Parz1val Posted June 27, 2021 Report Share Posted June 27, 2021 Well, she brought the car by today and this happened. I know the audio isnt the greatest but maybe there is enough info there. So, she has been driving it for over 3 weeks like this with the only complaint being the noise. This thing is LOUD at idle. so much that people ask at the stoplights if everything is ok. It goes away the second she raises the idle. It seems like a rod knock but those usually rattle the whole way up, show low oil pressure, and dont run well. I replaced the driver side cylinder head last year to fix the infamous cylinder one misfire issue. No noises till a few weeks ago. I have done a basic once over on the pullys, belt, and hardware. It really sounds like its coming from the area between the the trans and block but if I go up top, it sounds like it may be coming from the intake. I am getting ready to drain the oil to see if that may give me a hint but....any ideas? I thought i read something before about some purge valves or flaps somewhere that could be causing this. Thanks!! Please have a listen if you dont mind. 2017 dodge journey low rpm knock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John/Horace Posted June 27, 2021 Report Share Posted June 27, 2021 (edited) Sounds a lot like timing chain hashing more than a bottom end crank noise. Sound clips are tricky for trouble shooting. Look for metal filings when you dump the oil. Scan for codes even if mil light not on. If the chain/tensioner was becoming an issue there might be codes for that. Curious, how many miles on engine. What is cluster showing for oil pressure at idle.? Could run for 20 secs without surpentine belt to make sure it’s block related. Water pump won’t turn, so short test only. Edited June 27, 2021 by John/Horace 2late4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parz1val Posted June 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2021 (edited) Of course it's John to help out here! Good to see you are still around. I uploaded another video, from inside the cab trying to give somewhat of a sound profile. I know its terrible, its always been hard to hear these kind of things over recordings from our phones. If I let is settle down to idle and blip the throttle, i can make it "rattle" like that gggggg sound when you dry gargle your throat (cant think of another way to describe it, lol). Another video/audio clip from the cab. Oil pressure settles between 65 and 70 at idle. I have not drained the oil yet. Wanted to get a little more testing ideas out of the way before I dry her out. Oil level is good, oil does not appear to be thin. There is just shy of 90k on this car and the front (driver) head I ended up replacing because of the valve issue on Cylinder 1. I ended up replacing it instead of rebuilding so I had a second head to rebuild to help someone else with if the problem over came up. No fault codes, double checked, no historic codes either. No codes since they were cleared back when I replaced the head. I was definitely in there working with the chain and guide as I had to completely remove the old head, and even moved the cams over to the new replacement head. All this was finished up I want to say near the end of last year with no rattling noises or any weird noises for that matter. Edited June 27, 2021 by Parz1val more information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parz1val Posted June 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2021 Thanks for the tips so far both of you. I had to take break for a bit, the sun in Ohio today has been getting me! I did get the serp belt pulled and let it run just enough to hear it at idle and unfortunately the sound was still there. I havent found anything loose yet but Im working my way through still. My brain keeps wanting to go to the cam guide that I moved over from the original head. I had the valve cover off yesterday and couldn't feel any looseness, but it still is stuck in my head to check it better... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John/Horace Posted June 28, 2021 Report Share Posted June 28, 2021 That’s good oil pressure for idle. Timing chain tensioner works with combination of spring and oil pressure, if oil pressure was low, tensioner could have been generating extra noise from that. Back of tensioner against block has a tiny oil passage. On timing belt motors the full replacement kit had idler pulley, tensioner pulley, new belt, water pump and finally a brand new belt tensioner. Some car mechanics I know (I’m not a licensed car mechanic) say you should always replace the tensioner on chain motors if you are working with front cover off. I replaced a weak one on a Malibu 2.4 motor on my wife’s car a few years ago. On cold start ups it would give a rattle noise similar to what you described (only 60k miles) New chain and tensioner and two Teflon chain case guides got rid of the slowly increasing rattling noise. Awkward and time consuming, as you know. Hopefully I wrong and it’s something else. I’m old and my hearing is not great from working in manufacturing for over 35 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parz1val Posted June 28, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2021 (edited) Hey thanks both of you again. I am oncall right now for work and well, it called lol I havent been able to dig in past the serp belt test yet and she is closed up for the night. I do not have a stethoscope unfortunately. I do have some new oil lines and heater hose, I could give that trick a try! This sing sounds so horrible it draws the attention of EVERYONE that is outside when the vehicle is at idle....Normally a sound this nasty to me leads to near catastrophic failure if you attempt to keep driving it. This thing has not lost any power. still drives smooth, heck, she commutes roughly 100 miles for work each way, each day, and has been driving it like this for about 3 weeks. This one is driving me nuts! This sound is one that your neighbor heard you coming before you even came round the corner, it is not quiet AT ALL lol. Edited June 28, 2021 by Parz1val noise value! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted June 28, 2021 Report Share Posted June 28, 2021 my son just had a noise coming from his truck that had a 318 engine that was making a noise he thought belt or tensioner so he replaced that stuff first ...ended up being his water pump and also while replacing that he replaced the clutch fan as well...noise gone it was the water pimp bearing going out with no leaks as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parz1val Posted June 28, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2021 Hey, thank you for the heads up. I am leaning towards the timing chain/guides area but that whole kit will include a new waterpump as well. Lets see what I come up with today after some more testing. Has anyone here witnessed a rod knock that would act like this? I would think if it was that big of a problem, I would have looowwww oil pressure, and it would run pretty terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parz1val Posted July 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 finally got a chance to start ripping into it again. Intake manifold , driver side valve cover, spark plugs, nothing found inside the cylinders so far. The coolant is draining at the moment, then I will take the passenger side engine mount off to gain access to the cam chain cover on that side of the head. Will see what this can tell me here in a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parz1val Posted July 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 (edited) This is exactly what I am experiencing. The flex plate does make a little clanky noise when moving it by hand from underneath. I need to go get some oil to put back in her before firing up again, but I think its going to be the culprit... Dodge Chrysler Caravan making ENGINE FLYWHEEL NOISE and Transmission whining noise. 3.6 Pentastar - YouTube 2014 Dodge Caravan Flexplate Clattering Noise - YouTube Edited July 4, 2021 by Parz1val 2late4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John/Horace Posted July 6, 2021 Report Share Posted July 6, 2021 Check the grub screws for tightness. I think they use blue loctite on them. If it’s cracked flex plate I think tranny has to be pulled to change it. Very unfortunate, but your head change work did stand up, which is good. Locosiete 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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