Clanking noise in engine

Bought truck new in 1997, 4 cyclinder, 5 speed, manual tranmission, 127K miles. In January developed a clanking noise in the engine area. Do not have a tach but hear the sound when engine is cold. Raise rpm up to whatever is equivalent to 20 mph in second gear. Anything much above or below this speed, sound goes away. Hear it the loudest when I am under the vehicle. Sounds like marbles in the exhaust system. My mechanic said it is not in the exhaust but in the front engine area. Said this vehicle is know to have this problem and there is no inexpensive fix. Sound goes away when engine runs for about 15 minutes. Has anyone figured it out and fixed it.

Can you remember any details about the mechanics diagnosis, it is kind of hard to second guess a guy that can actually see and hear the truck.

I’m wondering the same thing. All you said was “this problem.” A clanking noise isn’t a specific problem. It could be lots of different things so was s/he more specific than “this problem?”

The last time I had a sound like that it was a loose piece of the exhaust.