danbuc

I'll have the car in the shop at school tomorrow, so I can try the spark plug removel thing, and also mess with the accessory drive belt. Just so you know, it makes this sound at any temperature, whether I've just started it, or run it for 3 hours straight on the highway. The more I listen to it, the more I realize that it not really comeing from one side of the engie, but really one end of the engine. In other words, it sounds like it's comeing from where the intermediate shaft rides, behind that front cover. I went out and bought a 5/8" 2 ft section of fuel tubing, to help me listen for the noise. It has worked pretty good, although I'm going to try and find a Mechanic's Stethascope to use tommorow. That may help me get a better grasp of where it is. Just out of curiosity Guru, do you know if a worn, or damaged component like a tensior, or the teeth on the sprocket attached to the intermediate shaft can make a knocking sound like that? It does mention it in the service manual, but it's kind of hard to tell. I don;t think it's anything to do with the piston, since the service manual states, that the knock would increase ion volume and intensity, as engine RPM's rise. It states the same for crank, and rod bearing. This knock, is a steady rythim, and never get's louder when you rev the engine. It's just stays the same, and get's drowned out by the natural sound the engine makes. When you bring the rpm's back down, it reappears since the level of noise has gone down far enough to hear it. This is what the service manual says might be caused by a timing component, but I really need to get a better listen device. I just remember that one of my teachers has a device withh allogator clips, hooked up to a set of amplified headphones. You attach the different clips to different parts of the car, and then switch between them, to find the loudest source of the noise. I'l have to see if I can use that, since it will probablyt be my best bet for isolating the sound. Thanks for the input Guru, I'll try that stuff out tomorrow if I can.

Oh....hehe, I guess I wasn't really paying attention. Sorry for the misunderstanding. . I'm going to take another look at that site, and read the article on there.

Well, I looked up that StopTech website, and downloaded their pdf application guide and price list, but they didn't have anything that fit my car. I think I'll probably go with the AC Delco Durastop rotors, and those bendix pads. That seems like a pretty good combo to me.

The rotors originally cam ewith an anodized black finish on them. I think in the process of wearing that down to the metal, some of it stayed won the pads. That might explain why only certain parts of the rotors seem damaged from heat, as if patches of material had stuck to the pad. It's seems like where the material was on the pad, heated that particular section of the rotors, to the point of tunr in brown and forming stress cracks, while the other areas, seem completely untouched. Overall, I think it's prabably the worst design flaw I've ever seen. Having to wear away that surface to reach metal, obviously didn't work out as they has planned. Some of it got stuck on the pads. Like I said, I don't race the car, and I don't drive it extremely hard. In fact, lately, I've tried to drive it as carefully as possible, to help extend what ever life was left in these pads and rotors. It seemed it didn't help though.

I've had the top engine clean done (was a total waste of money), and I routinely give the car a good WOT, to clear out all the carbon. It doesn't sound like the piston is hitting any carbon build up, inside the combustion chamber. Since I don't ahve alot of time right now for something this complicated, I think I'm just going to do the brakes and other stuff. By that way, that reminds me. Since I need new brakes and pads, I was wondering if anyone had any input as to what would be best. I'm basically just looking to see what people are using, and how well it has worked for them. I was thinkg about the AC Delco Durastop rotors, and either the durastop pads, or maybe Bendix or Raybestos or something. I'll probably end up getting ceramic pads, just not sure which company.

Wow, I need to slow down when I type. Looking at that last post, half of the words are all messed up.

I think that a tensioner could be going, a maybe one of the sprockets has a chipped tooth, causeing the chain to hit the tensioner. I guess I'll find out, when I get around to pullin ghtat cover to take a look. In the meantime, I've got my hands full, with replaceing the engine and trans mounts, the brakes, and the ingition moduale, and coil packs. Because if the lake of time, I think I might use the aluminum mount from RSM. They are alot stronger it seems, and they are also smaller in size. The smaller size is more of a deciding factor for me, since I need to slip in it between the frame, and I'll need all the space I can get.

Thanks for the suppoirt Growe3, but the knock is definitely coming from withing the block itself. There is no way a stuck lifter is going to cuase a knock like this. Maybe a loud tapping, but definitely not a knock. I've got the factory service manual, so I'll know what the toprque proceedure is, when I ever get around to it. I'm going to have some of my teachers check out the noise on monday also, but I'm pretty certain that it's comimg from something to do with the timing chain. All the symptoms match what it says in the manual. The noise is even the loudest, where the intermesiate shaft is. I have a pretty good feeling that where I'l find the problem, if I ever have the time to mess with it. I'll also try taking it to the dealer and see what they have to say, but the last couple of times I tried that, none of them had any clue what could be causing it.

Being at school, and in another state too, just makes it worse. I just don't have any time. Seeing as how it's running perfect (besides that knock that is), I'll probably hold off on it for as long as I can stand the noise. I'll just do the brakes, ignition module, and mounts first. thexboxpiii, it doesn't sound like a diesel really, more like knocking on a wooden door or table, with a much higher pitch. Hmmm...that doesn't really make much sense, but it's the only way I can describe it. It's not really loud like a diesel, and it gets drowned out, when you rev the engine. If I can, I'll try at get a sound recording of it next weekend if I get a chance. Scotty, when I end up doing the work, I'll definitely take a bunch of photos. I'm thinking I might do it this summer, since I'm hoping to use my Mustang as my daily driver this summer at school. That will give me some extra time, to work on the car back home on the weekends.

Thanks, but at this point I think the Schwartz may be of more help to me now...hehe. The one thing I do know, is that it's going to be fun, and crappy all at the same time. I have a lot of work to do, beside that also. I have to get new rotors, since the front ones have been burned really bad (brown rings around rotors with strees cracks ). I don't know how it happened, but it's pretty bad. I also need some new mounts, and an ignition module and coil pack. All I need now, is to win the lottery, and own my own garage and I'll be set. :lol:s

Yeah, I'm going to buy all new gaskets when I do it. To remove the front cover, I have to pull the crank balancer, remove the accessory pulleys that are in the way, remove the front cover oil seal, pull out all the bolts, and then it should just come right off. This will then expose the end of the crank, and the intermediate sprocket, and timimg chains. I can also access the chain tensioners from here too. This is going to be a crap load of work, but I'm definitely going to do it myself. I'm not sure how exactly, but I'll get it done. If the chains, sprockets, and tensioners are all bad, I'm just going to replace every thing. Oh boy, I can;t wait to get started. . Now all I have to do, is find a place where I can pull the engine, and work on it.

Well, I've had this knock for a while now, and I finally got around to pulling the intake cover, and looking for it. I got out my trusty have inch, 2 foot section of rubber fuel tubing, and went to town. I checked all around the edge of the intake manifold, I checked on the side of the block, above the crank pulley, I checked verywhere I could. When I slipped thew hose underneath the manifold, up against the top f the block, that's when things got interesting. With the hose pressed up againts the top of the block, near cylinder #1, the noise was loudest and clearest. Looing in my Service manual under Engine Noise Diagnosis, they list a few different types of knocks. A main bearing knock happens at every engine rotation. Since this knock barely increases it's rithym, whether at 600rpm, or 1500rpm, I've decided it's not that. A connecting rod bearing knock will increase volume with engine speed, and is loudest unde decceleration. Since this knock does not get louder when the engine rev's, I've also determined that this is not the source. The one that really interests me though, is a timimg chain, or sprocket noise. They say it's the most common type of abnormal engine noise, and usually in the form of a high frequency knock. My engine knock, is relatively high in pitch, and seems to be located high up on the engine. It then says that this noise will generally be the same intensity, whether at idle, higher speeds, or under load. Since the knock does not change volume when you rev the engine, and end up get drowned out by other normal engines noises, I believe I might have finally found the source. I'm going to remove the valve covers at school next wekk if I can, and inspect the cam gears for worn, or broken teeth.After that, I'll need a way to pull the front cover, and inspect the intermediate sprocket, where the timing chain attach. That's going to be a pain. Sorry for the random post, I just had tell you this. It's been bugging me for almost a year, and now I think I've finally solved it. All I need to do now is fix it...hehe.