The day before Thank giving i went to school and on my way back home, my friend noticed a odd sound. At first i shrugged it off thinking it was my exhaust hitting or something. A few hours passed and the noise suddenly got really loud, almost as loud as the car (I don’t have a muffler or a cat) which is really worrying because its like if there’s a jackhammer under my hood. I immediately took it to a mechanic that fixed some exhaust leaks a few weeks before, and he said i need a new engine. I took the car home and parked in the garage where it hasn’t moved an inch since then. I’m new to this site and car forums in-general and don’t really know how i can include a video that i took of the car idling. I’m honestly just looking for advice before i take it to a few well-known mechanics in my area and spend some serious money.
I think your engine threw a rod.Please read this article.
Or maybe not threw a rod… at least not yet. When engine bearings get worn out they start to make knocking noises right before important engine parts make their own exit holes in the block. Time for a new engine or to rebuild the one you have.
Without knowing the year , mileage or condition of this vehicle who can say if a rebuilt engine is worth the cost. You don’t have a muffler or catalytic convertor so that is at least 500.00 or more.
Use Kelley Blue Book web site and see what the trade in value is if this was a decent vehicle to help your decision .
I will assume this car has a stick shift . . .
However, on the chance this car has an auto, sometimes a cracked flex plate makes a noise which can be mistaken for a rod knock
What’s the engine oil situation? Is it showing low on the dipstick? If so, how low? Is the oil healthy looking? A nice amber color, with maybe a little brown tones. Or is it black?
Sorry i kinda forgot to give basic information about the car:sweat_smile:Its a 2004 Acura Rsx type S, 6 speed manual transmission, and it has 174,xxx miles.I got the car a little more than a month ago and drove it for about a week or so. I know the miles are a lot but i was hopping it would last a year or two before i started rebuilding the engine. I thought i would even put 3,000 miles a year just going to school and work. I don’t think i’m going to sell it or part it because its my first car and i love everything about it, but at this point i’m just wondering if it is better to buy a whole new engine or get it fixed.
When i bought the car it needed an oil change, something i did not do for a while because i could not even drive the thing (did not know how to drive stick) so it was sitting in my garage for about 3 weeks. After i learned how to drive stick, and registered it, i took it to Sullivan for some fresh tires and an oil change. They put in 5w-20 instead of 5w-30 but they said it does not matter that much. I checked the oil last night and it was more on the brown side than an amber color
Jack, don’t get too attached to this first vehicle. It will not be your first vehicle mistake. As I said before the muffler and converter plus an engine used or rebuilt will have more money in this thing than it is worth. Your money will better spent on something you can depend on and I really think this will be a money pit.
It’s hard to say what the noise is being caused by, by way of internet diagnosis I mean. Given the car needed an oil change when you bought it, and your own mechanic’s assessment, my guess is you’ve got some internal engine damage to deal with there.
I presume this is the first used car you’ve purchased. Suggest in the future to get pre-purchase inspection before writing any checks for a used car. ONe thing about cars, it is almost always possible to fix whatever’s broken. Especially on a 2004 Acura, parts should be readily available. The only question is what’s the most economical path. Most of the postings here suggest that’s usually to install a used engine from a wrecked Acura obtain from a junkyard. The wrecked car may have been in pristine condition & just been hit from behind, so there’s no engine damage at all. Sopmetimes cars are sent to the junkyard for what seems like a minor problem, maybe simply b/c the air bags have deployed in a fender bender, b/c replacing the air bags costs so much that the owner feels it isn’t worth it to fix it, and the insurance company won’t cover the full cost. An engine from a car like that could well be in primo condition. When purchasing an engine like this make sure what you are buying is both parts and labor, and the job comes with a reasonable warranty. The main thing you want warranted is they’ll do whatever is necessary to fix it at their expense if it fails within 3 months, 3,000 miles.