'97 neon knocking --car problems

[mizuko]

Hi. I have a '97 Neon. A couple weeks ago, it started making a knocking noise. The knocking is fairly quiet under 50 mph. Over 50-55 mph, it's fairly loud. I have no idea what it is, so we took it to the mechanic.

The mechanic claims the following:

He said that the sound is coming from the engine, and that it is probably the connecting rods that are making the sound. His recommened fix is to REPLACE THE ENGINE. He was insistent that the engine would eventually seize up, and if that happens we wouldn't be able to drive the car at all. That, and to replace the engine would also involve major transmission work, probably a $1500 job.

sorry to be so long winded, but I love my Neon, but I really can't afford to get this fixed. Does his prognosis sound right? am I SOL? Is there a way to definitively find out what's causing it without first replacing the engine?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks!

[buymeabmwm3]

always a good idea to take it to another repair shop for a second opinion. Or bring it to a friend who has experience..

[Skyy309]

now I'm no mechanic, but I've never heard of a knocking causing the engine to freeze up, although I guess it could be possible. there really are too many things in and around the engine that could be making that noise so I agree w/ buymeabmwm3, take it somewhere else and get a second opinion. I have learned not to trust most mechanics (bad experiences w/ most of them). one thing I know for a fact that can cause knocking is low oil. if you haven't already, check your oil. other than that, I really couldn't tell ya anything. hope that helps, and be careful, cause if that mechanic was right and the engine does freeze up, you are definately SOL.

[joedirt76]

Good call Skyy, most mechanics try to milk their customers for as much cash as they can. A second opinion is the way to go here. Someone you can trust.

[mikenowitzke]

I'm thinking it's an oil related matter as well, Get an oil change. Make sure you don't beat on the car until you get the problem fixed.. I had a friend wait on getting a similar problem taken care of, low and behold.. He threw a rod out of the back of his brand new cavalier.

[Polygon]

Take it to the dealership and have them take a look at it. See what they say it is.

That mechanic could very well be right. What he is saying is that the bearings on your one or more of your connecting rods has gone bad. This causes there to be play between the bearing and the crankshaft. The problem with this is that it causes the crankshaft to be unbalanced. When he says that it will seize up he means that it will destroy the engine. If you are driving along and the crankshaft snaps it will send one or more of your pistons through the block of the engine. It won't run ever again. It would be more prone to do this at high RPMs so take it easy. This not something an oil change or a tune up can fix. You either have to replace the engine or have your engine rebuilt.

That mechanic could very well be right, don't doubt what he says. Engine knocking isn't to be taken lightly.

[rockthatEclipse]

I had a 94 Altima, it knocked really bad after sitting in the sun all day. Finally one day the engine died on the highway and it was a complete goner. It needed a new engine, so we got rid out of. Turns out the engine had no oil. Oops. Or maybe I planned it so I could get the new car I was promised

[KatWoman]

Check your oil and check for any lose bolts in the motor. LAst time I took my car to the dealer for a radiator flush they tried telling me my water pump was about to go....considering I had replaced it myself w/ my fiance the week before I told them that couldn't be the case. There was a rattling noise coming from the area. Turned out it was a loose motormount bolt rattling around.

How many miles does your Neon have on it? If it is a rod going, see about getting a junkyard motor. My Neon (97) has a 98 motor in it. It came from a junkyard. And unless you're having tranny problems, no tranny work was necessary when we swapped motors....the tranny stayed in the engine bay. Perhaps it may be a different story with manual tranny's. In my case we had a little diffculty in lining up the motor and tranny but that required a bit of patience. If you buy a Haynes manual for the 95-99 Neon it has steps on taking anything and everything apart.