1994 grand am gt knocks till warms up

[Jelly JoJo]

ok so i started it a couple of weeks ago and it did it so i turned it off then on and didnt do it again. i ignored it expecting it to go away after my oil change and i used some engine cleaner to see if there were any blocked passages. still does it. i thought it was the oil pump, but it would sound a lot worse than it does now if that were the problem. i had recently changed the oil pressure gauge, changed the plugs and wires as well. once the car warms up a lil past 160 the sounds fades away and i dont hear it again till the car is starting cold. any suggestions? help is mucho appreciated.

[GTP Dad]

First of all it would help if you posted the size engine you have. If you have a 4 cylinder it could be the timing chain or a rod knocking. As it warms up the clearance in the rod bearing decreases and the noise decreases. If it is the timing chain it probably quiets down due to the tensioner expanding and loosening up somewhat. If it is a V-6 it is probably a rod knocking and it decreases with the clearance as teh engine heats up. To solve the problem then it will take a rebuild if it truly is a rod bearing. Of course further diagnosis will be required to find out exactly what is wrong as I am only speculating.

[Jelly JoJo]

Originally Posted by GTP Dad

First of all it would help if you posted the size engine you have. If you have a 4 cylinder it could be the timing chain or a rod knocking. As it warms up the clearance in the rod bearing decreases and the noise decreases. If it is the timing chain it probably quiets down due to the tensioner expanding and loosening up somewhat. If it is a V-6 it is probably a rod knocking and it decreases with the clearance as teh engine heats up. To solve the problem then it will take a rebuild if it truly is a rod bearing. Of course further diagnosis will be required to find out exactly what is wrong as I am only speculating.

i figured since i said gt that was self explanitory its a 3.1. regardless...is there anyway for me to test for for a faulty timing chain/rod...i hear the timing chains in the 3.1's normally go out every 90k or so and mine is at 87k right now. any other info you need from me? thanks for the fast reply man much appreciated. happy holidays as always.