My 1992 GTI

[DocWalt]

Metallic rattle above 2500 RPM at light load or heavy load. Moderate load or engine braking and there's no rattle.

I ordered a set of standard sized rod bearings, rod bolts (damn stretch bolts), and a windage tray/oil pan gasket. Woohoo... I guess I'll pull it apart this weekend and hope I find a toasted rod bearing. Toasted mains can't be fixed without pulling the crank, and if it's a wrist pin then I'll just buy another engine and swap that in and get it running, then swap the high flow head after it's sorted.

I'm REALLY glad I bought this car to wrench on...

[wingnut]

I'm REALLY glad I bought this car to wrench on...

Now now sir...

Got a smoking deal since the car includes a TON of relatively expensive extras...

...according to the charter rules, you are not allowed to complain after getting a smoking deal

[DocWalt]

I wasn't complaining, I was serious. I bought this car because I was tired of not wrenching on stuff

Tried to track down the noise tonight. Pulling spark plug wires one at a time doesn't change the noise at all. Noise is barely audible at idle, if at all. Runs hard all the way out to 6800 RPM. Oddly, the noise sounds very top end like with the sharpness of the noise, but I think it's happening too fast to be a rod. I've been driving it for over a month with the noise, so I have no clue. I'm pulling the pan and replacing the rod bearings, so we'll see what's up in there.

[wingnut]

I wasn't complaining, I was serious. I bought this car because I was tired of not wrenching on stuff

lol, well then carry on sir

[VR4]

fwiw ive replaced toasted mains without pulling a crank

they didnt spin and there was no journal damage

[DocWalt]

My dad HAD the tools to rebuild an engine, including aluminum pins to spin mains out and new ones back in without pulling the crank or worrying about damaging anything. Apparently I broke his ring compressor and lost the metal pins when I was a kid.

I wish I could kick myself in the testes sometimes

[IPD]

I wish I could kick myself in the testes sometimes

sig worthy

[DocWalt]

[wingnut]

well THAT didnt take long to dig into

[DocWalt]

#3 rod bearing was toast. #2 was down to the copper. #2 main looks decent, #4 main looks decent. It has new style main bearings for sure, replaced recently-ish. #5 was the only main bearing with an oil groove, now #4 has one too, which is pictured above. I have two rod bearings left to go, and three mains to check. I'm waiting on parts I didn't order/found damaged. My new rear motor mount is trash, one of the bolt holes stripped out because I didn't loctite the bolt in and it vibrated loose. Woops.