Hey guys... just got around to installing this built b18a block the past couple of days and fired it up last night. The block has stock sleeves, eagle rods, ross pistons, oem bearings, new oil pump. I also installed a new headgasket with arp studs.

I bought it with around 1000 miles on it and it looked great when I recieved it. The head is stock and the turbo setup is the same setup I was running before. The new block has 9:1 compression compared to the 9.2:1 of the stock b18a I had in there before hand. Also, im running the same hondata tune as i was before.

I expected piston slap, but not quite sure what the sound is in the video. It could be excessive slap but im really not sure. The video was with the car cold (its 2 degrees here (celcius)). The knocking sound i'd say is about half as loud when the car is fully warm. Oil pressure is great and the car feels smooth out of boost.

Also, the other problem is the car feels like it has a loss of power during boost. It takes slightly longer to spool and I connot reach full boost (8 psi). I can only get around 5 pounds. I havent really got WOT with it at all though, the most ive pushed it was aorund 3/4 throttle in 2nd and thats about it.

And one last thing... When crusing in fifth and giving it slight throttle, the egt goes above normal. The egt probe is tapped about 1 inch from the head on the 3rd runner. Normally crusing in fifth I would see a maximum of about 1450 deg F but now it goes up to around 1500. Too high for my tastes.

Sorry if i rambled a bit..

heres the video:

http://elit3.com/upload/teggy.mpeg


Modified by Blackack26 at 7:38 AM 2/17/2005

 

u sure your wastegate is functioning normally?

Rich

 

Did you do a valve adjustment once you got the head onto the block?

 

Sounds like a spun rod bearing. Does it get louder in proportion to engine load? (mash throttle at cruise, gets louder...?)

Who built the motor? Was it ever run low on oil?

That sound is not normal piston slap.

 

hey man, i would change your oil and see what it looks like. i had a rod bearing go on me once and it sounded like that before it got REAL bad. i thought it was piston slap too, but it wasnt

 

I heard it last night when he was at my house. I have Ross pistons and Eagle rods in my car and I do notice some piston slap after initial startup, but nothing like this. I don't know what a spun bearing sounds like, I just hope that's not what it is.. after all the work it took to get that block in there..

bizump for you bro.

What about contacting the seller?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by leadfoot78 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Did you do a valve adjustment once you got the head onto the block?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, I did it with the motor out of the car. Exhaust to .006 and intake to .004


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dustin &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Sounds like a spun rod bearing. Does it get louder in proportion to engine load? (mash throttle at cruise, gets louder...?)

Who built the motor? Was it ever run low on oil?

That sound is not normal piston slap.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That's the thing, it doesnt get louder when the motor has load on it. It sounds smooth at anything above 2500rpm. The motor was built by a member on here, and that's who I bought it from.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dustin &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
That sound is not normal piston slap.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I know it sucks... but you know what you are going to have to do...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EJ1 wilcox &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I know it sucks... but you know what you are going to have to do... </TD></TR></TABLE>


Pull the pan?

Pics of the block before hand:

 

sounds like you got an 83 benzo turbo-diesel haha... my friends teg had that same sound to it and he changed his oil and it was fine for about 2 weeks. it started to come back again and when he took it in it was a spun rod bearing afterall...

 

Definately reminds me of a diesel engine.

 

pull 1 plug wire at a time, if it stops when a certain plug is pulled your best bet is rod knock, but since you said it gets quiter once it is warm you may be able to rule that out. it sounds like your valves are out of adjustment

 

^ sounds like a diesel with piston slap

 

bump for my lil bro

 

Ok when I fired it up this morning it didn't sound nearly as bad. I drove to school and the sound had decreased even more. At anything above 2000rpm or so I cant hear it. When crusing I can put load on the motor and it sounds perfectly healthy.

wtf is going on

I will change the oil when I get home and if i can see anything.

 

We had another motor that sounded a LOT like this. Sound would quiet up (or get drowned out) after the revs went up. After lots of miles on it this is what the insides looked like (got tired of the sound!):



Piston to wall clearance was WAY out on a couple of the cylinders. We think the pistons may have deformed from heat. The sleeves were a little scratched but after honing they seemed to seal fine. All fixed with new pistons and a hone job.

But I don't know what's wrong with your motor.

I still think it is a rod bearing, but it could be something like above.

Either way, that is a metal on metal sound. You are going to need to take it apart to figure out what is wrong.

Note that the motor was probably making this sound before you bought it, unless you ran it low on oil

 

If your flywheel is lose it will sound just like a rod knock.

You can usually tell if you push your clutch in it should stop or get quieter.

If not your F**KED its a rod bearing

 

Sorry for my ignorance, but if he spun a bearing, what would he need to replace? Rod? crank?

 

if it was the flywheel then it would be the same noise level hot or cold

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BlackT5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Sorry for my ignorance, but if he spun a bearing, what would he need to replace? Rod? crank?</TD></TR></TABLE>

If it actually spun.. you'd want a new rod and at least turn/micropolish the crank... then get oversized bearings. Or get a new crank.

 

dustin- sent you a pm (question)

blackac, i have the same exact thing on my freshly rebuilt block. Basically the same exact sound. Almost same setup, eagle rods, je pistons, stock sleeves, etc. I believe it is not rod knock but too tight of a piston to wall, so basically the piston is expanding and rubbing/hitting the cylinder wall. I would tear that engine down before putting anymore boost on it or running it, youre only going to cause more damage and its better insurance to know its a solid block. Im tearing mine down in a few weeks and I expect to see the same as dustins pics, but i only have 50 miles on motor so Im hoping to save the pistons. Ill let you know if I find out anything and please do the same for me. Were basically in the same boat.

 

UPDATE:

I just finished draining the oil. I drained it into a clear plastic container and it looked PERFECT. I ran magnets through it and came up with nothing. I'm using regular 10w30 by the way, non-synthetic.

I also did a compression test and it pulled 180psi across the board.

 

did you cut open the filter

 

My engine sounds the same way, almost EXACTLY except Im all motor...
I dropped the pan after the build and checked the rod bearings clearances and they were perfect as they were when I built it...

I believe the sound to be PTW clearances too big...Ive been driving my car with this noise for almost a year and except for a bit of oil consumption, runs fine...

One day Ill tear down the engine and find out for sure...

 

mechanics stephoscope can help u pinpoint where the noise is coming from...
maybe im crazy but it sounds like valve adj. one time my bro put in cams and did valve adj. some how the adj locking nut came completely off, sounded similar. this was b16a i think the adj locking mech might be completely different on a non vtec, im not sure.

-Toby