some more rattling. My oil pressure was fine and the water temp was fine. I shut the car down, put it in nuetral, and coasted to a stop. I put it in park and started it again and it was making an aweful racket. It was a HARD KNOCK and also LOUD HIGH PITCHED NOISE. I called roadside assistance and got her towed back to the Auto Hobby Shop at my Air Force Base and one of the guys that work there think it's coming from the top of the engine, like from a SC bearing. But, my friend thinks it's a rod bearing knock.

With what I described here, what do you guys think? I'm sweating it here, and wishing I weren't SO FREAKIN' CURIOUS about top speed (which I still didn't get to, it still had some in it but my friend told me "OK, that's fast enough!!!!!). I never went into redline the whole time. At 125 it was only about 4000 RPMs. Please help with any advise.

Alan
 
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hopefully it is just something with the SC or a vac leak somewhere.

Check vaccum and do a compression check on the cylinders.
 
I really hate to say this, but I think you wiped out a rod bearing. How many miles are on the engine. Depending on how well the engine was maintained (oil changes) if it has over 100,000 the bearing shells are probably down to the copper anyway. John
 
It's a '94 and it's got 99,500 miles on it. I bought the car several months ago and I've changed the oil twice, 3k - 4k miles apart. The last change was 1k miles ago. I'm convinced the car was taken care of before I bought it, for 2 older gentlemen owned it before me. I hunted down and talked to 2nd one after I bought it. He said that he took regular care of the maintenance. The 1st one was an owner of a new car dealership, so odds are that he probably had it serviced regular too.

If this is the case, how big a job is replacing the rod bearings. Can it be done from under the car, without removing the engine?

Thanks for your response and I would be grateful for any other words of advise.
 
I agree...Almost certain its a bearing. My 94SC did the same thing and it was on the 3rd FORD reman angine with only 5-7K on it....I was more than shocked/torqued...Anyways, you may have done enough damage to have spent the crank as well. I hope not but be ready for possibly really bad news.

Just pull the engine out, the alternative is a PIA...


Brad
 
cudaz101 said:
Hey, Just wanted to hit you up via PM...You are going to have to rebuild. It is not worth it to just replace some bearings. Just do the whole thing and don't look back knowing you did the proper thing.

I say the crank is probably damaged because of the highspeed runs. More than likely its done. Not a HUGE deal since you can get a crank from a guy parting out a car or whatever...50-100bux shold be the damage there...

When you do rebuild you might as well go with 351H-Beam rods and King bearings with some custome Diamond pistons. It is a lil more money but once again you will never have to look back. It will be a STRONG shorblock. Then you can do whatever you want to it down the road and not sweat gernading it.

Good Luck

Brad

Brad thanks for the info. How much will a rebuild like you're talking about cost me, approximately, if I were to do it myself, and how much by someone else? And, after your Ford reman, is that what you did finally? And, gernading it? What's that? Are you talking about gREnading it, as in blowing the car up, LOL?
 
You will have to look into the Monetary values on your own. Things have changed quite a bit in the way of cost since I did mine "Cheaper"...

Regardless of how Gernade is spelled it gets the point accross don't it??? So yea...You are correct in assuming my intentions of the meaning.

FORD remans are JUNK...Period...Meaning No Good...Or a Piece of SHAT...<<< A=I...Pick your acronym or superlative...


Brad
 
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