Engine sounds like a spray can - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

Humungo · 07-17-2004, 04:36 PM

Have any of you encountered this before? If you're hood is up and your car is in idle, it sounds like someone is shaking a spray can in there. I was told it might be a broken valve spring, but was hoping to get some more opinions on it and maybe even what sort of costs there'd be in getting something like that fixed. Anybody??

**mrmephistopheles** · 07-17-2004, 05:14 PM

sounds like rod knock or detonation to me.

S14DRFTER · 07-17-2004, 08:36 PM

Also sounds like the guides for the timing chain, are broken. There are (4) I believe and all of them are made out of plastic (why nissan did this is beyond me) when you take off your valve cover you will see the piece that is broken. These guides keeps the chain from hitting the top of the valve cover, which causes the rattle sound. I had this happen on both my 240's (93/95). I just let it rattle, it doesn't really hurt anything but is loud when you open the hood.

kandyflip445 · 07-18-2004, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by S14DRFTER

. There are (4) I believe and all of them are made out of plastic (why nissan did this is beyond me) .

Actually I've seen a couple Ford engines with plastic timing chain guides too. I think it was a 7.4L or something big like that.

element240 · 07-18-2004, 11:12 AM

your post is too vague.
where is the noise coming from? head or block?
here's a tip, put a screw driver up agianst various places of the valve cover and put it up to your ear and see if you can pinpoint where the noise is coming from.

if its coming from the block, could be what mr. meph said , in which you're screwed

HyperTek · 07-18-2004, 03:21 PM

welcome to the world of KA24. Has this always been with teh car since u had it?? Alot of cars I hear have valve ticking... If its really loud and annoying like something broken inside there.., chances are the timing chain guide broke, easy fix tho, just pull the valve cover and remove the broken piece.

kidinthehall · 07-19-2004, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmephistopheles

sounds like rod knock or detonation to me.

detonation........at idle? Thats a new one.

Also FWIW, pretty much all timing chain guides are plastic

aznpoopy · 07-19-2004, 08:36 AM

we need more info...

what kind of engine (or car)... ka24E or ka24DE?

for the E any kind of ticking or tapping is not a good sign.

for the DE it could be alot of things; but usually the simple causes are loose timing chain guides (2 metal ones) or low oil.

Humungo · 07-19-2004, 10:37 PM

Hmm, well, from all these ideas, it sounds like it is most likely the plastic guides. I went in for an oil change and the guy there pointed it out to me. Thanks for the help!

240Driver39 · 07-20-2004, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by S14DRFTER

Also sounds like the guides for the timing chain, are broken. There are (4) I believe and all of them are made out of plastic (why nissan did this is beyond me) when you take off your valve cover you will see the piece that is broken. These guides keeps the chain from hitting the top of the valve cover, which causes the rattle sound. I had this happen on both my 240's (93/95). I just let it rattle, it doesn't really hurt anything but is loud when you open the hood.

just a note, there are only (2) for the upper chain, and they are not made of plastic, rather there is a plastic piece that the chain comes in contact with that is molded to a metal bracket. This metal bracket can actually physically break, making a lot of noise.

s13irdie2 · 07-20-2004, 02:02 AM

i had a ticking sound too and i took of the top guide but its still rattling, so im changing my timing chain now. dont wanna take any chances. : )

240Driver39 · 07-20-2004, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fddrifter2

i had a ticking sound too and i took of the top guide but its still rattling, so im changing my timing chain now. dont wanna take any chances. : )

theres another guide, search, take it out, and save urself the time, more then likley ur chain is fine, and not worth changing.

there are two guides for the upper chain.

Bbandit · 07-20-2004, 08:42 AM

Yep the KA likes to sing rattles. My old 91 KA (170k) made that sound too. But starngely, my 95 KA engine doesnt make that sound (prolly because of the milder cams)

Maverick7687 · 07-20-2004, 05:51 PM

When I first got my 93 it was making a noise like the coming from the valve cover and it was freaking me out..Last week I changed the oil and I havent heard it since. It only did it at idle..either that or the road noise was too loud to hear it at higher rpms...it would go away if I just revved the motor...and I have 150,000mi

aznpoopy · 07-20-2004, 06:20 PM

just to clear up what might be confusing for ppl:

ka24E has the plastic guides. ka24DE has metal guides. rattling is usually a much more serious problem in the E. 240sx.org has a great FAQ on the ka24E rattle problem in their FAQ section.

mav : it sounds like u were runnign on low oil. when ur oil gets low iirc the chain tensioners dont do their job and the timing chain gets a little slack and pings against the front chain guide.

there are multiple causes on the DE... first thing to do is remove the 2 upper timing guides and check the upper and lower tensioner while u have the front timing cover off. for that u need sockets, gasket, gasket remover and a timing light. it's a easy 1-2 hour job, there's info on 240sx.org for the tensioner and a faq on zilvia for the guides. if u ignore this u'll end up with little bits of metal floating around in your engine from the chain pinging against the loose guides all the time. when i took mine out they had grooves in them. oh joy.

Maverick7687 · 07-23-2004, 02:24 AM

is the valve cover gasket on the ka24de reusable?? or is it one of those that have to be replaced everytime?

aznpoopy · 07-23-2004, 07:08 AM

take a look at where the valve cover screws go through gasket. usually that is where it gets stripped first when you're taking it out. if it looks really messed up, change it. iirc it's not a particularly expensive part.

fyi i reused mine the first time. after taking off the valve cover 3 times (my car sucks) i finally changed it b/c it started leaking.

another option (that might not be kosher) would be to put a small amount of silicone gasket around the area where the screws sit.

07-17-2004, 04:36 PM	#1
Humungo Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 27 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Engine sounds like a spray can Have any of you encountered this before? If you're hood is up and your car is in idle, it sounds like someone is shaking a spray can in there. I was told it might be a broken valve spring, but was hoping to get some more opinions on it and maybe even what sort of costs there'd be in getting something like that fixed. Anybody??

07-18-2004, 03:21 PM	#6
HyperTek Post Whore! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Cali Posts: 13,222 Trader Rating: (3) Feedback Score: 3 reviews	welcome to the world of KA24. Has this always been with teh car since u had it?? Alot of cars I hear have valve ticking... If its really loud and annoying like something broken inside there.., chances are the timing chain guide broke, easy fix tho, just pull the valve cover and remove the broken piece. __________________ Keep it Classy

07-20-2004, 08:42 AM	#13
Bbandit Post Whore! Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Texas and now Jakarta Age: 39 Posts: 2,674 Trader Rating: (0) Rides Gallery: Bbandit Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Yep the KA likes to sing rattles. My old 91 KA (170k) made that sound too. But starngely, my 95 KA engine doesnt make that sound (prolly because of the milder cams) __________________ ==>>TGL GARAGE<<==.. RIP! S13 coupe KA-T @ 0.5 Bar = SOLD! A31 Cefiro + SR = Current

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07-17-2004, 05:14 PM	#2
mrmephistopheles Inactive Admin Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: BFE Age: 19 Posts: 14,334 Trader Rating: (9) Rides Gallery: mrmephistopheles Feedback Score: 9 reviews	sounds like rod knock or detonation to me.

07-17-2004, 08:36 PM	#3
S14DRFTER Leaky Injector Join Date: May 2004 Location: Alabama Posts: 82 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Also sounds like the guides for the timing chain, are broken. There are (4) I believe and all of them are made out of plastic (why nissan did this is beyond me) when you take off your valve cover you will see the piece that is broken. These guides keeps the chain from hitting the top of the valve cover, which causes the rattle sound. I had this happen on both my 240's (93/95). I just let it rattle, it doesn't really hurt anything but is loud when you open the hood.

07-18-2004, 11:12 AM	#5
element240 Zilvia Addict Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: MI Age: 36 Posts: 735 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	your post is too vague. where is the noise coming from? head or block? here's a tip, put a screw driver up agianst various places of the valve cover and put it up to your ear and see if you can pinpoint where the noise is coming from. if its coming from the block, could be what mr. meph said , in which you're screwed

07-19-2004, 08:36 AM	#8
aznpoopy Post Whore! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: New Jersey Age: 40 Posts: 5,013 Trader Rating: (1) Feedback Score: 1 reviews	we need more info... what kind of engine (or car)... ka24E or ka24DE? for the E any kind of ticking or tapping is not a good sign. for the DE it could be alot of things; but usually the simple causes are loose timing chain guides (2 metal ones) or low oil.

07-19-2004, 10:37 PM	#9
Humungo Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 27 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Hmm, well, from all these ideas, it sounds like it is most likely the plastic guides. I went in for an oil change and the guy there pointed it out to me. Thanks for the help!

07-20-2004, 02:02 AM	#11
s13irdie2 Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: southern cali Age: 34 Posts: 508 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	i had a ticking sound too and i took of the top guide but its still rattling, so im changing my timing chain now. dont wanna take any chances. : )

07-20-2004, 05:51 PM	#14
Maverick7687 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Tennessee Posts: 27 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	When I first got my 93 it was making a noise like the coming from the valve cover and it was freaking me out..Last week I changed the oil and I havent heard it since. It only did it at idle..either that or the road noise was too loud to hear it at higher rpms...it would go away if I just revved the motor...and I have 150,000mi

07-20-2004, 06:20 PM	#15
aznpoopy Post Whore! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: New Jersey Age: 40 Posts: 5,013 Trader Rating: (1) Feedback Score: 1 reviews	just to clear up what might be confusing for ppl: ka24E has the plastic guides. ka24DE has metal guides. rattling is usually a much more serious problem in the E. 240sx.org has a great FAQ on the ka24E rattle problem in their FAQ section. mav : it sounds like u were runnign on low oil. when ur oil gets low iirc the chain tensioners dont do their job and the timing chain gets a little slack and pings against the front chain guide. there are multiple causes on the DE... first thing to do is remove the 2 upper timing guides and check the upper and lower tensioner while u have the front timing cover off. for that u need sockets, gasket, gasket remover and a timing light. it's a easy 1-2 hour job, there's info on 240sx.org for the tensioner and a faq on zilvia for the guides. if u ignore this u'll end up with little bits of metal floating around in your engine from the chain pinging against the loose guides all the time. when i took mine out they had grooves in them. oh joy.

07-23-2004, 02:24 AM	#16
Maverick7687 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Tennessee Posts: 27 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	is the valve cover gasket on the ka24de reusable?? or is it one of those that have to be replaced everytime?

07-23-2004, 07:08 AM	#17
aznpoopy Post Whore! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: New Jersey Age: 40 Posts: 5,013 Trader Rating: (1) Feedback Score: 1 reviews	take a look at where the valve cover screws go through gasket. usually that is where it gets stripped first when you're taking it out. if it looks really messed up, change it. iirc it's not a particularly expensive part. fyi i reused mine the first time. after taking off the valve cover 3 times (my car sucks) i finally changed it b/c it started leaking. another option (that might not be kosher) would be to put a small amount of silicone gasket around the area where the screws sit.