yet another issue with the '96 Caravan...
 

I swear I'm gonna blow this thing up... Same 1996 3.3L caravan that I
replaced the fuel pump on and mysterious tensioner issues.

Last night while coming home from work I noticed the engine started
making a knocking sound. I'm not sure what rod knock sounds like, or
even what causes it, but this may be it.

I only hear the "knocking" sound when I accellerate. If I'm idling, or
if I'm cruising under 1500-2000rpm, I don't hear it. If I have to
accellerate even mildly from a light, I hear it.


I know thie description is vague, but if anyone can help with this it
would be appreciated.

yet another issue with the '96 Caravan...
 

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I swear I'm gonna blow this thing up... Same 1996 3.3L caravan that I
> replaced the fuel pump on and mysterious tensioner issues.
>
> Last night while coming home from work I noticed the engine started
> making a knocking sound. I'm not sure what rod knock sounds like, or
> even what causes it, but this may be it.
>
> I only hear the "knocking" sound when I accellerate. If I'm idling, or
> if I'm cruising under 1500-2000rpm, I don't hear it. If I have to
> accellerate even mildly from a light, I hear it.
>
>
> I know thie description is vague, but if anyone can help with this it
> would be appreciated.
>

Could be "spark knock".. pre-detonation/ignition.

yet another issue with the '96 Caravan...
 

M.R.S. wrote:
> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> >I swear I'm gonna blow this thing up... Same 1996 3.3L caravan that I
> > replaced the fuel pump on and mysterious tensioner issues.
> >
> > Last night while coming home from work I noticed the engine started
> > making a knocking sound. I'm not sure what rod knock sounds like, or
> > even what causes it, but this may be it.
> >
> > I only hear the "knocking" sound when I accellerate. If I'm idling, or
> > if I'm cruising under 1500-2000rpm, I don't hear it. If I have to
> > accellerate even mildly from a light, I hear it.
> >
> >
> > I know thie description is vague, but if anyone can help with this it
> > would be appreciated.
> >
>
> Could be "spark knock".. pre-detonation/ignition.

High mileage 3.3's had a problem with rocker tower cracking that would
cause noise. I believe that this problem was corrected before the 1996
model year.

-Kirk Matheson

yet another issue with the '96 Caravan...
 

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> I swear I'm gonna blow this thing up... Same 1996 3.3L caravan that I
> replaced the fuel pump on and mysterious tensioner issues.
>

What is mileage?

> Last night while coming home from work I noticed the engine started
> making a knocking sound. I'm not sure what rod knock sounds like, or
> even what causes it, but this may be it.
>

Rod knocks are caused (usually) by oil problems, A-1 cause
is letting the oil level go too low for too long, too many times.

It sounds like someone's taking a ball peen hammer and slamming
it into the side of the engine block, the sound definitely sounds like
it's coming from inside the engine. And it's loud and all the time.

Ted

yet another issue with the '96 Caravan...
 

On 8 Apr 2006 12:46:10 -0700, "
> wrote:

>I swear I'm gonna blow this thing up... Same 1996 3.3L caravan that I
>replaced the fuel pump on and mysterious tensioner issues.
>
>Last night while coming home from work I noticed the engine started
>making a knocking sound. I'm not sure what rod knock sounds like, or
>even what causes it, but this may be it.
>
>I only hear the "knocking" sound when I accellerate. If I'm idling, or
>if I'm cruising under 1500-2000rpm, I don't hear it. If I have to
>accellerate even mildly from a light, I hear it.
>
>
>I know thie description is vague, but if anyone can help with this it
>would be appreciated.



Does it match the engine rpm or the output shaft (wheel) rpm? If it
is the latter it might be an inside CV joint that has gone bad.

yet another issue with the '96 Caravan...
 

May be nothing more than an exhaust leak.
Larry
> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I swear I'm gonna blow this thing up... Same 1996 3.3L caravan that I
> replaced the fuel pump on and mysterious tensioner issues.
>
> Last night while coming home from work I noticed the engine started
> making a knocking sound. I'm not sure what rod knock sounds like, or
> even what causes it, but this may be it.
>
> I only hear the "knocking" sound when I accellerate. If I'm idling, or
> if I'm cruising under 1500-2000rpm, I don't hear it. If I have to
> accellerate even mildly from a light, I hear it.
>
>
> I know thie description is vague, but if anyone can help with this it
> would be appreciated.
>

yet another issue with the '96 Caravan...
 

Welp... The van died. I'm assuming that the engine seized up on me, and
I'm also going to assume that it was, in fact, rod knock. It did sound
like a ballpeen hammer banging against the inside of the engine.


Tuesday afternoon, the oil light came on, which was odd because I had
just dropped a couple of quarts of oil in there over the weekend. I
checked my oil level and it appeared to show that all was fine. Not
being one to chance it, I added 2 more quarts of oil and the light went
off. I get off work and headed home. About half way there, the light
came on again. This time, it was accompanied by sluggish response when
accellerating (I did try to keep my rpm's between 1500 and 2000
though). I stopped, checked the oil, which, again showed plenty of oil.
I added 1 more quart and the light went off. I drove about two miles
and the van was barely moving. I decided to pull off the road and just
as I tried to make my way over, I heard a "POP" and the engine stopped
running. Right now, it won't even attempt to turn over.

129K on the ticker, I'm selling it for $1500...

yet another issue with the '96 Caravan...
 

yet another issue with the '96 Caravan...
 

yet another issue with the '96 Caravan...
 

"Bill Putney" > wrote in message
...
> wrote:
>
>
> Why do people equate oil volume and oil pressure? They are two different
> things. Why do you add oil if the level is correct? (1) if the level is
> in fact correct, but there are other problems, overfilling is not going to
> fix anything, and (2) Overfilling can in fact create a new problem that
> the engine won't survive even if the original problem is survivable. Not
> saying that your original problem did it in, but you didn't help by
> continuing to add oil.
>
> Bill Putney
> (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address
> with the letter 'x')

That was a sad story, wasn't it? You know how it is, most people don't
think, and they're happy that way. Instead of just putting "oil" on that
light they should put "oil pressure not volume"