Here's the run down:

Engine- H22A4

Mods- Ebay header, short ram, cam gears, what I assume is a stage 1 or maybe 2 clutch (going off feel, brand unknown). DID have a nitrous kit (the shot and amount of use is unknown).

Symptoms- Has a nice, even turn over when starting. No compression test, but no unevenness during start up. Starts up and idles good. Knocking type noise at idle. Seemed harder and louder than anything in the top end I've heard. The engine is too loud to hear while revving up too high, but you can softly bounce the throttle around 1500-3k rpms slowly and hear the knock follow. Haven't used a stethoscope, but it's pretty solid from the front top of the block/bottom of the head area. Clutch engaged or disengaged, doesn't change.

Oil- Looks like it needs a change, but no metallic flakes like a bad bearing. The drain plug is clean. Has a slight metallic smell, but again, it doesn't shimmer in the sunlight.

Tear down- Spark plugs are good. Old, but good. Main bearings are clean. Rods are tight on the crank. Bottom end turns smoothly. Cam gears are tight. The cams don't look abnormal.

This was found in the oil pan. Nothing in the windage tray or pickup. **it's out of focus, but one side of each piece has a polished finish and the other side looks cast.**

 

Almost looks like parts of rods or pistons or something... you need better pics

 

I bet that is pieces of your bearings, that will explain the rod knock. Time to tear that motor apart and replace internals and do some crank work possibly.

This is a typical of rod knock. Destroyed bearings.

 

x2 probably bearings, best to strip it down and fix everything up.

 

Sorry about the shitty pictures. Here's some slightly better.





Not to come off any kind of way while I'm asking for help, but personally they look too thick to be bearings. My guess is a piston skirt. I would have pulled it today, but spent the whole day helping in-laws with their house.

 

Yeah looks like piston skirt to me, have you seen what kind of shape the cylinder walls are in, or are the pistons still in there?

 

It's still all together, aside from the pan, pick-up, windage tray, girdle, plugs, and valve cover. We'll see what we have when it's out and apart, just trying to get some opinions to get a realistic idea of what I'll be spending to get it back going.

 

You have rod knock, there is no way around that, just tear it apart and inspect everything because you cannot expect us to diagnose your symptoms without actually opening up the motor and seeing every inch of it.

There is no cheap fix if it is what I believe it is, so just get to it and come out the pocket.

 

Got the motor apart today and it was NOT rod knock, but thanks anyways for telling me for sure what it was.

 

So? Was it pieces of piston?

 

The pistons were intact. Pulled the head to find the #1 cylinder was done for. Major scoring. I feel like scoring isn't even the word, lol. At the bottom of the sleeve, there was a big chunk missing. Accounting for the chucks found in the bottom of the pan. Obviously the #1 piston was damaged equally bad as far as scoring, but all the rings and top of the piston were perfect, which explains why the compression sounded even and there was only slight smoke @ the top 1/2 of the rpms. No rods were discolored. All the bearings looked good. The other 3 cylinders and pistons looked almost new. Mains looked good, crank looks good.

I assume the noise was major piston slap due to how bad it was all ate up on that #1 cylinder. Head and valves have a lot of build up, but look good.

Shout out to 1funryd again for knowing everything.

 

Hahaha!!! Yeah, was hard to know if it was a piston skirt or bearing. Internet diagnosis, is really a shot in the dark and I was wrong about the bearings.

But like I said, we won't know for sure until the motor is torn apart.