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Hey guys, as I described in my other thread, I am the proud owner of a new-to-me 2002 Neon R/T (5-sp). This car was purchased as a winter car "project", the body is mint, so is the interior. The engine.. knocks. And all for the low low price of $1000.



Well, today I got a chance to get into the lower end of the engine and tackle the rod bearings.
Long story short, they seem to have never been changed and still within spec (thinking the PO was a handyman and probably knew what was wrong with the car)
The largest of the gaps I measured with PlastiGage was around 0.002 inches. Max within spec is 0.0026, and max allowable is 0.003in



New bearings and bolts all around, seems non of them spun, and the crank journals in decent condition.
Crappy before pics with cell phone, and after pics with an actual camera:







































If anyone is interested in pictures of the old removed bearings, or just wants to chime in on how they think everything looks, please let me know!

Now I'm leaning towards thinking the knocking comes from a lash adjuster, or rocker.
Still haven't started the car back up yet, as I destroyed the oil filter trying to remove it with a crappy FRAM tool which ended up piercing right through it.
Sunday evening = no filters for sale.

I think everything looks fine from the pictures... but they are pictures and I am not there. lol. If everything is within spec and everything was torqued back, then I would take an automotive stethoscope and try to pinpoint the noise.

If it knocks did you check for excessive movement in the wristpin or piston slap while it was apart

^ Nope, I overlooked those things unfortunately.

I took her to a shop where they rebuild engines (litterally hundreds of blocks, cranks, and other engine parts everywhere). His words were "I could tell it was a Neon before you pulled in. Its a piston, and it'll run forever".

That's good enough for me for the time being. Maybe I'll switch back to synthetic and a Mopar oil filter next change.

Sometimes the rocker arms make noise too. I have a loud one in my 95. I thought it was rod knock at first, but if I drive it for 15-20 mins it quiets up.

Sound like this?

Almost every Neon I have ever owned, driven or seen has some piston slap, obviously it depends on a lot of things, mileage, age, whether they were drunk or high assembling the motor, but I have never had one go terminal one me just from a little piston slap.

I wouldn't be too worried about it at all, use some good non synthetic oil and a quality filter and it'll run forever.

The video I posted I doubt would be piston slap. Gets more frequent/louder as it gets hotter. It is either a rod, or wrist pin. At first pulling #4 injector seemed to make it quieter, now it doesn't.

All the lash adjusters have been replaced, along with the rockers. As sharp as a noise it is, I thought possibly is was a bad lash adjuster, plus the sound seems higher up in the engine.

The noise is very similar to the sound the old 3.0 Mitsu engine in the Sundance made when a lash adjuster bled down overnight, and took a few minutes to recover. Except that was a random thing. This is pretty consistent. Actually got worse when the oil was changed from??? to semi synthetic.

occasional demons wrote:Sound like this?

Most likely, this is a wrist pin.

I have dealt with an issue like this recently.
Helped a friend replace the rod bearings, and it made no change with the noise.

I should mention, that the 'suspect' cylinder we think was making the noise, showed the most rod bearing wear - Which shouldn't be a surprise.



- Nick