1997 850 N/A - Engine noise - Camshaft squeal?

[helohero]

Rod bearing?

Sure sounds like it. If you get a socket wrench on the harmonic balancer nut and then rock the engine back and forth by hand you can often feel it. If it is in the bottom of the engine then a used engine is the only real alternative if you want to keep the car.

...Lee

Thanks for your insight. It is definitely appreciated. Now time to do some thinking on what I want to do.

[erikv11]

I have never tried comparing to pictures when the head is off, but I have always seen the mark. And always rotated the crank after the head was off for cleaning purposes etc., so I had to find it. But yeah, timing should be fine if it never moved.

[mtd240]

Sounds very much like yours..

[helohero]

I agree, sounds similar.

I don't think this 850 is worth saving. I'll probably sell a few parts off of it and then scrap it.

[Ozark Lee]

What bothers me about this is that the noise cropped up so soon after the top end work. I suppose it is possible that the l got hot enough to do damage to the lower half when the car originally overheated but I would think that the present symptoms would have presented themselves fairly immediately after the head went back on and the car was re-started. Usually when a problem arises just after a related repair then the repair itself is where I start looking.

If a valve is sticking and getting slapped by a piston then it should show up in a compression test. Other than the God awful noise, the engine seems to run pretty smooth which would indicate good compression. That is what makes this such a mystery.

...Lee

[mtd240]

I agree, sounds similar.

I don't think this 850 is worth saving. I'll probably sell a few parts off of it and then scrap it.

Pull the oil drain plug and see what comes out.

[erikv11]

I would also check the half moon pieces on the ends of the cams especially behind the CPS, make sure they are tight. Longshot but it did just get top end work, and if it's going to the scrapper otherwise ...

[helohero]

I agree, sounds similar.

I don't think this 850 is worth saving. I'll probably sell a few parts off of it and then scrap it.

Pull the oil drain plug and see what comes out.

I've been busy this weekend, I'll drain the oil tomorrow and see if anything comes out with the oil.

[helohero]

I would also check the half moon pieces on the ends of the cams especially behind the CPS, make sure they are tight. Longshot but it did just get top end work, and if it's going to the scrapper otherwise ...

Are you talking about the metal pieces that are attached to the camshafts under the camshaft position sensor and distributor cap?

[erikv11]

Yes. Maybe only the CPS one could slap around. And granted, that would not explain why the engine was hard to turn over ...