Ok so I have a topic elsewhere on the forums about my bad bearings and wrist pin but this is more or less another question.
I was prowling around some forums via google and I came across another individual who had a similar problem as myself. He had told me that what he ended up doing to buy him about a months worth of time was unplugging the fuel injector to the cylinder with the issues and just ran the car on 3 cylinders. He said it was noisy and ran slow but wasn't nearly as problematic as expected.
Now my question is, would this provide a temporary solution to an expensive problem? Since I replaced the bearings I have only driven the car about 10 miles at most so far and the bearings are starting to grind. I heard it as soon as I turned my car on. So would just running 3 cylinders be a bad idea?
Im planning on running this car into the ground and junking it since I dont have the means to do an engine swap or to fix the problem itself which would require a 3/4 engine rebuild. But I want to get SOME use out of the car. So what say you guys?
Although this may sound reasonable in theory - it's not like you're removing the problematic parts - just reducing the load on them.
You can disconnect the injector - but that also leaves compression occurring on that cylinder. If you want it to run more freely, I would also remove the spark plug. I'm not sure how this will affect the rest of the ignition system, but if the coils are paired with another plug, it may not bother it too much. My only concern would be that there's a possibility of exhaust gasses making their way back into that cylinder, as well as maybe creating a very strange effect on intake vacuum. I've seen engines run with one piston no longer moving, but not exactly like this.
Of course, the bad parts are still in there moving at the same rate as everything else. Obviously you aren't likely to make things any worse by trying - since it sounds as if you've decided this engine is "toast" anyway. I just wouldn't be too surprised if the noise gets much worse, and may suddenly just come to a stop with a loud "bang" as the rod makes a new inspection port in the side of your block. If you're only going very short distances at city speeds, you may get away with it briefly - but don't depend on it too much - its time has clearly come.
I'm not sure about the 2.4, but around here I can find decent used 2.2s for around $400 - much cheaper than another car. Maybe worth a look... as long as the rest of the car still has some life left in it. If this still doesn't sound reasonable - just run it until it quits! A fire extinguisher may not be a bad accessory to keep on hand though...
John
From what I recall of the operation of the waste spark system, both plugs need to be in the ignition circuit for any spark to occur.
Yeah, my issue with rebuilding the engine or replacing the engine with a new one is just resources. I dont have to tools to do it on my own and I don't know anyone who is willing to do that kind of work. So I am just going to buy a new car when I can. Ill run this one as long as I can but its really a saddening feeling when you turn your car on and hear that your brand new bearing has already spun based on the grinding sound it makes on the crank followed up with the knock sounds of the wrist pin.
I take it slow with the car. Ill be gentle til I can get a new one. Its sad too because the transmission in the car is barely a year old and it has brand new struts which are about 2 months old. I figured swapping the engine would be worth while since the rest of the car mechanically speaking is in excellent condition.
where are you located
my kill list:a geo metro and a mac semi wow did i kill that thing
Corey Reed wrote:I take it slow with the car. Ill be gentle til I can get a new one.
My best advice for you is don't drive the car. Driving it with the way it sounds is not a good thing to do at this point.
You are making it worst,
Any time you start the car is making the problem worst and worst and worst because the piston, rods, and bearings are still moving defectively and they will eventually lockup the engine or cause some serious engine damage.
If I was you, I would try to get a loan to get the car fixed and let somebody else deal with it and have get some warranty on parts and labor for at least 90 days.
