While in a town 2 hours from my home, I had to have my car towed for emergency repairs. While kindly driving my car back to my hometown- a long story- the mechanic noticed a new knock. Worried, he actually towed it back to his shop. Cursory examination leads him to believe that the sound is coming from the bottom of the engine, and he suspects a problem with 1 or 2 rods. He has not yet taken the pan off after 3 days, but is now discussing ordering a new motor! Ouch! Is this a likely end to the story of my car, or is the mechanic from afar jumping the gun?
A good mechanic could diagnose a thrown rod just by the sound. Or he could be the automative equivalent of a hypochondriac. Hard to say without knowing him or talking to other customers.
There’s too much info missing here. What kind of emergency repairs? Be specific. What failed and why? What was replaced? Overhauled? etc.
A little too presumptuous for me. A “rod knock” is quite apparent to “seasoned” mechanics. A stethoscope at the pan while someone quickly guns the engine will be very telling. But even then the pan would be dropped and the inserts and crank throws inspected before an engine would be condemned… IMHO, that is. I have installed .001 under rod bearings and seen the engine run flawlessly for another 100,000 miles.