This is a 95RS I bought to restore. The original engine had rod knock, so replaced the engine.

I bought the *new* engine from someone in the forces, he told me the engine was okay and that it had a rebuilt head. This is the 3rd or 4th time I've started the engine, finally took her our for a drive around the block. Lucky me, there is a knock that comes on about 1500RPM and I can hear to like 4000RPM, and then it either disappears or I can't here it over the exhaust. It's loud. Here's the video:

http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k134/ez1_03/?action=view¤t=HPIM0046.flv

The first time I started the engine, there was a throw-out-bearing kind of knock sound (it only made the noise at idle, when the clutch pedal was pressed the noise went away.) This noise sounds very different. So, tell me straight up - does this sound like rod knock?

I was ready to sell the car. Now I may have to waste several more weekends :(

Poll question: Engine knock - see video, vote how much my life sucks

Poll result (7 votes) Rod bearing (7 votes) Vote Lifter (0 votes) Vote throw out bearing (0 votes) Vote

Sorry to say, but that sounds much like a rod knock. Lifter tick isn't that loud, and I'm not so sure a TOB would produce that loud of a knock. Good luck! If you want to get rid of it, I might take it :D. I need a good project car.

Kinda sounds like rod knock also, but the video sound quality isn't the best so I'm kinda thinking valves hitting.

Any chance you can get a better quality video. I work on these ALL the time and it doesn't sound like a rod knock to me-rod knock is a much deeper sound. It sounds to me like your 4 18mm bolts holding your clutch assembly to the flex plate are loose. Remove the dust shield and check those bolts. If they are loose, pull each one out at a time and put thread lock on them, and tighten them in.
Good luck

Originally posted by GringoEJS
Any chance you can get a better quality video. I work on these ALL the time and it doesn't sound like a rod knock to me-rod knock is a much deeper sound. It sounds to me like your 4 18mm bolts holding your clutch assembly to the flex plate are loose. Remove the dust shield and check those bolts. If they are loose, pull each one out at a time and put thread lock on them, and tighten them in. Good luck

Thanks for your input. Something in the back of my mind was telling me that it was possibly those 4 bolts, but the thing is I used blue loctite on those bolts and torqued them down (I think I used chilton's to find the torque specs... or maybe these were the bolts that there were no published specs on - I can't remember.)

So rod knock is lower in frequency? What's also kind of strange (and maybe goes against this being rod knock) is that the sounds seems to go away at somewhere around 4000-5000 rpm. I would think you'd hear rod knock all the way to redline and it would get louder and louder. Also, I don't here it at idle. It's only there when I hit the gas.


I can't do another video right now b/c the car is at my parents house. It's hard to capture a good representative sound on a video camera.

You've got two 2gnt's right? Fix it. Dont sell it. You'll just end up regretting it.

I can't tell you how many times i've wanted to sell mine.

Sounds like rod knock. Go after it with a mechanic's stethoscope, see if you can better isolate where the noise is coming from.

I don't have a mechanic's stethoscope, but I do have a regular stethoscope. *ez wonders if it will work*

Originally posted by ez
I don't have a mechanic's stethoscope, but I do have a regular stethoscope. *ez wonders if it will work*

Sure! Might be a little loud, though.

You could always use a broom handle and hold one end to the block and the other to your ear. It's the poor man's stethoscope but works! Lol.

hahahahaha don't forget to press harder to get them low frequency sounds :) .

I have spare cheapy ones that we can hack up for expermenting from central service, or we can just go ut and buy one.

Originally posted by eclipsekaiser
hahahahaha don't forget to press harder to get them low frequency sounds :) .

ha ha yea, if I want to be the first person to diagnose his 420a as having mitral valve regurg. Man I hate those cheapies that are lying around on the wards - but I bet they would be awesome for the garage :thumbsup

Oh yea, and my littman actually turns into a diaphram if you push hard, so you get the high frequency sounds. When you press softly it's essentially a bell. It made passing the cardio exams much easier :D

heheheh got it backwards...

Just let me know about the Scope. I have access to quiet of few of the cheapy ones. I'll snag a few to experiement with...:P

rod knockage

drop the pan, tap the caps. you will find the bad bearing just by doing that. Then go to work with grease under your fingernails! }(

rod bearing!!!! change it quick! mines just blew up on me :(