Im trying to figure out if my b16 block needs replacement or just some tweaking. I hear what appears to be rod knock but it only happens at startup for about 3 seconds (clack clack clack clack) and also when I rev it at above 3K rpm (edit: title should also read 3K rpm). Other than that the engine sounds perfectly at idle.

I came across another similar thread where it was suggested to pull injectors one at a time to determine which cylinder it could be. If and once I am able to discover which cylinder it is, what next? What would be my next plan of attack?

I know that there is a problem inside the block, but im not sure how bad is it. I would like to know if its something that can be fixed (tightening something dow) before I try and spend approx $1500 for a rebuilt block and labor.

Also, I noticed there was a new dent in the oil pan which could have been done the same day the noise started. The same day the noise began I had take car to car wash, so Im not sure if the guy driving my car hit the rail and dented my oil pan. Could several small dents on the oil pan have an effect on this problem im having?

Thanks.

 

UPDATE:

I had a mechanic who works on hondas take a look at my car just a short while ago. He suspected the problem to be with the oil pump. Which kind of explains why the sound is only happening at startup.

My question is, have any of you experienced a bad oil pump? If so what are the indications?

Also, the engine is a JDM B16 2nd Gen. He said that normally one SHOULD change the oil pump on JDM engines and replace it with a USDM version. How many of you know of this?

Thanks and please feel free to comment.

 

Not sure what your engine's issue is, but as for the oil pump change from jdm to usdm, that suggestion is bogus.

 

Yeah that did sound a bit strange and I have not heard of that before.

I will be changing out the oil pump this week. Gonna first see if no metal shavings are found while I drain the oil...(crosses fingers).

Anyone else have any suggestions or comments on what to else to look for?

Besides the oil pump...what else should I replace while im there?

 

UPDATE:

Tuesday:
I went to autozone and got an oil flush liquid and ran engine for 5 min. Upon draining the oil, I used a strainer to see if would catch anything. The only thing that was visible on the strainer were about 3-4 pieces of metal the size of hairs. So, I decided to go ahead and change out the oil pump according to the mechanic's opinion.

Purchased the following parts from partstrain:
Oil Pump
Oil Pump gasket
Valve Cover gasket kit
Oil Pan Gasket
Exhaust Manifold Gasket
Cylinder Head Cap (the one in front of dizzy where the exhaust cam is)

Not sure what other parts I need to replace when changing out the oil pump.

Wednesday:
Received some parts really quick, but the oil pump will not be here until next week....bummer. Gonna have to buy pump and gaskets from Honda.

Thursday:
Decided to remove oil pan to get a head start for the weekend project. Once I got to the oil screen, I found several pieces of metal but this time they were flakes not hairs. I am not sure whether or not to continue with replacing oil pump, ignore the metal flakes and hope the horrible "clack" sound goes away.

I'm going to remove valve cover and other small things tomorrow, but I won't be able to get oil pump off til sat morning. Time is very limited on me as well as a helping hand.

I guess at this point I should start thinking of getting a new car???

But my question to experts is this:
Besides no oil pressure, what other signs would indicate a bad/failed oil pump?

Please...if anyone has any past experience on this, leave your thoughts.

Thanks.

 

its not your oil pump... i wouldnt think

does the sound come from the head or from the block??? im thinking its from the valvetrain most likely

 

The sound comes from the block...bottom end it appears to be.

 

Flakes in the oil pan = not good. Dont ignore, thats foolish. Probably rod knock. Post a picture if you can.

 

Bet youve spun a bearing. Since the pan is off, or if not, take it back off, and check if there's play in any of the rods. There should be a slight amount of play side to side, but not much. You should be able to tell if theres a bunch of play by comparing the amount of play in all the rods.

Or if you want to be safe, pull off the rod caps individually and inspect the bearings. This can be done with the motor still in the car, you just have to rotate the motor over by hand depending on which cap your trying to pull off. The main cap runners get in the way if you dont rotate the crank.

 

im with you on this.

 

Bearings would be the only thing inside an engine to flake off like that. However i would not just suspect rod bearings. Check the mains as well.

 

also to go along with the car wash thing. IF the guy is the reason it is dented from hitting the rails in the car wash...it could have pushed the pan into the pickup and starved the motor for long enough that it then spun a rod bearing. like 4thb17 said...DONT IGNORE IT. :fingers crossed:

 

A main bearing most likely wouldnt make a knocking noise. Rod bearing is most likely the issue.

 

Well...I replaced the oil pump and hate to say it....but you guys are right. It was very foolish and ignorant of me to look the other way and hope car will be ok considering the flakes I found. Never the less it was a good experience doing the work.

Since then (Sat night), I have not driven or turned car on. She is sitting in my parking space waiting patiently for me to make a decision whether to fix problem or not.

I did discover that spark plugs #2 & #3 were a bit brown and had slight oil deposits. Just back 2 months ago I put in new plugs and did not have this problem. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if two adjoining plugs were to have the same indications as mine, that would lead to either a warped head, bad head gasket or cracked head right? If so, then the problem could also be with the head.

As far as a spun bearing goes, that is still a possibility. I did check the rods for play. There was just a small amount of free play on all them, but I would not know if it would be within the tolerance values.

If I had to replace the bearings, would it be possible to do so with the motor in car? How much work would I be able to do without taking out the block?

I would really hate to get rid of car just like that without the chance of fixing it. However, I would have to work on car over a period of time considering I went out and bought a new one.