My friend's Eclipse started making a tapping sound when he drove it and finally told me about it (2 days later). We go to check things out and I pull the first cylinder's spark boot which is covered in oil. All the other boots look fine, nothing on them at all. So my question is what could be wrong and what needs to be done? My mom figures it's a rod but I'm hoping somebody on here has an idea. For right now his car isn't moving. He parked it and is using mine when he needs to until he fixes the car. Any help would be appreciated. And if anyone knows a good site for Eclipses please let me know.
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* Student of the University of Oklahoma. Go Sooners!
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I need to know a bit about the motor. Is it a 4G63 (turbo) or 420A (nonturbo for 2nd Gen)? Also is this tapping coming from the head, or somewhere else? If you can pinpoint where the noise is coming from I migh tbe able to help you figure this one out. Give me some insight on when it's ticking, how everything else is running. Oil pressure, idle, etc.
It's the 2.0 nonturbo and the tapping is coming from the head. Oil pressure seems to be fine, no check engine light or oil light and the idle is normal. I'm thinking rod bearing...correct me if I'm wrong.
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* Student of the University of Oklahoma. Go Sooners!
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Rod bearing would be indicated by more than just a tapping. The oil pressure is fine so I'd think more along the lines of something loose under the valve cover. If the engine runs fine otherwise, it's definitely not a rod bearing.
Managed to click on the post button before I was finished. Most likely you've got a lifter dried up. The best I can recommend is run some Seafoam through the oil, drive the car for a few days and do an oil change. The oil on the plug boot could easily be from oil being spilled when the fluids were topped or something like that but if there's oil on the plug itself then I'd be a bit worried.
Worst case scenario I can think of is there's a lifter dried up and it needs replaced but try the seafoam first and see what that does. This lifter tick is pretty common with these engines and getting the gunk cleaned out of the motor tends to do the trick.
Well, I just picked him up from his car about 20 minutes ago. He won't say what happened but the car is no longer among the living. I don't know whether he's going to fix it or sell it.
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* Student of the University of Oklahoma. Go Sooners!
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Maybe it was a rod knock,.....
Something isn't adding up. A little tapping under the valve cover is gonna sound much different than a rod knock. It's one of those things that you just know when you hear it, it's either a minor little thing, nothing life threatening, or your engine is about to have a really bad day.
It looks like his engine had a really bad day. He didn't listen when I said don't drive it and before I even got to look at it he was telling me how he redlined before shifting to 3rd. He's not the brightest star but he'll learn from his mistakes.
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* Student of the University of Oklahoma. Go Sooners!
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Well, the upside is the 420A is easy to find. Rip one out of a Neon and go nuts. The other option, of course, is to give that car the heart transplant it deserves and install a 4G63. Just install a 6-bolt if you do. 7-bolt versions are the devil.
