[geofferito]

It's white on the outside, red on the inside, with the red stripes under the doors. It's realy dirty on the inside. It seems to drive OK considering it's been sitting for about 4+ years. I will check if the top works tomorrow. But the major systems seem to work: starts, drives, stops ...

Here's my question: how do I know if the knocking sound from the engine is rod knock or spark knock. It seems to vary by?

[zonker]

Originally Posted by geofferito It's white on the outside, red on the inside, with the red stripes under the doors. It's realy dirty on the inside. It seems to drive OK considering it's been sitting for about 4+ years. I will check if the top works tomorrow. But the major systems seem to work: starts, drives, stops ... Here's my question: how do I know if the knocking sound from the engine is rod knock or spark knock. It seems to vary by?

first off, congrats on the new buy - it's always fun when one gets a new diamond in the rough.

as for the "knock"... if it does it while idling, it's surely not spark knock.

there are other things that cause knock too, like excessive valve clearance from a collapsed valve lifter(s), or piston slap.

if the knock seems louder around the oil pan than the valve cover, then it could be rod knock. if it's louder around the valve cover, then it's head related and probably a collapsed valve lifer which in coparison is a small problem.

to isolate if it's rod knock or piston slap... while idling, pull the spark plug or fuel injector wire and see if the knock goes away. try that on every cylinder, one at a time. if you find a cylinder that makes the knock goes away, then there's a good chance its rod knock or piston slap. That means time to rebuild the bottom end or find another used motor

[OHC230]

Well, first off +1 on what Zonker said. All of it, very good info. If I may, allow me to chime in. This is a common problem with a lot of 2.3L Fords and and a lot of cars in general. There are a lot of cars in the wrecking yards because of this exact problem, but here's the catch, many of those don't have bad rod bearings or damaged piston skirts. As a career mechanic, I have serviced hundreds of vehicles and many with a supposed rod/ piston knock. Out of those I've repaired, only a very small percentage actually had failed bearings or pistons. By far the most common cause of engine knock comes from carbon build-up inside the engine. Long before I would tear into the engine, I would do a thorough de-carbonizing of the engine. "Sea Foam" is good product for this and is inexpensive to use. It can be siphoned through the intake manifold, through the PCV hose. The flow of fluid can be regulated by pinching the hose with a pair of vise grips. An engine speed of 2,000-2500 RPM works well for this.

[geofferito]

Originally Posted by zonker first off, congrats on the new buy - it's always fun when one gets a new diamond in the rough. as for the "knock"... if it does it while idling, it's surely not spark knock. there are other things that cause knock too, like excessive valve clearance from a collapsed valve lifter(s), or piston slap. if the knock seems louder around the oil pan than the valve cover, then it could be rod knock. if it's louder around the valve cover, then it's head related and probably a collapsed valve lifer which in coparison is a small problem. to isolate if it's rod knock or piston slap... while idling, pull the spark plug or fuel injector wire and see if the knock goes away. try that on every cylinder, one at a time. if you find a cylinder that makes the knock goes away, then there's a good chance its rod knock or piston slap. That means time to rebuild the bottom end or find another used motor

Thank you for the great information. I will definitely try these steps. I do think it's louder on the top of the engine; but, I will try each plug wire like you suggested.

[geofferito]

Originally Posted by OHC230 Well, first off +1 on what Zonker said. All of it, very good info. If I may, allow me to chime in. This is a common problem with a lot of 2.3L Fords and and a lot of cars in general. There are a lot of cars in the wrecking yards because of this exact problem, but here's the catch, many of those don't have bad rod bearings or damaged piston skirts. As a career mechanic, I have serviced hundreds of vehicles and many with a supposed rod/ piston knock. Out of those I've repaired, only a very small percentage actually had failed bearings or pistons. By far the most common cause of engine knock comes from carbon build-up inside the engine. Long before I would tear into the engine, I would do a thorough de-carbonizing of the engine. "Sea Foam" is good product for this and is inexpensive to use. It can be siphoned through the intake manifold, through the PCV hose. The flow of fluid can be regulated by pinching the hose with a pair of vise grips. An engine speed of 2,000-2500 RPM works well for this.

I really hope it's just a dirty engine. I will definately try the seafoam right after each spark plug.

[tom_vilsack]

+1 on seafoam...what i did on my 93 vert

-used seafoam (used 1/3 can threw vacuum line)...pour slowly and keep engine revs about 2000-2500 (i did threw brake booster vacuum line,and put a small funnel into line and poured slowly...1/3 can in about 4-5 min) turn off engine,let sit for a good 10 min,then drive it for 15-20 min like you "stole it"..be prepared to white smoke out your neighbourhood.

-then cleaned IAC (i found using seafoam and q-tip worked well)..i took off and put into a cup of seafoam right up to just below plastic part...let sit for 5 min...and gently cleaned inside both ports outside ect...replace and once again drive around for a few min...cleaning iac really settled my idle down (before was having surges)

-you might also consider cleaning throttle body...once again i used seafoam and a clean rag

-with whatever seafoam you have left...pour into full tank of gas.

least for me...above steps made a hugh difference...car ran poorly beforehand...but now runs like a top....

good luck

[TaterTodd]

What's this seafoam? I've never heard of it ....

[zonker]

seafoam is a solvent used much in the same way you'd use gumout or chemtool

it's been around for a long time, but recently has won favor as being the bees knees for gunk removal in your motor.

[geofferito]

BTW, Here's the car I got before I washed it:

[geofferito]

Well, it looks like the hammer lick knock sound does not go away by removing individual spark plug wires.

The sound seems loud on both the top and bottom of the back of the motor. I guess I could take the valve cover off and take a look to see if anything "sticks out" :0(

My guess is that I will be looking for a new motor or at least a new head.

[zonker]

Originally Posted by geofferito Well, it looks like the hammer lick knock sound does not go away by removing individual spark plug wires. The sound seems loud on both the top and bottom of the back of the motor. I guess I could take the valve cover off and take a look to see if anything "sticks out" :0( My guess is that I will be looking for a new motor or at least a new head.

if it doesn't go away then i'll bet its a bad valve lifter... easy fix

[geofferito]

Ok, So I did the sea foam and there was plenty of white smoke. I still hear the hammer sound at the back of the engine. I have not replaced the spark plugs or wires yet.

The hammer sound almost goes away around 2500 RPM. It may be a bit louder on top.

How can I tell if it's a bad valve lifter. Do I just replace them all?

[zonker]

It's probably a collapsed lifter... thats a common occurrence relative to a rod or piston knock.

Try throwing a can of marvel mystery oil in the crankcase and drive the car lightly for about 20 miles or so. Then drain and refill with some fresh oil and filter.

That might do it. If not, then just replace all 8 lifters since the others are probably just as close to gumming up as the one that did.

[geofferito]

It was a long time ago. Just to follow up on the thread. It was not the lifters. I never did figured it out. I sold the car.

[Smokestang88]

i also found using the berryman b-12 chemtool on cleaning your IAC works very well... i bought some from work the other night and had to clean out my IAC because of idling issues..im gunna have to try the seafoam on my car next...

[5.8mustang]

seafoam is fun to use lol especially in town