How can you tell if you have a spun bearing? What causes it? My car has 55k miles on it and there is a strange noise eminating from the engine. It sounds kinda like a exhaust leak, and it gets louder when I listen from the bottom of the car. it's like a shhhshhhshhhshhhhshhhh. My idle is fine, oil pressure is good,a nd no overheating problems. I'm not burning oil or anything. When I cahnged the oil, there were a few very,very small speckles of metal, and I cut the filter open, and there was nothing in it. Its not too loud, but if you pay attention, you can definatly hear it. My dad said it sounds like a lifter, or maybe the injectors, but he can't tell. Any input..is there any easy way to tell without looking internally? Thanks.


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rod knock, lots of metal, no oil pressure. sounds like an exhuast leak that is echoing in the motor and being magnified under it. or its just leaking from the bottom. a spun bearing is LOUD. You'll hear it, trust me.

 

how loud? Would the engine shake uncontroablly? what exactly would it sound like?

 

its pretty loud, you can hear it a good distance away from the car. Sounds like a metal hitting another metal.

You dont necessarily have to lose oil pressure to have one. I had 5 bad bearings, 2mains, 3 rods, and the oil pressure remained the same as normal.

You will also probably find lots of metal in the oil/oil filter, and maybe some water in the oil as well.

 

ssshhhsssshhhsssshhhhsshhhhh

may mean vacuum leak somewhere

 

is it something that once it starts to go bad, your engine siezes up very soon after? I've been noticing this since I closed the cut-out. This was about 2200 miles ago.

 

Yup, if you want to salvage anything in the motor, including the block, you should stop running the motor and figure out what the problem is. IE. I had a main bearing welded to the block.

Id bet you have an exhaust leak or vacuum leak.

 

that shhsshhhhhhhhhhssssssssshhhhhhhh nmight be air sucking in from a CAI ?

 

When my 96 spun a bearing it sounded like somebody banging a hammer against my engine block, very loud, very sad. Spent 3 months in the shop gettting rebuilt. runs good now though, i suggest if you get it rebuilt to get all of the little thigns done too, ie waterpump, clean coolant system, clutch, etc

 

What causes a spun bearing anyways?

 

Well, over revving can do it. That is how I did it to mine. It sounded like the engine was knoking, which it was. Here is something that may help to see if it is a bearing. Take a long screw driver, put the handle to your ear, and the other end on top of each cylinder. Doing this, it was clear that I had spun the #1 bearing. It was louder that any other spot. You can just put it on the valve cover to listen to.

But the sound you are describing really doesn't sound like a spun bearing.

 

You probably have an exhaust leak, could have happened when you closed your sutout and a gasket gave way.

 

Screwdriver to ear (handle part to ear). Actually you can pick up a scope really cheap.

 

I just spun mine a month ago. Like a couple of people said, its sounded like someone litterally knocking on my bedroom door. It also got louder when the engine warmed up. Almost non existent when cold. There was no other evidence of a spun bearing what so ever. No signs as in oil pressure...nothing. When I pulled it apart I found I spun 3 bearings, 1 was real bad.

Well thats about it..good luck

 

Is this a somewhat common problem? I thought LT1s were damn near bulletproof...then again, I don't know anyone who runs them at the track...

Also, shouldn't the factory rev limiter prevent from over-revving? Forgive the ignorant questions