B serious

Does the oil on the dipstick have metal in it?

The knock diagnosis is just speculation.

Check a few basic things and look for another source of the noise. Disconnect the serpentine belt and start it to see if its a pulley noise, see if anything is loose, see if your header bracket broke. Things like that.

If it does need to get transported to someone who can help you properly....$400 for transport isn't that bad.

Its gonna be fine.

Quahogboy

Man I appreciate this last part about "it gonna be fine". I'm a bit stressed over it and frustrated trying to figure out who to take it to. $400 is to rent a UHaul trailer, then fuel up and back for my Tundra (figure get 10mpg pulling the car) so another $400 up and back and 2 full days of driving. There was someone who had their car transported from the dragon last year back to PA and assuming about the same distance for them and for me to LI, I figure close to $800 without calling anyone yet.

My big concern is the difficulty starting it - battery is OEM and 2 months old. I don't recall seeing any metal in the dipstick when checking the oil

Quahogboy

Again, not too mechanically inclined working on cars so definitely don't know what I'm doing under there which is why I'm frustrated. I've gutted a house and done all kinds of electrical and restoration on a flip house but when it comes to cars I change the oil and I've swapped out starters, changed knock sensor and air intake on my son's accord, polished the slave cylinder rod on my S2k but that's the extent of it. I'll try to see if there might be anything loose as you mentioned but a lot of what people have recommended is to not start it until a proper diagnosis is done

B serious

I feel you, bud. I had a total engine failure at a track, 160 miles from home and had to figure out how to get back home. It looks like its all "adding up so fast" and its daunting to think of everything at once...but in the end...its fine.

Your car is home...no big rush. If it needs fixing, you have plenty of time to figure out a plan.

Telltale signs of knock or bottom end failure are metal in the oil and an oil pressure warning light (or flickering light) at idle. See if you have those.

Obviously, don't idle the car for any longer than necessary! So do your serpentine belt disconnect test at the same time, if you're gonna start the car.

Its very unusual...almost never happens...for knock on these cars to occur without low oil volume. So if your oil was full, I'm really doubting its knock.

What year is the car?

Billman is gonna request a video of it running with the hood closed, from some distance away (confirm his directions). That's another thing to be ready to do if you start the car.

B serious

Its hard to tell via video... but it doesn't sound like rod knock to me.

noodels

In meantime charge the battery<or is the engine so tight its not starting it very well>?<maybe thrust bearing!>,stupid question is the starter motor solid,put your hand down a give it a wiggle<engine of>
On second engine also!!

Quahogboy

Thanks man, you're helping to ease the tightness in my chest so I can breathe a bit haha. So never had oil pressure warning light and as mentioned has plenty of oil. It's a 2007.
I pm'd with Pinky some about it and also pm'd Billman but hadn't heard back yet but he might be traveling or not checking on here if he's on vacation.


So the battery is 2 months old, OEM and plenty of charge (had been driving about an hour before). Thinking thrust bearing now that I'm learning more about it but really don't know. Not sure about the starter but has been starting fine otherwise until the knock started

sam_spider

^ Billman was at the dragon, might be the reason for a delay in responding.

windhund116

For sure, I would discuss the symptoms and make all the arrangements first.

Chuck S

I'd get an engine oil sample analyzed as soon as you can. Blackstone's analysis, based on tracer metals in the bearings can highlight where wear exists. Should be done with the engine at operating temperature but that adds to the risk. I pulled a "cold" sample once via the dipstick with their little pump and it showed an alarming amount of silicon (literally sand) of 200ppm but all the metals were well within limits. I think I got the sample from the very bottom of the oil pan. No sample before or since has showed silicon more than 9 and that high only once. And I've never drawn a cold sample again.

-- Chuck