Spun Bearing? Upstate NY.

RedOctoberSVT

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Hey all; new to the forum. I have a ‘99 Cobra Conv, and I think I’ve a spun bearing. Been making a ticking noise between 2k-3k rpms all summer (barely drove it). Took it to the dealership, they said it was shot. Took it for a 2nd opinion, they said it was fine. Radically different.

It’s hard to find a good shop that actually knows these motors. It’s my late fathers car so I’d really like to keep it going, and would be willing to spend the money to have it rebuilt so I keep it numbers matching.

Anyone have any thoughts on this, or have any suggestions of a good shop to call who could do a decent diagnosis in the NY/MA/CT region?
 

RedOctoberSVT

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Drain the oil and check for glitter.

The shop I took it to last (a smaller Indy shop, not the dealership), did an oil change and saw no metal shavings. The dealership said they DID see metal shavings, but also said there was no oil in it and “did an oil change” to help me out.” However, I towed the car home and didn’t touch it till I took it to the Indy shop and they said it was low on oil and it was blacked than might. Which tells me the dealership didn’t do crap.
 

01yellercobra

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A ticking could be something in the timing components. My experience with spun bearings is that they don't ever go quiet. There's always a noise there. It could even be an exhaust leak. Did they say how low it was?

How mechanically inclined are you?
 

52merc

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If the oil was real bad and low, it could be a lash adjusted that collapsed. I've been told that they are rather picky about what oil you are using. That would be a lot better to fix than a bearing. In my experience (mostly with OHV engines) a bearing noise is usually a real knock rather than a tick.
 

RedOctoberSVT

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If you ran it low on oil you most likely hurt it.

I had a feeling that was the case but it doesn’t leak or burn THAT bad so idk where it’s going. Coolant is fine too.

A ticking could be something in the timing components. My experience with spun bearings is that they don't ever go quiet. There's always a noise there. It could even be an exhaust leak. Did they say how low it was?

How mechanically inclined are you?

They didn’t, and I’m not as mechanically inclined at least with this car as I probably should be. I work on my M3 a lot, but the Cobra I don’t as much.

If the oil was real bad and low, it could be a lash adjusted that collapsed. I've been told that they are rather picky about what oil you are using. That would be a lot better to fix than a bearing. In my experience (mostly with OHV engines) a bearing noise is usually a real knock rather than a tick.

Excuse my ignorance....lash adjusted? My father and I have always used the recommended viscosity.
 

52merc

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The lash adjuster is like a hydaulic lifter on an overhead valve engine. It is on opposite side of the camshaft and adjusts the lash (clearance) between the cam follower and the valve spring. I found this picture and it is close to the DOHC design.

upload_2018-11-12_17-50-41.png

Camshaft is item 8
Lash Adjuster is 9 & 10
Valve is 1 (Valve stem is 2 &2.1)
Roller Cam Follower is 5 between 9 and 1.

A bad lash adjuster (some people still call them lifters) will not pump up or stay pumped up, causing some play (lash) between the roller (item 7) of the cam follower and the camshaft.
 

01yellercobra

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They didn’t, and I’m not as mechanically inclined at least with this car as I probably should be. I work on my M3 a lot, but the Cobra I don’t as much.

These engines use oil. It's just a nature of the beast. I got to the point I checked it at every fill up. If it was low enough to not reach the dip stick and you were revving it to 6500rpm, you might have a problem. If it was a quart low and you idled it, less chance of a problem IMO. If you can work on an M3 you can handle this car with no problem. If the oil really was black I'd say there's some sludge build up in the engine. You could try some flush and change the oil. Even putting some Sea Foam in might help. Back in the day I knew people that swore by Rislone for cleaning out engines. If the new oil isn't helping the ticking it would be worth doing the stethoscope trick to see if you can locate where the ticking is. You might get lucky and only need a new set of lash ADJUSTERS as 52merc mention. Not the lash adjusteds. ;)
 

52merc

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My 01 has never used oil. I do get the occasional puff of white smoke during a start, but I have never had to add oil between changes. I run the oil level 1/2 to 2/3 up the dipstick. I never let it go below 1/2.

A bad PVC valve can cause increased oil consumption.
 

01yellercobra

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My 01 has never used oil. I do get the occasional puff of white smoke during a start, but I have never had to add oil between changes. I run the oil level 1/2 to 2/3 up the dipstick. I never let it go below 1/2.

A bad PVC valve can cause increased oil consumption.
How many quarts do you run? I know when I run the 7 quarts it's a lot further up than 2/3's.
 

3B99SVT

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Grab a stethoscope from HF and poke around. I had a loud tick in my '99 and it was a lash adjuster. I could barely hear it w/the stethoscope from the bottom of the engine and it was very loud when I touched a valve cover bolt.
 

52merc

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Slo984, I'm in Canada. I run 7+ litres. No quarts here. Seven litres just doesn't quite bring the level up enough so I always add a little more, maybe 400 mL.
 

RedOctoberSVT

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Grab a stethoscope from HF and poke around. I had a loud tick in my '99 and it was a lash adjuster. I could barely hear it w/the stethoscope from the bottom of the engine and it was very loud when I touched a valve cover bolt.

Thanks; I’ll check that out.
 

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