My 2010 Chevy Aveo started to knock on the road

Ok so some history, my car originally had slipped timing and had water get in the engine, after a few fixes it slipped again and busted some valves and camshaft, so I was able to put a new valves on it and new cam, after all this it was “fixed” the issues it had after it was fixed is it would not be able to get up to speed vary fast and I don’t know why but if the bottom o2 sesor is unplugged it was able to run better and get up to speed but not as fast as it normally should, and when I tried to get to above 55 it would struggle to get to 60 if I got it anywhere in 60 mph it would sit at 4k to 5k rpm because it wouldn’t shift once it did it couldn’t hold it if I had any wind or went up even a slop that most cars could easily go up myn would shift down and go back to 4k to 5k rpm to go up it and I’d drop speed.

Now when I been driving it like this for awhile now at least 6 months, today I was on the highway going about 55 and I hear my engine start to make a fast clicking sound, and it lost speed, when I gave more gas more clicking, than as I slowed and wasn’t able to go above 40 and there was constant clicking while I am giving gas, when I was able to pull off u to a ramp it barely made it up, when I slowed it acted as if i let up on the gas at all it will shut off so I tried to get as close to store as I could get, but I ran into stop lights it was able to idle but barely at them, and when I tried to leave it shut off on me and I was able to start it but it made a knocking sound,.and when I gave it gas, it died right after and wouldn’t start, it was low on coolant but my 5emp was low, the oil looked like water got in but it wasn’t terribly bad for what I’ve seen about half to 3/4 full, small oil drop but it has dropped since I’ve owned it but doesn’t lose oil almost at all.

I just remwmbered the first clicking that I heard when I was on the road to kinda of describe it-
It sounded like a belt snapped and kept hitting something or if u ever hear a fan with a crack on the tan so it makes a clicking but imagine a little louder.

Also sorry to anyone who cares about grammar, just 3 big sentences not 3 paragraphs

Slipped timing won’t put water in the oil.

When your engine was turning high rpm at 50 it was because you engine was down on power and your transmission had to downshift to raise the rpm to get enough power to go 50.

when you engine temp was low just before it seized, your engine was overheating because you lost coolant and dropped the coolant level below the temp sensor, it can’t measure air, not even hot air.

There was engine damage that was not addressed by the valve work which was why you were down on power. The fact that there was water (actually coolant) further damaged you car because coolant is very corrosive to bearings.

The car then overheated which finished it off. Your car needs a different engine and I doubt if it is worth it unless you can change it your self.

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Update: I am taking it apart, I have hit 2 issues so far, I had oil in with my spark plugs, and 1 spark plug’s top is “destroyed” I have not yet taken the head off yet.

The Aveo, IIRC, was a Daewoo marketed with the Chevy name, and being a Daewoo, was essentially a disposable car. At 10 years of age, you should probably dispose of it.

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The Aveo was marketed all over the world, and wasn’t considered disposable in most places.

OP, see if you can find a used engine to replace this one. I doubt that you can repair the one you have now, given the severe damage you say it has.

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How is the engine oil level at this point?

From what you have described I would say the entire engine was damaged from the get-go. At this point (assuming the oil level is fine) I would run a compression check. Odds are it will not be good.

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A 2010 is not old, and as another poster pointed out, the Chevrolet Aveo was a decent economy car, and sold throughout the world. You did not mention how many miles your Aveo has, or if there is any rust or body damage. If the mileage is not too high, and there is no rust or body damage, it sounds like you should replace the engine. If the car already has over 150,000 miles, or if there is any rust or body damage, I’d junk it and buy something else.

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Oil was about half full and needed a change but not bad, did a compression test, fine except before I took the test on 1 cylinder the spark plug was busted on the top, the threads where rekt so couldn’t get accurate result however compression on all other cylinders where above good.

Just shy of 100k miles, minor rust no body damage.

@oldtimer-11 basically nailed the summary of events etc…

Half full of oil? Those words should induce worry not a feeling of “not bad”.

Half full in that engine is most likely 2 qts… one of those qts will be up in the valve cover dripping back down into the pan as oil does… that leaves one last quart being sucked up by the oil pickup out to the engine vitals… thats not a lot of oil and one long curve in the road could easily starve that oil pump of any oil.

I think this engine is Kaput… Its up to you to figure a way out… imho thats what you should be doing… looking for a graceful exit.

Up to you of course…

My guess is that when the timing went out of phase those…several times… you damaged valves. Assuming you only bent them? Replaced valves (all the valves? Any not replaced couldve been slightly bent… then failed) Also could have damaged a valve seat or two … this damaged seat probably hung one of the new valves… or one not replaced valve decided to hang due to bent stem?

And that valve probably snapped and started flying around in the cyl which is what damaged the spark plug and surely messed up the cyl and piston as well… no doubt bout that… You may even have bent a rod etc. All not good news.

Thats how i see it… same end result tho… exit strategy

What are the compression numbers? A 180 is good. A 130 sucks.

“Threads where rekt”? Hmm
I bet plug electrode was damaged and threads were ok.

Do you mean the oil was halfway between Full and Add? That would mean it was down about half a quart, not half the capacity of the crankcase.

Regarding the #1 spark plug, was it broken before doing the compression test or did you break it trying to get it out for the test?

half full or close to 2/3 showing on the dipstick.

all damaged and possibly damaged valves were replaced, no damage to the heads.

150 is what it should be at i am getting average of 180 on all of them

when we tried taking the plug out it was tight and stayed that way until it was out like it was making its own thread, and we couldn’t test the compression due to the thread not tightening it kept spinning when i put my tester in.

broke before the test.