EGR Valves Dirty

[tempfixit]

Originally Posted by olopezm

Any chance the popping sound is caused by the EGR system? Remove and plug the vacuum line on top of the EGR valve (UFO like thing below the throttle body) and see if the problem goes away. Post any results before you start replacing anything.

Oscar.

Did the popping go away when you did this suggestion???

OK I just listened to the video again, I heard something that I had missed before. Listen real carefully at 3 seconds, to me it sounds like metal on metal for a second (something turning then abruptly stopping). Can some one confirm what I hear???

The video again:

http://youtu.be/01T1R2Aecdg

Have you checked the oil pressure with a gauge????

[olopezm]

Originally Posted by tempfixit

OK I just listened to the video again, I heard something that I had missed before. Listen real carefully at 3 seconds, to me it sounds like metal on metal for a second (something turning then abruptly stopping). Can some one confirm what I hear???

Nice ear man, I never realized about that noise.

I don't know, I listen to it and it seems like it was caused by the movement of whoever was holding the camera; like the lens cover, that older cameras used to have, bumped against the camera itself. I don't know if he used one of those...

Oscar.

[MARZBX157]

Did you open the valve cover and check? To me it sounds like a push rod or something, you have to confirm this first and rule it out. The cover is easy to remove.

[wiswind]

I do not have personal experience with what a rod knock sounds like.
I am not a mechanic, just a do-it-yourself guy for simple repairs.
I try to research and do things right, and then share with others as I have learned from them.
I wish I had the answer, but I don't and I don't want to come off to folks like I know more than I do.
The Windstar room is a very active room on this website.
I have a Toyota Sienna, and there is MUCH less activity in that room, and much less information.

Felpro makes a nice valve cover gasket set that is not expensive.
You do NOT apply any sealant to their rubber gaskets, you just "dry fit" them.
You will need to clean the mating surfaces where the gasket sits to make a good seal.

Looking under the valve covers is a good idea....the front one will be easy to get at.
The rear one is more difficult because there is a lot of stuff in the way.
The rear is also more difficult because you are leaning over so far (hard on the back) so don't try to do it in a hurry (take breaks to rest your back).

I pointed out that the 3.0L motor is RARE in the Windstar because that might be why it is hard to find a lot of solutions for it in this forum.
It was in around 6% of the Windstars built and it was also quite reliable.

[grog11]

I have listened to the noise video and the noise does seem to be from the valve train.
tempfixit has some good suggestions, that you should check the oil pressure first thing. That would rule out oil pressure, but not plugged oil port lubrication, and flow issues to the upper rocker arm areas.
He also heard the metal to metal clicking in the video after 3 second the engine start. I believe that to be the AC clutch kicking in. Turn off accessories and see if that stops the metal click after start up..

The noise is certainly from the top end valves area.This could be from lack of oil, or worn broken parts
Get access to an engine service manual for your particular engine.
You do need to remove the valve rocker covers. check rocker arm clearances per your engine specification. Look for worn or loose rocker arms, or excessive wear.
The valve springs could be weak and possibly worn from overheating of the engine at one time .Remove the valve springs and check length and compression. You could have worn/ bent push rods, or failing cam shaft lobes from poor oil lubrication. Check for broken valve springs. Broken, or weak valve springs can still have enough force to raise the valve seat tight enough during compression testing, which will still give a good cylinder compression test.

Could you give us the cylinder compression test results psi's for each cylinder?
The test results will tell you if the engine is even worth digging into the engine components and repairing the valve issue.
You may find just replacing the engine with a good running used engine, is not that much more money than repair from failed components.

You do not say if your exhaust has been blowing white, or blue smoke out the back while running. How many miles are on this engine?

Like others have said on this forum, that not all members are mechanics, but there are some very good troubleshooters here that have a lot of experience.We all share a common idea of trying to help every one out as best as possible by sharing our knowledge and experience.

Critical internal engine clearances diagnosis must be visually seen, so you need to tear into the components and check them one at a time to find the problem.
Hopefully you will just find, plugged oil ports from dirty oil, preventing lubrication, weak valve springs, or worn rocker arms that can be replaced and solve you engine noise problem.

[tempfixit]

grog11

He did do a compression test and they were 120-130 range readings.

Thanks on the a/c clutch engaging, I did not think of that, very possible for noise I hear at 3 seconds. It has also been suggested along with the valve cover removal some time ago to remove serpentine belt to eliminate any possiblities there also and to check the harmonic balancer.

I agree until the valve covers are removed and valve train inspected like you say we are all speculating on noise location including myself.

[grog11]

Sorry I missed the compression test results. 120# should be acceptable for a used 10:1 compression ratio cylinder. So it looks like the engine is worth working on over all.

Engine Compression Ratio to cylinder PSI test equivalents for future reference.

8>1 = 102.9 psi
8.5>1= 102.9 - 110.25 psi
9>1= 110.25 - 117.6 psi
9.5>1= 117.6 - 124.95 psi
10>1= 124.95 - 132.65 psi
10.5>1= 132.3 - 139.65 psi
11>1= 139.65 - 147 psi
11.5>1= 147 - 154.35 psi
12>1= 154.35 - 161.7 psi
Cylinder compression tests to be taken when engine is just warm and rings have expanded from running, but not too hot to work around the engine .Many make the mistake of cold engine testing and get lower results at test time.

[olopezm]

Looks like this is heading to a point where my little knowledge is not enough so I cannot provide any better advise, but in case you need any diagrams, etc. any of you guys can feel free to contact me.

I'll keep an eye on the thread for sure, I'm interested in the result.

Oscar.