A knock under the hood

Tiny
LIYAH
  • MEMBER
  • 2011 CHEVROLET EQUINOX
  • 3.6L
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 257,000 MILES
I'm not sure if my engine knocking or it's something else. The day before my car cut off at the gas station my car was knocking and I had it checked and it had no oil so I got the oil changed and it still had a knock but not as loud. So I drove it home the next day I went to get gas and the car normally cuts off and hard to crank after getting gas because of the fuel filter needs changing or need a new fuel pump. So I crank it back up and drove 5 seconds and it cut off. I tried to crank it back up but it keep making a clicking sound, lights still on but it's not turning over. I had it towed so I tried to crank it again a couple days later and it crunk straight up and it still has that slightly knock sound. And one other thing when it cut off at the gas, a guy tried to hook it up to some jumping cables and it start smoking so he said it was the starter overheating trying to get the motor to turn over so now I'm stuck and wondering what's the issue. Do I need a new motor, or a starter or what? Or what are some things I need to be looking for?
Monday, May 10th, 2021 AT 3:41 PM

4 Replies

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
More than likely you need an engine. The clicking and not turning over is the starter trying to turn the engine over but due to it having metal to metal it has locked up and the starter can't turn it over.

The way to tell is to put a wrench on the crank pulley bolt and try and turn the engine over by hand. If you can't spin the engine over then the engine is locked up and will need to be replaced.

Another thing you can do is drain the oil and check for metal in the oil.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-change-engine-oil-and-filter

The fact that there was no oil and you just changed it, there may not be as much but it would still have some.

However, based on what has happened, I am pretty sure the engine is locked up.

Please let us know what questions you have. Thanks
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 5:40 PM
Tiny
LIYAH
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Even with the car cranking back up and running. Will still need a motor or is there anything I can do to save it?
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 5:49 PM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
Well that is good that it is running and not completely locked up but unfortunately that is still an engine knock.

If you want to confirm it, you can change the oil and look for metal since it is running but again, that is pretty clear. Any time you raise the RPM like you did and the knock speeds up as well then you know if it is part of the rotating components which is most likely a crank, cam, or rod bearing.

There are some oil additives that say they will prolong the complete failure but I have not seen them work well.

Sorry for the bad news but I would start sourcing a motor.
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 6:13 PM
Tiny
LIYAH
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  • 3 POSTS
Okay, thank you so much.
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 6:14 PM

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