(UPDATE) NON-fbody help please

[BLLDOGG]

this is for a 97 neon. i have been running pretty low on oil the past week or so but just dont have the money to change it. the car has 109,XXX miles on it. all of a sudden while coming home this evening, i start hearing this ticking or knocking noise when driving. it gets louder the higher rpms i go and really gets loud when the DOHC kicks in right before shifting or hard eccelerating. do you guys think i just broke an rocker arm or what? do you think the engine is making the noise cause there isnt any oil getting to it???

[ July 07, 2004, 10:58 PM: Message edited by: BLLDOGG ]

[Dan Vincent]

When you're low on oil, you top some off by buying a quart at the auto parts store... [img]graemlins/twak.gif[/img] Go put some more in and see if the noise goes away.

[Pastor Larry Roques]

Yeah...low oil will cause all kinds of unpleasant noises as well as really wear out engine parts.
If its still running making those kinds of noises Dan's advice is the best place I can think to start. Get some oil moving in her and see if she quiets down. Remember the old saying....the squeaky wheel gets the grease?...well, that applies here. ;)

[i_love_my_maro]

i would add some oil and if the problems persist i would check the rocker arms and relash if neccessary.

[RallyRed 98]

you might consider putting more oil in there; not sure if anybody else has suggested this, though.

[j_downey50]

yeah, you got a point there RallyRed 98... or maybe you think putting in some more oil would help?

[F1GT]

When the DOHC kicks in??

You're low on oil and you rev it up?? [img]graemlins/twak.gif[/img]

[BLLDOGG]

i did it once just to make sure it was the engine. i get your point guys. i'll se what i can round up

[i_love_my_maro]

a lot of my old hondas did that and it was just the rocker arms i ended up relashing them don't know about a neon though good luck man

[BLLDOGG]

what is relashing?

[PiercedJD]

depending on how low it is, it could be lifter tick which is nothing to worry about, or rod knock.

Rod knock symptoms are usually rpm dependant, meaning that it may be slightly audible at idle, but it will become more pronounced at say 3k rpms while being barely audible above or below that rpm range. usually you can buy a new set of rod bearings if you catch it early enough and it will get you by without having to pull the motor and have the crank ground etc...

a DOHC neon engine has hydraulic lifters. it's possible that you aren't getting enough oil pressure at the lifters, or that one is stuck. normally lifter tick will NOT be rpm dependant. it will most likely be loudest at idle, as engine noise at higher rpms will drown it out. you can usually place a screwdriver tip to the valve cover, and put your ear to the handle and the ticking get louder, if that's the case then it's most likely lifter tick which is VERY common on high mileage vehicles equiped with hydraulic lifters.

[BLLDOGG]

it is sort of quite when ideling and then gets alittle louder up the rpms, then when it really kicks in,it gets loud but doesnt change after that. i think its the not enough oil pressure cause when i checked the oil, there wasnt any on the dip stick. i was like WTF??? i was able to buy a quart of oil but that barely touched the tip of the dip stick. im going back tomorrow to get some more, do i even need to open the oil pan since there probably isnt anything in it or barley anything?

[saved1]

Your poor old engine was starving for oil, you will be lucky to get another 25,000 out of that engine. Get ready to park it soon.

[PiercedJD]

probably spun a rod bearing

[BLLDOGG]

Originally posted by saved1:
Your poor old engine was starving for oil, you will be lucky to get another 25,000 out of that engine. Get ready to park it soon.

i know,i try to take care of it but things have gotten tight and i have a cracked oil pan, thats why i was so low on oil.