Not exactly a G-Body question, but...

[Derision]

So I mentioned somewhere that I got this Cougar to drive around whilst I took my Grand Prix off the road. I did the same thing last year, got a 1990 Lincoln Continental, which lasted about two weeks before it spun a bearing and went teats up. Needless to say, the GP didn't get any work done to it that summer.

So, three weeks ago, I picked up this pristine Cougar. And, after two weeks, I've started to notice a small noise coming from the bottom of the engine. A bit of a rattling knock that immediately makes me think "bearings". Because that's my luck. And it'd be, like, the sixth time that's happened.

I think it may be a curse: the G-Body doesn't like me driving anything else.

The sound has persisted now for about a week or so. At first, it was just after I started the car, and once it was in gear, it'd go away. Then it would go away sometimes, and other times it wouldn't. Now, it doesn't go away at all. There doesn't appear to be any driveability problems, and there's no drop in oil pressure or overheating or anything like that. Everything continues to work fine... except for this little knocking thing.

I posted this on a couple of MN12/Thunderbird/Cougar forums, but I got fervently ignored... nobody seems to want to say anything (probably because it's kind of obvious from my sig that I'm a GM kind-of-a-guy). I've noticed, though, that quite a few people here know a lot more than just G-Bodies, I thought I'd give it a whirl and see if anyone can help me figure this one out.

I put a video of the sound over thisaway on YouTube. The sound seems to be coming from the bottom of the engine, and you can hear it with the hood closed. In fact, you can hear the sound the best while the camera is still on the ground, before I pick it up and start looking at the engine.

Thoughts? Should I scrap this thing quick before it blows, or could it be something else?

Thanks.

AJ

 

[megaladon6]

it sounds like a pulley or possibly a cracked flexplate. i'm guessing the crank damper. especially if it goes away when you rev the engine, just a little, then comes back when it hits idle. and pull the belt and check all the pulleys (esp the idlers)and tensioners.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

It does sound a little too fast to be a rod knock, but I could be wrong. I would check what megalodon 6 said to look at first before jumping to any conclusions. If it is a bad bearing, the oil pressure will be really low, so you may wish to put a cheap oil pressure gauge on it and see where it is if you can't find another issue. The balancer on my truck started to come apart and would scrape the timing cover, and it made a similar noise, so I would check and be sure the inertia ring is concentric with the hub. This is more likely on a car where the inertia ring is also a pulley, which is probably why mine failed at 200k.

 

[andrewmp6]

That early of a 3.8 does have 2 common problems head gaskets and rod knocking.If it knocks at start up and quits thats from a fram or other crappy oil filters.But my brothers wife had a taurus that knocked too she drove it daily for 3 years so you might get lucky too.

 

[Derision]

That early of a 3.8 does have 2 common problems head gaskets and rod knocking.If it knocks at start up and quits thats from a fram or other crappy oil filters.But my brothers wife had a taurus that knocked too she drove it daily for 3 years so you might get lucky too.

Yeah, that's what worries me about it. I don't know if the head gaskets were ever replaced, but there isn't any problem with them (yet).

Bottom line... I'm actively trying to find a replacement for my, er, replacement. Leaning towards something with either Buick's 3800 V6 or the Ford 4.6L V8, both of which are supposedly bulletproof. But I'm trying to gauge how... frantically I should be looking.

Thanks for the help!

AJ

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

For bulletproof and cheap, get a 1991-99 Nissan Sentra with a 1.6 and a 5 speed. Can't kill it, and 30+mpg city, with almost 50 highway. Want something bigger? Mercedes Benz 300D from 1982-85 (W123 chassis). Best years of what some consider the most durable car ever made. More of these cars have exceeded one million miles than any other car ever made. 78-81 models are good too, but were not rust proofed from the factory, so most are in bad shape now. Figure on paying $1500 or less for a serviceable beater that drives. Also good, any 4 cylinder/manual trans Nissan or Toyota truck. With maintenance, they have a 300-500k mile service life. ( mine is still going strong at 290k, and sees 2500-3,000 miles of pizza delivery a month)

 

[midwestls]

my other car is a supercharged 90 cougar xr7. It's had the same sounding knock since I bought it 4 years ago. I've assumed its a rod the whole time but it's never gotten any worse so I guess I just kinda forgot about it. Recently I blew a head gasket, but I got 150k on a supercharged one, even ford says at like 100 I need to change em. So I wouldnt worry about it too much, this is the third cougar I've owned (89&up), and they've all seemed to be pretty decent cars, lets just I've never killed one. Good luck

 

[andrewmp6]

I use to be a ford tech at a dealer here you can't give me a mod motor they have the most problems egr messing up plugs blowing out of the head blow by crown vic and mustang there plastic intakes leak and gaskets never stay the coils on them are pricey and a mother to put on and only last 100k.The gm 3800 is ok if its not the one with a blower but the auto transmission be hide them is iffy.The 98 up 3.8 ford is ok 03 up mod motors are getting better but not prefect.Theres not many engines i love ford would be the 300 inline 6 the 429/460 and the Windsor small blocks.Gm the v8s are ok the 4.3 is ok the iron duke you can kill 3800 good but like i said gm put a crappy transmission to most.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

If you must have a big car that sucks gas, consider a EFI 302 powered Crown Victoria or Grand Marquis (Panther Chassis). They are the most reliable Ford passenger cars you are likely to find out there. Don't know about the AOD trans, but the rest of the car seems pretty good. Stay away from any Lincoln though as many have the failure prone air suspension which is pricey to fix when it fails--and it will fail.

 

[DrRansom442]

your GP knows ... the Blue Oval of Doom is next to it. Perhaps another G-body is in order. :lol: