metalmonkey47 Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Welp, after 10,000 miles worth of mayhem and being a jackass in my A powered 210, tonight I sadly say that tonight at 10:31PM Eastern time, my poor little high mileage A15 has developed what sounds like a very slight rod knock. I parked it at the local grocery store to get some food for tomorrows long work day, came out and started it up and heard a slight knocking from under the hood. I shut off the engine, got out, and checked the oil with an old receipt and it was about 1 1/2 quarts low (holy shit, I just filled it up!) Went inside, payed $5 for some 10W-40 Penzoil, filled it up and prayed. I ran it at idle for a minuet to let the oil circulate, shut it off, and I don't really hear anything now except a slight rattle that I'm hoping is the valves. My question for now is, are there any precautionary measures I can take for now? I'm going out in an hour to change the oil and do a search for specs and I'm hoping I don't find chunks. Quote Link to comment
MicroMachinery Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Keep an eye on the oil level. Check it daily. Also, go and torque your lug nuts. 2 Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 The oil was hot, thin, low and the pressure is lowest at start up and idle so there might have been some slight knock. If worried run straight 40W to cushion the bearings. If there is a bad bearing there's no way to 'heal' it but you can drive easier and keep lots of thick oil in it. Motors can last thousands of miles with poor bearings if looked after. Not saying this is the case. You're probably fine. Quote Link to comment
Dguy210 Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 If you can, use Rotella T 15-40 (yes I know it's a diesel oil). Will thicken the oil up abit, and the added zinc doesn't hurt. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 1.5 qts low won't hurt it. Seriously, they run fine with 1 quart in the pan (as long as you don't corner at high G). Probably just putting some new un-thinned oil in it has fixed it. Yeah the B-cars haz a lug nut problem. Make sure they are tight. If they a lil loose the wheel fall off. Quote Link to comment
south of reno Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Hey metalmonkey, try some engine flush to loosen any thing up then use Lucas oil stabilizer, that stuff is amazing.:cool: Quote Link to comment
Dguy210 Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Hey metalmonkey, try some engine flush to loosen any thing up then use Lucas oil stabilizer, that stuff is amazing.:cool: Running an engine flush now is probably a bad idea. It's likely to knock all kinds of crap loose, and this engine has had a history of random smoking etc... Quote Link to comment
Spades Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 I have used Lucas in the past, and that stuff will get rid of all kinds of noises from bearings and valve train, but when I would use it depends on how long I need the car to last. It is a very thick product, so I would use it VERY sparingly if adding it to 15w40 in a small motor. Oil flushes can be a timebomb on a high mileage motor even before they develop a problem. Most oil flush products use mineral oils or detergents and are very thin. If this was a low miler, I would say go for it, he may have some crap clogging things up and running a mild flush(lightweight engine oil mixed with a small amount of mineral oil or ATF) may help. Right now I would say it is a no go, because if he does have a slight rod knock, running detergent through will thin the oil out, which means not only is there a danger of knocking crap loose as mentioned above, but the thin oil could cause that bearing to wear much more in the few minutes of running the flush. I would say fresh delo 400 15w40 and maybe a very small amount of lucas and keep oil in that sucker! Time to drive like a grandma! Also, don't forget to check your lugnut torque, I am told it is a common problem on those. Quote Link to comment
metalmonkey47 Posted July 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) I have good ass news!!! First, thanks for all the advice guys! I usually run 10W-40 or 20W-50 depending on how I'm feeling. Occasionally I'll add some of the Lucas oil stabilizer that I have on the shelf, and I've also had some luck with Slick 50 and Bars Leak Stop Smoke. I got up this morning and turned the starter and it banged to life with some sick noises that brought a sick feeling to my stomach. I opened the hood, and heres what I found.... Both the lower and upper starter bolts were loose, stripped, and wouldn't tighten any tighter then hand torque. I don't know why they came loose all of the sudden even after using red thread locker on them, but I'm gonna throw some new hardware on in a short bit and it should be perfect again. I suppose it was just sheer coincidence that adding some oil seemed to make it quieter, but I do know for a fact that what I was hearing was the starter knocking against the block. Edited July 11, 2011 by metalmonkey47 Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 good news. get that datsun back on the road :-) Quote Link to comment
metalmonkey47 Posted July 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 As of today, she's back on the road and ready for long drives! Quote Link to comment
south of reno Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 Running an engine flush now is probably a bad idea. It's likely to knock all kinds of crap loose, and this engine has had a history of random smoking etc... well, it looks like he may have to pop it open and take a look inside. Quote Link to comment
south of reno Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 I have good ass news!!! First, thanks for all the advice guys! I usually run 10W-40 or 20W-50 depending on how I'm feeling. Occasionally I'll add some of the Lucas oil stabilizer that I have on the shelf, and I've also had some luck with Slick 50 and Bars Leak Stop Smoke. I got up this morning and turned the starter and it banged to life with some sick noises that brought a sick feeling to my stomach. I opened the hood, and heres what I found.... Both the lower and upper starter bolts were loose, stripped, and wouldn't tighten any tighter then hand torque. I don't know why they came loose all of the sudden even after using red thread locker on them, but I'm gonna throw some new hardware on in a short bit and it should be perfect again. I suppose it was just sheer coincidence that adding some oil seemed to make it quieter, but I do know for a fact that what I was hearing was the starter knocking against the block. well now, that a good thing. glad it wasn't serious. Quote Link to comment
Dguy210 Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 I have good ass news!!! Both the lower and upper starter bolts were loose, stripped, and wouldn't tighten any tighter then hand torque. I don't know why they came loose all of the sudden even after using red thread locker on them, but I'm gonna throw some new hardware on in a short bit and it should be perfect again. I suppose it was just sheer coincidence that adding some oil seemed to make it quieter, but I do know for a fact that what I was hearing was the starter knocking against the block. What is it with loose bolts and nuts on that car? I swear you've got a gremlin living in that thing somewhere Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 previous owner did not use a torque wrench ... when I started out I used big & small torque wrenches until I get the feel for various torques. Then you don't need it except for the head bolts. Quote Link to comment
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