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4A-Ge 20V Knocking :( Please Help


sym0n
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Hi all,

I have a 93 Levin GT Apex with around 75k on it. (4A-GE 20V AE101)

I have never had any problems with the car in the 5 years i have owned it.

A few months ago it suddenly started making a knocking noise within the VVT rev range.

I instantly stopped using it and have been driving a 87 Audi Coupe GT since then as i didn't want it to get any worse.

i really want to figure out what the problem with it is.

I am a little worried about taking to a normal mechanics. Im not sure they will know much about the engine, and don't want to pay someone for the hours figuring things out.

So i have a few questions.

Any ideas what the noise could be?

Anything i could do to figure out what the noise is?

Any good/recommended mechanics in the Midlands/Nottingham area?

I really love the car and want to get it back on the road as it is in fantastic condition for a car of any age! But obviously if it is going to cost a small fortune it may be worth selling it on to someone who is willing to do the work themselves.

Another thing is if it needs a little work, would it be a good time to tune/tweak the engine a little. Kill two birds with one stone possible?

Any help would be good.

I should add that the car does still drive, and apart from the noise seems to be running fine.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this, and any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Knocking would be the Main bearings, Big Ends. Either way it's not good.

Have you run it dry of oil at all?

It'd be safest to take the engine apart and rebuild the lower end, getting the crank balanced and properly checked in the process. :yes:

You have done the right thing by leaving it though, I would have done the same until I got the answers and could do the work.

There are plenty of people who would be willing to do the work, myself included. However I could not afford an Apex Levin. :(

Plus I have more engines than cars... :lol: But I would love one. Maybe some day.

KP

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Knocking would be the Main bearings, Big Ends. Either way it's not good.

Have you run it dry of oil at all?

It'd be safest to take the engine apart and rebuild the lower end, getting the crank balanced and properly checked in the process. :yes:

You have done the right thing by leaving it though, I would have done the same until I got the answers and could do the work.

There are plenty of people who would be willing to do the work, myself included. However I could not afford an Apex Levin. :(

Plus I have more engines than cars... :lol: But I would love one. Maybe some day.

KP

Thanks for the reply. Sorry i didn't reply so quickly but the email alert didn't seem to notify me of your reply. Or it got chucked into my spam box....

It is possible it ran low on oil. Although i am not sure as i do/did check regularly. It would have gone from having enough oil to fairly quickly not having oil. So unless there is some other problem that caused the loss or use of oil at a faster rate. Which then caused this problem as a result????

MMMMM well thats the answer i was dreading but also expecting. Any idea of the cost of such work? ball park figure would be very helpful.

I did take it to a couple of garages, but they just said...until we take it apart we cant give you a price. But of course once they start to take it apart the bills have already started, so your kind of forced into the work.

It would be nice if i could do it myself...its something i have always wanted to do.....but i dont suppose an engine rebuild is the best job to have my first go at is it...ha ha

What parts would i need to source for a lower end rebuild?

Thanks again for your reply....

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If the engine knocks at start-up then it likely to be either a crankshaft bearing problem or poor oil pressure. If the knocking only arises when the VTT is brought into play then it more likely to be a depaser or hydraulic control problem in the VVT mechanism.

Before condemning the bottom end it would be prudent to get the oil pressure checked using a gauge - this would give a better clue as to what is happening.

I suggest the cam cover be removed and the valve train mechanism checked out first - could save a lot of money in the long run.

The link below may give a better insight as to what may have gone wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICAWQPLNFAc&feature=related

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Assuming you do need a rebuild on the lower end, in some ways it is easier than rebuilding bits like the Head and Valve Train.

A garage won't know what they are looking for soon enough, they will take bits off and not really know what they are doing, how can they? They don't know the engine.

This is actually not such a hard task if you have done it once. An AE86 is pretty simple to remove and refit the engine to so that won't be too much hassle. They are simple beasts as it is.

You can do it yourself but there are a few things to remember:

1. You will never EVER meet your deadline, something always happens.

2. It will cost more than you budget, so have an extra few £££ lying around for emergencies.

3. If it's not clean, then you need to make it clean for it to work (gasket surfaces is what I refer to)

4. Take your time and ask questions, we won't get annoyed if you ask even seemingly dumb questions.

There are specialist tools that you will need to get this done so if you decide to go through with it yourself, let us know and we can tell you what you will need. You won't need to spend that much on tools providing you have a few basics.

As james said, do take a look at the VVT system first, this could be much cheaper!

He did mention the Valve Train needing fixing, this I would definitely leave to a garage if I were you as it is not something you want to take on as a novice. It will end badly if you do.

Any other questions then fire away.

KP

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