People keep telling me I might have thrown a rod. What are the symptoms? Will the car run alright? What noise might it make? And what about a rocker arm? What are it's symtoms?

 

A rocker will make a ticking noise at the top of the engine.
A rod knock will sound like a loud knocking noise from the bottom of the engine.
You could have a loss of power with both. Both get louder on accel. If the engine runs ok but is knocking then it more than likely a exhaust leak at the exhaust manifold. It will make a ticking also. I hope it the exhaust manifold because that is the cheapest to fix. If the exhaust manifold is cracked email me and I have my old ones that I will sell to you cheap. They are like new and were removed when the car was about a year old. fbodyiroc@netscape.net Hope this helps.

 

Hmmm, symptoms of a thrown rod....

Well, first I'd look for a big hole in the side of the engine block. Then I'd check for oil all over the ground. Also, the car should not run.

A thrown rod is car-speak for (usually) breaking/shearing a rod bolt, and having the connecting rod leave the engine block in a rather destructive manner. Trust me, you'd notice.