Engine sounds loud, like something loose..

[Soric23]

My engine v6 in my 04 trailblazer started sounding loud while running, I had a recent oil change and noticed this but the oil was never low or anything and I use synthetic as well. engine has just over 114k miles on it, it runs fine burns no oil, no smoke from tail pipe, or anything, the light came on for thermostat while will be changed tomorrow(5-5-13).
Any ideas what this is or why it is sounding like this?
any idea or how to find out why or what this is would be of great help.
here are two vids I recorded of it running.

[video=youtube;r7qtNvIV1Wo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7qtNvIV1Wo[/video]

[video=youtube;z0exjk5cYPk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0exjk5cYPk[/video]

 

[CaptainXL]

Has it had regular oil changes previously?

Sounds like rod knock from a blocked oil passage or spun bearing.

I would change the oil and filter again just to rule the filter out.

 

[gmcman]

Wow, that sounds bad. I agree on a rod. Any flakes on the dipstick? I would drain some in a jar and let us see. Definitely don't drive it until you figure it out.

 

[Soric23]

I have had the oil changed at 3-4 k miles since new, oil changed just a few days ago nothing noticed from local place that changed it, though im sure they were not looking for anything, it drives fine. About 2 oil changes ago they guy said it was low, but before or since never been low...

So I guess the question is should I look for metal in the oil or just take it so someone?

 

[gmcman]

Did this noise start after the last change? BTW, it's an I6, not a V6.

 

[CaptainXL]

About 2 oil changes ago they guy said it was low,

This concerns me because you get the oil changed every 3-4K. It should never get so low that a mechanic says that it's low with this oil change interval. That means the engine is burning oil at a rapid rate, leaking oil or the oil change place forgot to fill it up or tighten something.

Exactly how low was it? If you had say 1 or 2 quarts left in the oil pan then...um yeah, that's bad. You might want to keep the company that did your oil changes on your radar as they might have been the cause.

However it needs to have a diagnosis first from a shop to see what the cause is before you go after them. Whatever you choose (dealer, independent, etc) the shop will check for abnormal wear, any oil leakage evidence, improper maintenance techniques (ex. oil filter loose) and the like.

 

[Soric23]

Yeah I know its I6, just more worried about the noise... lol but not funny...

The tech just said "it was low" never said how much really, oil light never came on either,
the noise started like I want to say 2 oil changes ago, I had it changed like 3 days ago on a shorter interval to see if it was low again or anything in the oil like anti freeze, again though I was not thinking engine banging to have them look for metal flakes.

it starts fine, all gauges are fine oil pres same as always, temp same as always.
but just the noise, I did look at the cam shaft pulley this afternoon and it does look like there is a wobble, the nut in the center seems to not be spinning concentric.

 

[CaptainXL]

There is no camshaft pulley. You mean crankshaft pulley? I highly doubt that is the problem.

Try this, remove the belt and run the engine for a few seconds to see if any of the accessories may be to blame.

Specifically, you want to be ruling out the water pump and fan clutch as a cause.

 

[gmcman]

Has the noise been this pronounced since 2 changes ago or has it increased gradually?

Are they putting 7 quarts in? I would assume they would check the dipstick but who knows. Don't trust the oil gauge on the dash, attach one to the sender port next to the oil filter, sender removal required.

Drain some in a jar or something and lets have a look. Are the torque converter bolts tight? Just something to add but doesn't hurt to check.

 

[gmcman]

There is no camshaft pulley. You mean crankshaft pulley? I highly doubt that is the problem.

Try this, remove the belt and run the engine for a few seconds to see if any of the accessories may be to blame.

Specifically, you want to be ruling out the water pump and fan clutch as a cause.

Posting at the same time, definately try this first.

 

[Soric23]

lol yeah crankshaft... I feel really newbish with this thread so far.
Ill that tomorrow, sounds like a good idea to try that and rule the stuff out as well.
The more I can rule out the better for me with mechanic..

Thanks for the quick answers you all, very helpful love my T.B. never had any issues until now.

 

[Soric23]

Has the noise been this pronounced since 2 changes ago or has it increased gradually?

Are they putting 7 quarts in? I would assume they would check the dipstick but who knows. Don't trust the oil gauge on the dash, attach one to the sender port next to the oil filter, sender removal required.

Drain some in a jar or something and lets have a look. Are the torque converter bolts tight? Just something to add but doesn't hurt to check.

I would hope they put in the whole 7, they always charge me more for the extra quarts, that being said, I never checked oil the way you say here, hard to do? or what is needed?
as for draining some could I remove the oil filter and draw some from there or better from the bottom?

 

[CaptainXL]

Posting at the same time, definately try this first.

Sorry. lol!

The more I can rule out the better for me with mechanic..

Our goal is to get you running without a mechanic. If you are aptly mechanically inclined then working on our engines is quite easy.

Roadie always talks about working on cars back in the 70/80's when there was hundreds of feet of rubber tubing and smog stuff. Not to mention having to rebuild the carburetors and change plugs, cap/rotor/points/condenser every 30K. It's much easier to work on cars nowadays. You just need to "get past the advanced technology" as they say in the film Independence Day.

 

[Soric23]

I can handle my own on cars, usually do my own work, I build A/C motors for a living, and if I can save loot instead of giving it to a mechanic, hell lets do it!!

 

[CaptainXL]

Our goal is to get you running without a mechanic.

Mind you, I meant that in a general sense. Aside from checking the easier things and you have exhausted all our knowledge, you should bring it in to have a professional diagnose it. Especially if you believe company negligence may have been a factor. It sounds serious as gmcman noted. So don't be surprised if you or us can't find the cause. We will try to help the best we know how.

 

[Soric23]

all the advice is greatly appreciated, anything to start ruling things out and get it taken care of, like you said clear out the DIY's if none of those do it then if its off to the shop at least I know its not something I could have done, I will remove the belt tomorrow first and go from there, so if its still there is an oil sample the way to go? if so best way to get one would be from filter?

 

[gmcman]

if its still there is an oil sample the way to go? if so best way to get one would be from filter?

With the motor cold, pull the drain plug and take about 8-10 oz. This way all the crumbs will be at the bottom (if any). If you see gold then it will be one of the very few times that color is unwelcomed.

 

[CaptainXL]

so if its still there is an oil sample the way to go? if so best way to get one would be from filter?

That's not a bad idea. An oil sample analysis is a great way to see what type of wear there is. Bearing material is distinct from the iron used in crankshafts and connecting rods. Usually if a high percentage of iron is present in the oil then a conclusive enough determination can be made. I am not an expert in this field so don't quote me. I would call Blackstone Labs http://www.blackstone-labs.com/ and see what they recommend.

In the mean time I would rent or buy an oil pressure gauge and see what the pressure is. The dash gauge is a fabricated signal sent from the PCM and not actually the pressure. There is no analog oil pressure sender on these engines. They use a low pressure switch which is just an on/off signal sent to the PCM.

Basically, you are looking for a steady pressure reading at idle. Anything other than steady could indicate problems.

 

[gmcman]

Ironically I have a sample ready to go out to Blackstone, See what's left in this motor after all that valvetrain racket. For an oil sample the procedure is different as far as obtaining a sample, but in your case we want to see if the motor is chewed up so pulling it cold is prob the way to go.

 

[Soric23]

PROBLEM FIXED!!!

Was a bad water pump, took belt off no noise, the fan was loose as hell looked around and sure enough that was it!

Thanks for all the help and advice!! She purrs like she used to now.

 

[gmcman]

Awesome news. What a relief right? I never heard a water pump that bad before, glad it's not a rod. Be sure to inspect around the pump housing and block for aluminum damage. May have shavings in the coolant.

 

[Voymom]

That's exactly what the Envoy sounded like when my water pump failed last summer. Glad it was a much easier fix than originally thought!

 

[triz]

I just saw this today. I was thinking fan clutch or water pump. Glad you got it working.

But why are you changing synthetic at 3-4k miles? That is a waste of money. The oil life meter in our cars usually doesn't even go off for about 8-10k miles.

 

[CaptainXL]

Cool beans man. Glad you didnt have to tear into the motor. Ive heard our water pumps knock when they are bad but that sounded chaotic. I guess if its more of a rythmic knock then we should get nervous.

 

[Soric23]

I was VERY relieved to see it was the water pump and not the engine, all I was thinking was fix or trade in..... But seems Ill have my T.B. for a while now, never had a single problem that was not easily identified until this one, never heard a sound like that from an engine.
and it seems most here have not either, at least if you hear it you know what it is.
I am glad to have found this site, good stuff here!

P.S. I also flushed the coolant was clean.

 

[CaptainXL]

I am glad to have found this site, good stuff here!

Thanks for the compliments. Im still waiting for a brew and some hot chicks to appear from my screen but the website admin still tells me he is working on it.