Engine Knocking? Let's Investigate & Find The Real Problem! 

$200 Jeep plus $200 Alternator = years of good service for your Dad. That is awesome. Thanks for the education.

I love these kind of humbling stories.

I had a friend put 2 starters and a battery on a pontiac 3.1 v6 back in the nineties. It still would not turn over. He finally noticed the crank bumping over a tiny bit when trying to start. Yes, the alternator was seized and holding the engine by the belt. The first thing in mind isn't always the right thing.

In 2010 I needed a car bad. Went to look at a "dealer special" adv. car. They said nothing was wrong with it but I got the thing for half the adv price. Found out that the car would blow the gas pump relay and the fuse box (under back seat) was melted where the relay plugged in. I removed the fuse and relay, I rewired an external relay and fuse. Cost me like 20.00 bucks total. This is my 2008 lucerne with Buick's best engine - the 3800. I still drive it today - its been 13 years. Always starts always runs. I am very religious though on maintenance though. I have 160k on it now.

When I was in 1st year mechanic school our instructor got us all to list as many things as possible that could sound like an engine knock, it was a long list.

My son's 2019 GMC Yukon was making a "motor noise". I could hear it and reached into the front of the motor, while was running and laid my finger on the tensioner bar that keeps the serpentine belt tight, and could feel the plastic tensioner wheel bouncing on each revolution. My son was in a hurry and I told him he either needed a new wheel with better bearings, or to have the existing bearing lubricated. Since it is his daily driver, he took it to the dealer, who suggested valves and lifters, and possibly new cams, and told him it would take 3 weeks to even look at it. He then took it to the local experts in his town, who can literally fix anything from a Maybach to a VW, told them what I had said, and what the dealer suggested, and they spent a minute filling the bearing with grease. End of Problem.

I have a 2000 Ford E150 with the 2 valve 5.4L. it works great IF I change oil regularly, use 5W-20, (NOT 5W-30 as the manuals says) & keep it topped up. If it gets low on oil, if the filter gets clogged up, if the oil is to heavy, then I get valve noise, rough idle, sluggish performance,etc. Ford put out a service bulletin on the 5 4L engines saying to use 5W-20 oil. The 5.4Lhave a few issues but they work great if you pamper them a bit. The critical thing seems to be oil, if it has oil issues the plastic timing chain tensioners break & you'll be doing major work. Oil is cheap compared to a motor job.

....great tip Kenny on loosening up that belt and then listening to the engine running....awesome....thanks for posting... 🙂

Years ago, I went with a friend to look at a late 90's Lecacy wagon. It had the EJ22 engine with a loud rattle noise. A shop had told the owner it needed an engine. My friend bought it for $700. The water pump was bad. We replaced that along with the thermostat, timing belt and cam seals. He drove that car for years.

At first glance that vehicle looks nice and clean. That should make you enjoy fixing it that much better.

Kenny, you don't just repair mechanical failures, you pass on a great amount of hard earned wisdom to your audience and I enjoy your videos and your southern personality. You are part of the core pillar of America, the honest, intelligent blue collar folks who ARE America.

The "process of elimination" works wonders for mechanics? Thanks for showing that method in reality, Kenny.

My first thought was a bad bearing in the engine. Thank you for teaching me something new!

Kenny, I can't decide whether to describe you as amazing, or brilliant. Perhaps both! Take Care, Tom K.

Test don't guess is always best, especially when the test is practically free!

That's a good story. I have never removed the belt like that. I will now.

Great video. Thank you. You are proof that there are still some real mechanics left instead of the majority of "techs" that can read a code reader or laptop and throw parts at cars.

One thing I learned as a younger technician was the three c . The concern the cause and the correction. 1 you have to confirm what the customers complaint is.the concern2) what is the cause of the problem ( back it up with a test ) what is the correction. That was from a U Haul training class. I fixed a lot of cars properly with that information. Never guess always test ….

Wouldn’t have believed that thanks for a very good video Kenny.

Nothing better than experience. Today if scanner doesn’t tell you what to do it’s not fixed

Dude! Thank you. If i hadn't have seen this, i wouldnt have believed it. My shopping used cars knowledge has just become stronger.

That’s crazy!! I thought for sure there was some timing issue going on with that motor. Thank you for teaching me something today.

Great video and story, Kenny. By far, the most realistic honest mechanic on RU-vid.

Dad always preached the exact same thing to me. You never know, check all options.

With the history of those engines especially when not serviced regularily and finding low oil you would assume the usual stretched timing chain and worn out phasers and guides . Good advice always check the easy stuff first.

Seeing as I drive a 09 F150 with the same engine, that's GREAT to know! Thank you!!!!

Thanks Kenny! Enjoy your videos. Usually learn a little something I can use.

Great story, good lesson, thanks.

Thanks for the video Kenny nicely done 👍. Take care of yourself and family and be Blessed ❤️❤️❤️ it.

My first thought was a rod bearing knocking. Great diagnostics.

Great work Kenny

i have had a water pump sound just like that rumble its worth pulling the belt for any noise KW

Thank you for the video, Kenny!

That is a good combo of story time and diagnosis with pulling the serpentine belt to isolate the noise. Whenever I change the worn out serpentine belt, I'll spin the pulleys by hand to listen and feel for rough bearings, but I never ran an engine with it disconnected

Kenny you are the man! see this is what a master technician does u r not a maniac u actually do the right thing your donistic skills are amazing! like u say keep wrenching!

Nice clear demo.

Good find Kenny

Great info Kenny

I love your vids. I no sooner hit play & I immediately hit the like button because I already know.

I am impressed!

Tips of the trade. Thanks!

First thing I do when I suspect a rod knock is pull the dipstick while it’s running, hold it the sunlight and look for metal flake. I am the destroyer of rod bearings and the occasional rod, piston and oil pan. 😂

Excellent diagnosis.. Im sure the owner would be pleased with that news...!!

Excellent Tech ya are! :D great advice! great example! Love the videos! :)

Thank for the video

Smart man. Eliminate the easy problem areas first. Not all noises mean a new engine.

I bought a 67 Chevy 2 in 1970 it had a one time ticking noise no body could figure out , then one day I pulled the dip stick while it was idling and the ticking stopped , the dip stick was hitting the crank cheek every revolution , end of story .

My old mechanic used hold a piece of hockey stick to each component on the serpentine to find the noise

I just had a 2013 Cadillac SRX that had a locked up PS pump. The guy was driving in a parking lot and the car just stalled, no noises or symptoms but would not turn over. He had it towed home and put a new battery in it and proceeded to try cranking it until the starter smoked and burnt the 300 amp mega fuse.

Just think how many cars get hauled off to the boneyard for bad diagnosis. Good catch kenny you the man

Great video Kenny

Great catch kenny

Nice tip...

We have seen this hundreds of times you need to diagnose good job

Damn! I thkught for sure that was the bottom end. I thought the sound would still be there after the belt was removed. Awesome video

Great video. I learned something new. I just bought a Dodge Ram gonna try this, you never know.

Excellent tip

just great video, really great stuff, always watching from the uk

That's how I bought my current F150. Just clicked when you tried to start it. Previous owner replaced the battery and starter to no avail and decided to sell it. After checking out several things I discovered that the AC compressor was locked up tight. I installed a dummy pulley in its place and the truck runs great.

I sure would have bet a paycheck on a cam phaser. Surprised me good job ❤

My Mustang with 4.6 did that knocking noise too, it was a shield inside the valve cover that broke loose and was riding on the cam lobe.

I had the same thing happen to me on a 3.8 air compressor seized up.

Thank s!

I bought a 76 Ford pickup full size bed 2-wheel drive knocking is the motor for $200 for my boss man who run a used car lot. The only thing it was wrong with it cuz it had that for 460 motor in it somebody put the wrong dipstick in it if it was too long, making it sound like a rod knocking., Drove it home, fixed it in 5mins .then sold it for $1400.00 the same day , late in the evening.

A Petroleum Engineer came to us after being laid off at Texaco. He had a 70s Plymouth Saturn, Surfer edition. My coworker and I both wanted it and he knew it. Came in one Monday and he had sold it to an other employee for 500 bucks as it need an engine and he wouldn't do that to us! Guy added gas to it and drove to for years with a bad gas gauge!

Common sense mechanics. Thanks for sharing. You had dropped off my notifications for a while. Glad you're back. I gave the 👍 hopefully this will keep em coming.

Had a similar experience with my Caddy. Had a no start one day and at first thought it was the starter because testing told me battery was good. I had seen a seized alternator stop a pickup from starting at a GM Dealership I had worked at once so I loosened the belt off and found it was my AC compressor that was seized ... Like you say .. "you never know". Don't assume; just check all possibilities .. What if??

My father and me went to look at a 70 impala in about 1980. It was knocking. I told dad it's knocking?! The owner went inside and dad said look he sprayed wd-40 on the belts no more knock. I bought it for $500. Drove it till fall and put the 300 hp engine and transmission in my Camaro. I never thought the impala would be a good car too.

I thought it was the engine too. But, I have also been fooled before more than once.

That issue right there was noise in the ground system from the ac compressor and the "noise" dissipated thru that head, screwing with anything electrical on that side of the block

Hi, Kenny I’m over in the UK it’s such an amazing information you’ve given me you would call me a old timer diy mechanic I’ve a 2001 MGF sports car , it’s the last British sports car made by MG ROVER your video’s are full of great content you should be proud of yourself and thank you for sharing your experiences.

Car lot up the road from my shop brought me a Chevy Cruze and told me to put a motor in it. Pull motor and trans out bottom and find locked. Up alt and locked up ac compressor. I compression tested engine and set it aside. Next Cruze. That needs a 1.6 I got a good one.

Tale off the valve cover and visual inspection of valve train?

So, I just bought a 1999 Ford f150 5.4 . I can drive it for two weeks everyday to work and back and errands and it be fine. Then one day I can drive it and it will use about half a gallon of water. There is no visible leak oil looks good. The day it looses water it will continue to lose water that day. Then it will stop and I won't lose any for a few days again then it will just do it again for a day or two then go away again. I have had the white smoke happen when it does lose the coolant. But, never smokes after I drive it just when I start it up. Does have a slight shake to it while idling but the rpms does not move so not sure what's causing that. Had it hooked up allot showed was a misfire in cylinder one changed the plug and coil and nomore misfire. Has a new thermostat new idle control valve. So, not sure what's going on. Sometimes, now when I go to crank it it sounds like it wants to sputter for about a second or two as soon as it starts but it smooths right out.

just a week ago I encountered the same noice! the mechanic that repairs my BMW E36 changed the belt with a larger one and damaged the tensioner . He was adamant that the noice was there when I took the car to him so its normal, I ended up changing the belt again and the faulty tensioner and the car is back to normal.

I wish I was in your area. I need to find a mechanic that wants to work. I have a 2011 Chevy Caprice PPV Making a high pitch screeching noise coming right from the bell housing in sync with idling. I took it to a shop and he insists it's coming from the oil pan which it is NOT. Loudest point is right from the inspection cap on the 6l80 Transmission. I can't work on it here at home since I rent. No working like that allowed. I did remove 1 coil at a time while idling and no change in the noise at all. Not rod caps coming loose like he said. It would knock not screech.

Just changed the alternator in my Jetta. I thought it was rod knock till I pulled the belt

Sir. I don’t even own a ford. Was trying to find out why my Tahoe is knocking and I happened to click on your video. You now have a new subscriber. Why? Because I learned more from you in 9 minutes than I have surfing the internet the past two hours! Thank you 🙏. Now I’m going to search your content and hopefully you got some Chevy help in there 😂😂. Thanks again! 🫡🥃

Hey Kenny i love your channel you are very honest and from what i have seen know what you are doing ,Sop i have a question i have a 1998 Honda crv with 259K miles i had the head replaced about 3 years agao and it runs great but im getting a humming noise from the rear end i have researched this and from what i have found the rear differential fluid needed to be changed well i did that and it is still making that noise. any ideas. it does affect the way it runs but the noise isa there.

It sounds like a cavitating pump. Possibly Power steering? But could all be part of the ac compressor.

Waiting for a follow-up for the cause of the noise...

Wish you lived in san Antonio tx,so u could look at my navigator.its making the same noise

2 things i suspected it was a pulley from the start also, your story, why did you cut the belt ?

Yes hear very clearly clutch clatter on ac compressor so could be just clutch not whole compressor

I have seen on 4 occasions 3.5l Ford v6 engines "locked up" by the alternator. All, the engines were condemned.

I was told never ASSUME because it makes an ASS out of U and ME Keep up the great work

From watching your videos' I knew it was the compressor causing both problems.

Kenny "Columbo" gets his man, again

We had a customer bring tow a Chevy pick up in with a reman engine in the bed that he wanted us to install, the alternator was also locked up. We informed him but he had already purchased the engine and wanted it replaced anyway

HOW DID THAT GO

Little Richard said it best: KEEP KNOCKING BUT YOU CANT COME IN

I thought for sure a bad main bearing in engine or cracked harmonic balancer hub.

so was it the a/c compressor?

learn something new everyday

Just keep clean oil in those 5.4 engine's and they'll run along time without needing internal engine part's.

Don't know ford, but what is the compressor for?

Pour some marvel mystery mix in that mug and valvetrain noise will quiet down

Sir whats the issue here. Got the same problem. Whats the fix

The speed of the knock was higher than engine speed. So obvious, I could hear it on the video...🤔😳😳🇬🇧

I am a dum dum… but I must ask: so what was the problem? The compressor or the belt? I am just starting to learn about engines on YT.