clicking in the engine?

[Lil Freek]

I recently bought a 1990 240sx that was in reasonable condition.
Recently i had LOTS of trouble starting the car, and found out that it was because I had broken the cheap Bosch o2 sensor :spank:
So today I replaced the o2 sensor with a nice and beefy stock o2 sensor. However, now the engine's making this CRAZY loud clicking noise. I'm not much for troubleshooting engine problems - can anybody offer any advice on this one? It happens all the way through the RPMs and lasted my entire ride home from work (about 10-15minutes). I looked in the bay and didn't see anything wrong, but it's nighttime, so visibility is limited.

any help?

[OdessaS13]

take a stethascope (sorry bout spelling) and listen to the front of the valve cover...if noise is loudest there its the top timing chain guide 15 minute fix 2 bolts.

It also helps to search on zilivia
-> 3rd button from right on top

[DP_Michelle G]

the timing chain guide fix only works on the twin cam

are you low on oil?

[X the big hit X]

yea check your oil before anything.had a similar problem..

[icantdrift]

i see you're located in canada... did you warm the car well before venturing off down the road or just start it and take off? the most likely candidate is hydraulic lifter(s) tapping. it can happen from improper warmup (or too heavy an oil for the weather), low oil levels as DP_Michelle G said to check, just plain dirty/broken down oil, or worst case a bad oil pump. if the lifter(s) don't have proper oil pressure inside they will not keep a close tolerance in the valvetrain and it will allow the rockers or cams to tap whenever they make contact with the lifters.

[aznpoopy]

imo it sounds like sohc timing chain rattle

time for a full chain job

as someone above stated the dohc fix does not apply in your case. good luck!

[OdessaS13]

the timing chain guide fix only works on the twin cam

are you low on oil?

sorry didn't notice it was a '90

[krustindumm]

could be a failed chain tensioner. Could be alot of things. Need more specific on the sound and where from.

[ledzeppelin240]

The O2 sensor doesn't have much at all to do with the starting of the engine, it needs to get warmed up before it goes to closed loop.

Check to see if you have oil in the crankcase then check to see if the noise is comming from the front engine cover. Does the sound seem like it is half engine speed (RPM)?

[Lil Freek]

The O2 sensor doesn't have much at all to do with the starting of the engine, it needs to get warmed up before it goes to closed loop.

Check to see if you have oil in the crankcase then check to see if the noise is comming from the front engine cover. Does the sound seem like it is half engine speed (RPM)?
actually.. it did sound like that.

i checked the oil yesterday morning... there was NONE!! So i filled it up with 4L of oil and now it's burning a lot of oil, but the clicking has stopped.
Still having starting problems... but it's going to Nissan for a quick look-over Monday morning (it's good to be friends with a dealership)

[theicecreamdan]

fix one problem find another, welcome to owning an s13

[icantdrift]

actually.. it did sound like that.

i checked the oil yesterday morning... there was NONE!! So i filled it up with 4L of oil and now it's burning a lot of oil, but the clicking has stopped.
Still having starting problems... but it's going to Nissan for a quick look-over Monday morning (it's good to be friends with a dealership)

well, if there was no oil in the engine then you probably fried all kinds of stuff, mainly the rings (hence the burning) but i'm sure the bearings didn't like it much either.

[krustindumm]

slow starting and burning oil can mean a headgasket. Is it burning coolant too? Coolant and oil weep into the chamber while the engine is off, causing the slow start.

[Lil Freek]

i was figuring the head gasket was the prob when it was burning shitloads of oil.
:|

anybody have part #s or a how-to on changing the headgasket in the 240?
i refuse to pay people to do something that I can figure out myself.

[projectRDM]

Fried rings? Are we ordering food or diagnosing cars?

Piston rings wouldn't care if there was low oil in the engine since they're not lubricated directly, not like the rod and main bearings. Low oil and/or oil pressure generally takes out the rod bearings first, as they take the most friction in the engine, and a starved bearing can make a lot of noise. Usually though on a KA it will only make the noise for a while, followed by the rod coming out the side of the block. Drain the oil and look for any particles or metal flakes. The coolant would show signs of oil leakage if the gasket blew between an oil jacket, so check the color of the antifreeze, drain and flush it if required, otherwise it's likely not a headgasket that's burning the oil.

[Lil Freek]

my only guess is a dead headgasket...

The car has lots of trouble starting... gotta let it sit at Accessory for like 20seconds then it JUST BARELY STARTS.
I'm gonna replace the battery tomorrow (have a spare sitting around) and see if that helps.. but i fear that's not it.

unfortunately.. i work 80hrs a week, so i don't really have time to disassemble everything myself and have to trust a dealership to find the prob :(

[ledzeppelin240]

By slow starting do you mean it cranks for a while or the starter motor turns slower than it should. R240NA knows what he is talking about the rods are most likely throwing more oil now than what the rings can deal with so its burning oil, as well as your valve seals are probably damages and the list could go on.

[5t341tH]

sorry 2 bring back an old thread but
well my engine clicks too. it clicks when i accelerate throughout the rpm. i read about the engine flush and how it could stop it. well, i did that, and it still clicks. so now i don't know what it could be. could it be something with my head? its leaking sludge from the gasket. could this be the problem?

[Jung918]

sorry 2 bring back an old thread but
well my engine clicks too. it clicks when i accelerate throughout the rpm. i read about the engine flush and how it could stop it. well, i did that, and it still clicks. so now i don't know what it could be. could it be something with my head? its leaking sludge from the gasket. could this be the problem?

did you check the oil level?

[5t341tH]

did you check the oil level?
yes of course. i did the engine flush. threw out the filter. added a new one and 4 qt of mobil1 synt.

[apacman316]

Hi,

I'm having the same problem too. I searched through the forms and found out that it could be a timing chain problem. Got my timing chain replace with a timing chain replacement kit this last weekend. Turn on the car, car sounded good with no rattling at all. If the car is in neutral, I can rev the engine, no rattling at all. But when I drive the car, mostly during accelerattion, I hear a loud rattling. O yeah, its a SOHC motor. Hope you guys can shed some light on this on going problem.