At the beginning of August we had a heatwave here and my engine (2.2L auto) began to heat up more than usual. Turned out to be the hood insulation drooping down in front of the radiator, so I fixed that.

I heard a rattle come from the engine for a second or two when starting it after that. Got her into the shop that day, but my mechanic (a previous TC owner) didn't hear it and said the engine sounded fine, that it could be the bearings, and that it'd be a [censored] to test for. He said coolant was a quart low and topped it off. At this time, Aug 5th, I switched to BP's new invigorate fuel.

I heard it a few times since, whenever I hadn't started the car in a couple days. Today, maybe the 4th time I heard the rattle, a persistent knock accompanied it. Opened the hood and the knock sounded awfully loud.

I haven't taken it on the road yet. The knock is only present below about 2000rpm, at a consistent timing (about 1.5 seconds?). It dissapears when I press on the accelerator, and it didn't seem to change frequency as the rpm rose. The oil is full and clear, no milky fluid, and there's no smoke from the engine or tailpipe. Engine seemed to run a little rough as it returned to idle, but it didn't stall.

What do you guys think?

will the knock go away after the engine is warm?

could be piston slap

I let the engine warm up a bit before I posted, (haven't started it or checked since) and the knock was still there. I'm not sure if the noise had decreased a bit or not, but it was there.

Try changing the oil filter, if the back seal is not in perfect condition the oil will run back into the engine and therefore no oil will be in the filter for start-up, its a fairly commom problem, especially with Fram filters.Also, what grade oil are you using? A too thin oil may not be giving you the proper fluidity for the temperature range.
Good luck.

The filter scenario is very real. That is why I will not use Fram filters. The problem could be carbon on top of the piston. When engine cools the carbon will harden. Giving a knocking sound or like a lifter tapping. Most of the time it will go away once the engine warms and the carbon softens, just as a lifter tap will sometimes go away after it pumps back up. I have no way of knowing what your problem is but I hope I have been of some assistance to you. David

i use a filton for a 5 liter mustang its HUGE and uber high quality

Thanks for your advice, everyone. Sorry I haven't responded sooner, but my Mom's in the hospital, and I've been moving fairly slowly on this so I don't make any more mistakes.

When I read MyTCtoy's advice, I remembered that the mechanic told me a few weeks ago he had put 5w30 in during the last oil change. I knew I should check the manual to see if that was correct, but I've been distracted lately. Sure enough, 5w30 is rated for temps below 32 F in the manual, and I'm in the middle of a Great Plains summer atm. So, I've been driving on 5w30 since March (about 1500 miles), which was admittedly a fairly cold month.

Talked to my mechanic, and he didn't seem to think it was a problem. Gave me some BS about how newer cars are using 5w20 and lighter, and how lighter oil gets flowing quicker when u start the engine. Said he'd put in 10w30 if I wanted, and that he wanted to hear the knock in the engine.

So now I have to choose between the following:
1. simply driving it 3 miles to the mechanic as is, so they can change the oil and listen to the knock
2. changing the oil myself and then driving it to the mechanic
3. getting an expensive tow so they can change the oil and listen to the knock
4. or trying to find another mechanic familiar with TII's. (noone at the local Mopar club or show had any suggestions for me, and my current mechanic's shop has years of experience with TC's)

I haven't started the car since the first post in this thread. I'm still learning about cars in general, and my TC in particular, so please bare with my ignorance. Any suggestions are appreciated.

We had a real heated debate a while back about oils. I do not agree with your mechanic. A lighter oil is not what you want in a turbocharged engine. You can look at the oil recommendations in your manual as I believe you did and see 5w-30 is not ideal for the conditions you were driving in. You are correct in that it is recommended for temps below 32, but that is not the conditions in August. I know I am going to open a can of worms when I say this but in real hot conditions I run 15w-40 in my 2.2 . I am not sure though If that is your problem. With that being said, you could change the oil yourself and fire it up to see if it makes a difference. That would save the tow bill and the chance of real engine damage by driving to the mechanic.

i run 10 30 mobil one, seems to do just fine

"it didn't seem to change frequency as the rpm rose. "

I think this is the key to your problems. A rod knock or ANY engine bearing will knock faster as rpm rises.
Kick the back of your tailpipe and see if you hear the knock.
My guess is you have a miss on startup and the exhaust is rattling.
Some of these engines normally have a hiccup idling. That and something loose may be the problem.

BTW. Excellent description of the problem.

Thanks. I gave the tailpipe a light kick and didn't really hear anything, but I was a bit nervous about it. My mechanic replaced the catalytic converter back in march, though, so that suggestion did click with me.

Talked to my mechanic about a tow yesterday, and mentioned that the manual says a flat bed should be used. He said it doesn't need one, because it's front wheel drive and (I quote) "it's just like a lebaron. they're the same car."

Now, as far as I understand, the TC has a different wheelbase, suspension, and brakes than a lebaron. A lot of this car's past problems with mechanics dealt with mistaking it for a lebaron, but according to my grandmother my mechanic was supposed to have worked on many of Omaha's Chrysler TC's and he even owned a couple awhile back.

So, is a front-end tow ok, or should I heed the manual's warning of front facia damage and get a flat bed?

I can only see the front facia getting cracked

a modern tow truck has a rig that will go under anything 3 inches high with no clearance problems.
I think the warning was for some antique trucks that are no longer used.
I noticed in "Driving Miss Daisy" that a modern lift was used on the car when it stalled. I guess the owner didn't want the bumper bent up with an authentic to the era truck!

"My mechanic replaced the catalytic converter back in march, though, so that suggestion did click with me."
Mine has been towed with no problem.................Except that the head gasket had just blown big time.
The driver said water poured out the tailpipe when he lifted it.

That's called a "wheel lift". make sure that's what he is talking about..

Good to know, guys. Thanks. Just had to check because of the 'same as a lebaron' comment. I'll make sure it's a wheel lift.

Having read most of these posts, I have to tell you that a connecting rod knock is not out of the question. My high mileage 89 TC does that when started cold after standing a while. I have a set of new rod bearings waiting for it when I can get it to my shop. If that is what your problem is, don't run it any longer until it can be checked out.
Have someone pull the oil pan. Just grabbing the rods and trying to move them should give you an initial indication. Checking with Plastigauge will give you a definite answer.

Well, it ended up being a cam follower which had worked itself loose. Mechanic said the cam is old and worn, and should ideally be replaced, for $1000-1500. Pieced it back together for now, while I hunt for parts, and she's running fine. He said a cam is currently available, but the rest will be a bit tougher to find.

Thanks for the help, guys. I'd appreciate further comments and advice.

I'm parting out an 89 SOHC. If you want the head send a pm.
I haven't pulled it off but a quick look under the coffin cover says it is usable.
Mike

If your guy wants $1500. to replace the cam, I think you should find another guy. Even if he worked SLOW and cleaned everything as he went along, it's a 2.5 hour job max. Roller cams don't really 'wear out' per se so I'd like to see what he is basing his diagnosis on. They can snap in half but thats a problem with the head being twiste/warped, a much larger issue.

Alan

Alan, I am with you on this one. After all it is an overhead cam engine.

Great cam options......
http://www.fwdperformance.com/Store/Category.asp?IDCatalog=78&txtCatalog=Heads/Intakes%20::%20Camshafts

for 1500$ i would drive out to NE from NJ and replace everything and drive back

Thanks for the heads up, guys. You're my heroes.

I don't think my mechanic is too internet savvy, and thusly is unaware of fwdperformance.com and such. He salvages his parts from old 2.2L lebarons. His estimate includes parts, but after checking out the cam package options at fwdperformance, I think he's either being ripped off or he's intending to rip me off.

To be fair, there's a chance my ignorance is mucking up the translation between him and ya'll. I'll ask him how much the job would cost if I provided all the parts, and report back to you guys. I intend to start taking classes at Omaha's community college anyways, which I'm told has a decent auto-mechanic program, so I can eventually cut out the middle man in all this.

no matter what its a 500$ job at best, he obviously isnt going to do what is a 2 hr job and charge you for 2 hrs shop time say i think around her its around 70$/hr so its 2 hrs is 140$ in shop labor and the cam is say 200$ thats 340$. its a job that even a novice can tackle, like some said, its an sohc, or what i call a Simple Over Head Cam style