PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

2002 Grand Prix GT 237,0000 miles

When it rains it pours. Wife calls me up saying that the car is making a horrible loud ticking noise. She gets home with it and says that the noise isn't as bad as it first was. I start it up and I can hear a rubbing noise coming from the rear center cylinder. I took my stethoscope to it sounds like a light chirping noise. It sounds louder from underneath the car. It's not accessory related because i removed the serpentine belt and it still made the noise.

My question is: Could it be a.... (Gulp).. Spun bearing?

Can you get a video? It sounds like a good possibly of a bad bearing BUT there are other things to check before assuming the worst. Does it have an oil pressure gauge? Do you have low oil pressure?

I can try a get a video of it tomorrow.

It does not have an oil pressure gauge, just an idiot light.

The only gauges it does have is the factory volt and temp gauge.

I was really hoping that it could be a bad harmonic balancer but the
noise isn't coming from that area of the engine.

Ponch 04 wrote:I can try a get a video of it tomorrow.

It does not have an oil pressure gauge, just an idiot light.

The only gauges it does have is the factory volt and temp gauge.

I was really hoping that it could be a bad harmonic balancer but the
noise isn't coming from that area of the engine.

When my harmonic balancer gave out the first time, it didn't sound like it came from the front of the engine either. Hope that's what it is as it's not too hard to repair. - BC

I did have a balancer fail and it was not a knock at all. If its a spun bearing you will definitely be able to tell. And even with the belt off the balancer is still running so its possible it could be bad. I had one go bad, couldn't find anything wrong with it or any cracks but after I swapped it the engine was quiet as a church mouse so that was the problem. I was pretty much grasping at straws and had already replaced every other accessory at that point though.

Took it to my mechanic...

It's either a bad lifter, cam, or bearing.

They can't tell unless they rip it apart ($$)

But it's looking like either we replace the motor (more $$$$) with a Salvage Yard motor or a reman motor (even more $$$$$$).

Either way the wife doesn't want to spend the money on a 230K mile car.

Did they find any metal In the oil? Or does the oil look like metallic paint?

That would be sure signs of a worn bearing.

The oil looks fine. The mechanic said that it smelt burnt but Mobil Extended Performance oil always smelt burnt to me even when new out of the bottle.

I had my dad listen to it last night with a stethoscope and he pin pointed it to the rear center cylinder. It sounds more like a collapsed lifter.

Here's a video that I took yesterday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNTycFK ... e=youtu.be

It almost does sound like a lifter but I've never heard of one failing on a 3800, not that it couldn't happen. I still say the balancer needs to be checked they can make some pretty nasty noise when they start to go bad.

no mechanic here, but sure sounds like a lifter or maybe off chance a rocker arm. - BC

I am going to rule out the balancer due to fact that the noise is the loudest when i placed the stethoscope on the middle top bolt on the rear valve cover.
No matter how I look at it, it is going to be expensive to fix.

Have you talked to haro? I bet he'd do the engine swap for ya.

I could do the engine swap, but your wife is right. It's just not worth dumping that money into a 237k car.

I put a 120k engine into a customers 1997 GTP with 307k last week, such a bad investment.

harofreak00 wrote:I could do the engine swap, but your wife is right. It's just not worth dumping that money into a 237k car.

I put a 120k engine into a customers 1997 GTP with 307k last week, such a bad investment.

But was the rest of the car in good shape? Some people don't care about the investment or what they could sell the car for. If they can drive it another 50-100k they more than got their moneys worth out of the engine.

harofreak00 wrote:I could do the engine swap, but your wife is right. It's just not worth dumping that money into a 237k car.

I put a 120k engine into a customers 1997 GTP with 307k last week, such a bad investment.

^THIS^

Yeah, I'm afraid that if I fix/replace the engine then I have to worry about a 237,000 mile transmission that could go out down the line.

Don't get me wrong, the body is in great shape but the under pinnings are a different story. If I had the time and money, I would buy the entire drivetrain out of a wrecked low mileage 2004+ w-body and install that but those too are quickly disappearing.