ladagosta Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 97 chevy lumina auto, v6, 3.1 engine first off the car has routine oil changes has 81,000 miles last change was done October 08 a month later it developes this missfire, loss of power, and a loud tapping noise from the engine compartment. thought it might be the lifters or valves we took the valve cover off when it was hot and turned the engine and everything appears fine: lifter, springs and valves appear to be working fine. WHen the # 3 is down it makes a loud chatter, there is some sludge in there, oil appears to be watery, clear not dark or anything. not milky in texture, no oil residue in the water..so it does not appears there is a crack in the block or blown gasket. Can any one tell me what could be causing this tapping noise. is this the piston slap everyone talks about? next chance I get I will try to clip a video of the noise and post Cams? rockers? valves? maybe injectors are clogged? if everything else seems to be working fine. Does anyone know if the sparks plugs can make a difference on this make model? I have considered changeing spark plugs thinking maybe one cracked.. not likely which would you use to try and resolve this issue? : STP, EOS (Engine Oil Supplement) or sea foam? a mechanic over a year ago told me there was a light on and he would take care of it and disconnected it.. turns out I was told that it was the "check coolant soon" light, the temp gauge has not run high.. but could I still be leaking water into the engine even if the oil isnt pudding like? or the radiator does not have oil in it? The car is not driven but 5 miles a week and I dont want to loose the engine over this.. so anyone have a past issue or know of known cases where this is resolvable please post back. money is an issue on a set income and no money to buy a new car and well little to put to repair if it is a cam issue ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SigEpCutlass Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 If I were you I would start with the simplest issue first...the misfire. Determine if the misfire is coming from the coil packs, the wires, or the spark plugs. If you need assistance with troubleshooting that, let us know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladagosta Posted March 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 Mike thanks I forgot to mention that the coils were swaped and they are fine.. next step is we are going to replace spark plugs and do an engine flush with seafoam.. in any event this problem will have to be resolved as my aunt has no money to get another vehicle.. OUCH! hoping the spark plugs might be cracked she doesnt knwo when it was the time they were changed.. ok.. but she does do her oil changes on time.. ???? W/E I dont understand the logic on that one but hey to each their own.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19Cutlass94 Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 start with plugs. for some reason my old 3100 went through them like nothing. and the tapping is more than likely a lifter that isnt pumping up. Since I have that problem with mine right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98montels Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 Can't help the OP but my 3100 makes the piston slap sound I believe it is for quite awhile after I first start it. It goes away as I drive and is sometimes still able to be heard when warm. It has been doing this for 3 years and had about 90xxx on it at the time, now at around 137xxx and still running ok. If the misfire problem is solved and the tapping noise doesn't sound like a rod knock or sumthing bad like that. It's prolly just piston slap or poor lifters not pumping up like said before me. Does it go away after the motor warms up or get any quieter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladagosta Posted March 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 after running it for about 20 minutes the noise does not get softer but the missfire does get worse. we are doing the plug change and engine flush today. I will post back tonight and hopefully get a clip of the sound it is making before and after the engine flush and plug change. I certainly hope this helps at least to get her drivable for a couple of months then someone can work on rebuilding the valve, lifters etc. since i am not physically capable of doing that much work on my own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 Underdriving cars is horrible on them. If the vehicle is operated consistently without reaching full temperature, the oil life is very short since condensation contaminates it, the exhaust system will rust quickly, and other issues of under use will appear. I actually had this conversation with someone. her: "my car runs horrible!" me: "what's it doing?" her: "it has no power, and it is hard to start... you have to crank and crank and crank..." me: "when is the last time you had maintenance done?" her: "I'm up on my maintenance, my oil still has 1000 miles to go before it is due to be changed." me: "how long ago was it last changed?" her: "three years ago, but that doesn't matter, I haven't driven 3000 miles." me: "... " she had a Dodge Omni, and drove a block from work, and maybe the store and nothing else. do the plugs. do an oil change. do a spark test on each coil; crank the engine with a plugwire attached to each coil tip, and a screwdriver in the end. check all 6 for consistent spark. test is best perfromed with one extra spark plug wire which you test one coil point at a time, and shut the engine off while moving the test wire. I think your noise could be from a misfire? REPORT RESULTS. once things are fixed... you need to take it for a hard and long drive. and make sure th Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladagosta Posted March 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 that is my aunt.. it is her car and she just told me last night she does not know when she changed the plugs or had a tune up.. She is regular with the oil change .. but hell that doesnt help if you dont take care of the rest of it! i think this engine flush and the and the tune up will get her back on the road for now. I will post an update once we are done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladagosta Posted March 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 well I am impressed the spark plugs took care of the loss of power and the missfire and the seafoam took care of the rest !!! I have never used this product but I can and will say that I am impressed from all I have heard it stands up to what they say it will do. The plugs were original and they had nothing left to them .. I ran out of time to do an oil change and decided to just add the seafoam to the crank case and the fuel, just enough to condition them not the extra to flush and change the oil I told her to take it and run it for a few weeks and then we will do a flush and oil change. I did take a snap of the noise before and after if I can figure out how to upload them and where so that I can place a link to hear them people will be amazed at the difference...man what a difference.. before after Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 i think you should change the oil immediately. like this weekend. make sure the car gets driven to keep everything alive, which is to say maybe once i week she needs to take it up to 60mph for 5 minutes at least... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladagosta Posted March 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 okay igot a few other boards running and they are saying the same thing..but iread th directions ont eh container and it does nto say that you need to remove this stuff it says to add xx amount to crank case and xx amount to fuel which I followed very carefully as I did not want to get into the oil change this week.. I only use the amout they recommend to condition the engine. and i did not get to the air intake process besides i do not know where to find the air intake valve... if this amount was harmful to the car you would think the directions would say to remove immediately @@ ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 you should have the oil changed because it makes the oil thinner, and less lubricating. When I do such a thing, i do it right before as oil change, usually just long enough to run the car top full temperature before changing. I like my oil hot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Seafoaming the intake makes the most difference IMO, And do change the oil soon, And Photobucket vids all seem to be shitty lately... LITERALLY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladagosta Posted March 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 I am thinking of using seafoam on my tractor and cars next. I like it and I will go back and change the oil in her car tomorrow. now I have only a 1/3 can left can i still do her intake and where is a intake vaccum line on this 3100 engine? I will buy another 2 cans for our 4 cars we will need it. they are all older cars so it sure couldnt hurt to run some through. I was planning on doing the spring oil changes on them any ways.. please walk me through it on the 3100 since it isnt my car Idont want to chance goofing it up any .. dont need family pissed off at me I am so glad the car finally does not sound so bad.. and those clips dont do justice casue the noise was loud and them the only thing you could really hear after doing it was the belt spinning noise. her livein companion thought it was amazing that the noise went away.. frankly I was too,,, an old bf of mine once said those additives are for shit so I guess that is what he meant not to leave the stuff in the engines cause it will do more damage than good... He always said it causes wear on the rings and stuff... the most I would ever use is murphys mystery oil and STP which I know dont do a whole lot.. thanks for helping me through this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88red4cyl Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 You want to pull the vac line coming from the brake booster IIRC... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladagosta Posted March 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 I am clueless .. where is that eactly like I said these newer cars are dating me and I dont want to goof it up.. do you need to pour it or let it suck it out.. and will 1/3 of a can of seafoam do anything? sorry.. the crank case and the fuel are one thing.. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Do this. With car running, pull off rubber brake booster line from brake end. To ID line, it is about 3/4 inch, and it runs from the plenum to the brake booster. Pull it off. Car will want to die, but most of the time it won't. If it does, put the line back on, re-start car, and try again. But this time, have one hand near the throttle in case you should need to keep the idle up a bit with the hose off to keep it from dying. Pour 1/3 of a can into the tube SLOWLY as to not kill it. Once it is all in, turn it off immediately and wait 5-10 minutes. THEN re-start(may be hard to start) and drive very aggressively for about ten minutes to ensure best cleaning. DONE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 I am clueless .. where is that eactly like I said these newer cars are dating me and I dont want to goof it up.. do you need to pour it or let it suck it out.. and will 1/3 of a can of seafoam do anything? sorry.. the crank case and the fuel are one thing.. LOL Let it suck it or pour it, it doesn't matter, as long as its done slowly enough not to kill the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 And most of the time you are supposed to change the spark plugs AFTER seafoaming, but you *should* be fine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladagosta Posted March 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 http://econtent.autozone.com:24991/znetrgs/repair_guide_content/en_us/images//0900c152/80/21/7d/3a//large/0900c15280217d3a.gif number 11 now i know why this post never made it you bumped me out we must have been posting at the same time and logged me off.. LOL that is the hose I was going to ask about I knocked it off while doing the back spark plugs along the fire wall....it's fairly large.. hooks to an orange tube at the brake booster. I was laying across the engine cuase of my back not being able to lean over stuff for long and I kept knocking the thing off and hooking myself on it and yanking it out.. Cool I know what it is .. been in my way all day.. LOL She told me not to change it til the rain is gone she is only gonna run 5 minutes o the doctors. you think it will wait til then might be over the weekend.. I did tell her to take it up the highway once a week to open her up that her local jumping is killing her engine.. LOL she didnt like that but agreed to run it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Tell her to RUN it. Not just 46 mph it from one exit to the next. RUNNNN IT!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladagosta Posted March 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 You R perfectly right telling her to "run it" might mean to her just take her time and go like a snail down the highway.. I think I might offer to take it for a run once a week at least it will get a RUN then.. for 18 you sure got a great understanding of cars.. Love that.. I use to love working on them when i was more able .. lost track of all this junk they put in them since side-winding them in to cram your knuckles. I like the straight mounted engines that gave you room to move! V-6 then you could work on.. V-8 too! I am hoping my boys will eventually find that under the hood will save them a ton of money.. only one will help me.. the other could care less..but at least one will be safe if he breaks down on a highway the other will be calling me from beyond the grave to come help him.. God bless ya.. thanks a bunch .. for putting up with an old timer.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 You R perfectly right telling her to "run it" might mean to her just take her time and go like a snail down the highway.. I think I might offer to take it for a run once a week at least it will get a RUN then.. Even better! Good idea! The only reason I know ANYTHING is because of this place. And I still have A LOT to learn! Ahhh... all hail the grande shitbod...er...W-body! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladagosta Posted March 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 honestly I belong to about 8 forums only since we have that many cars and everyone in the family turns to me to help.. cause I USED to work on cars.. LOL Key word USED to.. they still think I can and somehow my good nature I have to try to bail them out and drag my youngest to help when my back can not handle it.. poor kid.. Sometimes I think I have forgotten more than I ever learned. LOL but they have changed the way these things run somewhat .. not a great deal just added more junky parts. so I am lost.. but anyway my point. was that this site is one of the better ones and i get responses where i can sit for days on the others and get nothing again thanks .. I may beon here again over the summer to get help for her son-in-law when he goes to rebuild the engine.. I only have a 97 chevy cavalier otherwise.. or well maybe if you have aim add me and IM me later personlyplus I might need a bit of a hand on that one.. or do you just stick with you GP trouble shooting? anyway best to you.. I am learnin alot again,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 I'd say I know more about cutlasses than grand prixs, but hell, A lot of gm's are similar! Feel free to come back even if it's about the cavi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.