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thanks man! it does indeed get better as the motor warms up but it never goes away entirely...when it's warm you need to concentrate to hear it, but when it's cold i'm sure you can hear this helicopter for blocks.
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The motor should still be in good shape if you have to concentrate to hear it after it's warm. My engine was so bad just before it was removed you could hear it inside and outside the car effortlessly.Originally posted by 3100 View PostComment
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thanks again. i should have said you need to concentrate to hear it when it's warm and under load....at idle you can still hear it but it's pretty quiet. to contrast with when it's cold and under load, which sounds horrible.
i'd still like to take to it with a stethescope to find out exactly where the noise is coming from, for curiosities sake. also need to perform a few tests on the ignition system (gotta do a power balance test and figure out where my intermittent miss is coming from) so i'll also be able to tell which piston it's coming from, if it is indeed piston slap. car just hit 260k kilometers
if i come into some money it's getting a 3400 anyway
Last edited by 3100; 12-24-2011, 12:18 AM.Comment
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We've got a Century with a 3100 that's exactly the same, if not worse.
I'm not alone! lol
The thing runs great, is good on gas, still has power, doesn't burn oil... but sounds louder than a diesel upon cold start and still knocks when warm!
The longer it taps the closer we get to being a 3400 I guess? hahaha....
Keep us up to date, I'm very curious as to what you find!
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At 260k miles it can be expected. As long as the sound isn't getting louder rapidly (over weeks versus years) I would just keep the fluids up as 60below mentioned. But if the sound happened to get louder over a shorter period of time I would follow up with some diagnosing.
"Regarding the power balance test mentioned: pulling spark plug wires on a running vehicle is a bad idea....the spark needs to go somewhere." - That is why you only pull the plug boot off the spark plug, not away. It will still arc over to the plug and block. But if you pull away then ZAP - ZAP - ZAP lol. I am a cautious person, I wear electrically insulating gloves. 25-35k volts is a real shocker.
If you still have stock wires, I bet at least 1 boot breaks. Don't pull them until you have a spare set, lol.
Merry Christmas everyone!1996 Grand Prix | 3100v6 L82 | T04E-50 Turbo | Getrag 282 w/ EP LSD | SPEC-3 ClutchComment
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260k kilometers = 161k miles.
Glad to hear that while it is stupidly loud, there are others just as bad
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Doesn't sound like piston slap to me, sounds more valvetrain related.
I'd pull the valve covers off after the engine's been sitting overnight and see if there is any play in the pushrods by wiggling the rockers. I didn't pay attention to the year of the 3100 but if it's got the old 94/95 style rockers they tend to come loose like the old gen 2's did.Comment
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sounds like a rod, or lifter to me, its to slow to be piston slap, if it where piston slap if would sound like six hammers hitting aluminum, not one. poor example but you know what i mean. drive it till she blows and replace the motor after that, a wrecker 3400 should run for 200$ with low km, cheaper than engine work.Comment
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My guess is a collapsed lifter. I had cleaned mine once, I was surprised how gunked up they can get. And a few pushrods were plugged up too. This was the Lumina, wasn't serviced beyond fluid/filter changes at the time.
Before disassembling I would try a strong application of top end cleaner (I use seafoam but I hear there are stronger) in the oil. And change the filter before so you don't risk pressure loss from debris coming loose. Dog it for a bit and then change oil/filter. Probably the last chance to clear a stuck lifter w/o disassembly.
If it is a rod, like Bob mentioned, shorting each spark plug will determine that.Last edited by TGP37; 12-26-2011, 08:05 PM.1996 Grand Prix | 3100v6 L82 | T04E-50 Turbo | Getrag 282 w/ EP LSD | SPEC-3 ClutchComment
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I've done Seafoam in the oil and a bit of ATF in the oil. No dice.Comment
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I also agree on the motor swap vs fixing up this one....I would get a junkyard motor and do intake gaskets and run it until the car explodes.Comment
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Related question: If a 3100 doesn't have piston slap on a cold start-up, is it a lucky engine, geographical (altitude and average temperature), or is it already damaged? I'm pretty sure it's fine (being in Florida; warm and at sea level) but I want to make sure, since I'm about to put money into it.Comment
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I'm sure a compression test would set any questions to rest. But should you find low compression it may be a valve seal as well.Originally posted by Futures Passed View Post
This is a good question though, I'm interested in others perspectives on this.1996 Grand Prix | 3100v6 L82 | T04E-50 Turbo | Getrag 282 w/ EP LSD | SPEC-3 ClutchComment
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I see......You could take your chances with a junkyard block....or find the problem and fix it yourself. If you plan on a LIM gasket swap either way, the lifters are right there and can be pulled out so easily. I spent a night disassembling each one and took a pipe cleaner, 2 cans of brake cleaner and some assembly lube when done. Wasn't too hard and I did notice a quieter top end. I found 2 pushrods that were plugged up with coked oil. I also heard of broken lifter springs.Originally posted by 3100 View Post
And I question the fate of a lifter with a clogged pushrod above. No oil flow in the pushrod means no flow in the lifter???
Tip: The lifters will not easily compress by hand with oil in them. But when they are cleaned out they will...that's normal.1996 Grand Prix | 3100v6 L82 | T04E-50 Turbo | Getrag 282 w/ EP LSD | SPEC-3 ClutchComment
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i'm going to agree on what TGP37 is suggesting to do with the sparkplug, just unplug them from the coil pack one at a time, and DO NOT unplug the wires while its running unless you have the proper pliers to do so. if the noise changes or gets significantly quieter, best bet its a rod and the block is garbage for salvageComment
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