I think I threw a rod..

Kilgore Trout · Jan 18, 2010

tony laq said:
you guys really think its just a plug? so when talk to these guys tomorrow ( its at the place now ) i just ask him if they checked the plug and what are you basing this estimate on? hell, if you guys are right i owe you all a damn dinner.

Well its not JUST a plug. What happened most likely is that a plug stripped in the head, got blown upwards destroying the coil above it and the head threads. Do a search here for "spark plug blowout" and you will see that it is a significant issue but very fixable and no where close to 5 grand.

tony laq · Jan 18, 2010

ok man im on it...thanks very much..ill do some reasearch.

scupking · Jan 18, 2010

I agree with what others have said. Sounds like you blew a plug. That's the only major issue with these motors.

tony laq · Jan 18, 2010

im gonna leave the shop a message here in a few minutes ( im working all morning ) and just ' suggest' they may have overlooked the plug issues in 4.6 motors...any suggestions on the wording, im all ears.

you guys rock.

Mike97gt · Jan 18, 2010

Post a video of the sound.

If it's a blown plug you would also hear it in 5th gear.

A blown out plug will sound like a massive exhaust leak, not a metallic sound sort of like a huffing sound as compressed mixture is pushed out the plug hole.

it sounds to me like you spun a bearing. But without hearing the sound myself I can't be sure.

tony laq · Jan 18, 2010

i cant post a vid- car was picked up while i was at work and i got in late last night so there was no time to video it.

it didnt sound like air or anything, for sure...it was metallic, banging.

tony laq · Jan 18, 2010

in the end, it was sounding a lot like this...obviously its gonna sound a bit different on a vid-but this is close..

YouTube - Driving with a blown spark plug

patman0911 · Jan 19, 2010

At this point, you might do better to pick the car up and take it somewhere else for a second opinion. If it really is just a blown spark plug and they told you the motor was toast then I wouldn't expect any honest work out of them. The odds of you having thrown a rod or some other catastrophic failure is tiny and the odds of you shooting a plug out of the head is much, much greater in comparison.

Did the shop give you anymore info other than the it's toasted? They should be able to give you more information than that, even before tearing the motor apart.

Even if the motor is toast, I'd want to verify myself that none of the plug holes are damaged and it really isn't just that before giving the OK for an engine replacement.

I've dealt with shops that were less than straightforward before and I, and my checkbook, have regretted it. This place may not like being second guessed, and they probably are not going to want to be talked out of a high $$$ engine replacement job.

Good luck :chug:

tony laq · Jan 19, 2010

just talked to the shop..he mentioned something about bearing, oil pan, lack of oil pressure this that and the other..called a local race shop and he quoted me 1k less right off the bat..and then said ' thats if they got the diag correct'..so im moving it, gonna get killed on towing to which the race guy said '..uh, its gonna be well worth getting it out here..'

so i feel better with him- plus the fact remains, the car never smoked or seized up and i drove a bit more than 10 miles with the car doing that noise thing..im half thinking of driving it the 30 miles to the shop tomorrow.

Kilgore Trout · Jan 19, 2010

If the plug left debris in the chamber and you drive it you will make it worse. I would not suggest driving it. Also make sure the tow truck is a flat bed.

tony laq · Jan 19, 2010

yeah, was just thinking out loud- not gonna drive it. ill be sure to keep you all updated and im really grateful for all the input and help..thanks guys!

rock4451 · Jan 19, 2010

I vote for transmission or clutch, being that 5th gear renders no symptoms.

tony laq · Jan 19, 2010

Naw, im pretty sure its not the tranny or clutch..i dont think they'd make that kind of noise..then again, what do i know?

Mike97gt · Jan 20, 2010

tony laq said:
Naw, im pretty sure its not the tranny or clutch..i dont think they'd make that kind of noise..then again, what do i know?

keep us updated, Without hearing the sound myself it's impossible for me to tell what is wrong..

But I have never seen a shop diag a motor for a blown out plug.. I guess it's possible and I have worked with thieves but never seen anything that bad.

But a spun bearing is more of a knocking sound and you can get a metallic noise as it eats it's self up worse.. A blown out plug makes more of a huffing noise, like a big exhaust leak.

96SCstang · Jan 21, 2010

wow....this is sounding like a whole lot of guesses with not alot of info. the noise going away in fifth gear makes it hard to believe that it's not a trans problem. the motor would make a noise ALL the time if the plug blew out, and it would run really poorly because of the dead hole. If it spun a bearing it would probably run alright but it would make a noise all the time. Just not enough info to give a good answer. Just make sure the mechanic goes over the problem with you and shows you what he sees. shouldn't take too long for a good tech. to figure it out.

Mike97gt · Jan 21, 2010

96SCstang said:
wow....this is sounding like a whole lot of guesses with not alot of info. the noise going away in fifth gear makes it hard to believe that it's not a trans problem. the motor would make a noise ALL the time if the plug blew out, and it would run really poorly because of the dead hole. If it spun a bearing it would probably run alright but it would make a noise all the time. Just not enough info to give a good answer. Just make sure the mechanic goes over the problem with you and shows you what he sees. shouldn't take too long for a good tech. to figure it out.

I agree without hearing it it's almost impossible to know whats wrong.

As for the it goes away in 5th gear thing.. One thing I have learned as a tech is customer explanations sometimes can be WAY WAY off.. sometimes they don't hear something that is a problem or feel something that is a clue.

What one guy describes as a metal grinding sound could be the huffing noise of a blow out plug to another.

Kilgore Trout · Jan 21, 2010

96SCstang said:
wow....this is sounding like a whole lot of guesses with not alot of info.

Yeah that happens a lot on teh interwebs. I sure hope the OP updates the thread and has some good news about his engine, trans, or whatever.

tony laq · Jan 21, 2010

oh i will definitely keep you guys updated with any news- you all have been a great help and i wouldn't cheat you out of the ending ...im just waiting for the car to get looked at..im thinking tomorrow.

about the noises- it was almost( im saying almost to cover myself here ) totally absent in 5th- so much so that i was trying to get into 5th as quick as i could to eliminate the knock/ noise and reduce damage to whatever was going on..5th was ' safe.'

i didnt really hear any 'huffing' but at that point i wasnt looking for that either- i learned about the plug thing after the car was towed.

one thing that i DO remember that may or may not point to the tranny was a different feel on the stick between shifts...not grinding or anything i can really describe, just different...and that only happened late in the process.

anyway, nothing to do now but wait i guess..

tony laq · Jan 26, 2010

ok- should know something today..i called them and he said they are tearing down the motor to see what the best way is to handle it..it was on vmx so i couldnt ask any questions ( im in a meeting ) ..fingers crossed.

4tun8 · Jan 26, 2010

Sounds like a bearing to me. Would the severity of the "banging" noise increase as RPM increase? It would be less severe in 5th gear because of decreased load and rpm on the motor. A spun bearing sounds (to me) like a metallic clanking that increases in speed and volume as RPM increase.

I think I threw a rod..

Kilgore Trout

Fried or Broiled ?

tony laq

New Member

scupking

Active Member

tony laq

New Member

Mike97gt

it doe snot

tony laq

New Member

tony laq

New Member

patman0911

tony laq

New Member

Kilgore Trout

Fried or Broiled ?

tony laq

New Member

rock4451

tony laq

New Member

Mike97gt

it doe snot

96SCstang

New Member

Mike97gt

it doe snot

Kilgore Trout

Fried or Broiled ?

tony laq

New Member

tony laq

New Member

4tun8

New Member

Similar threads

I think I threw a rod..

Fried or Broiled ?

New Member

Active Member

New Member

it doe snot

New Member

New Member

New Member

Fried or Broiled ?

New Member

New Member

it doe snot

New Member

it doe snot

Fried or Broiled ?

New Member

New Member

New Member

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency