[Beatwrx]

Do you know when timing was done? The service is due at 90k miles (or 120k? can’t remember….) either way, due soon enough to be thinking about it.

EJ series engines are pretty unreal from a design standpoint, aside from a big glaring problem…they are interference engines that have a timing belt as opposed to chain.

whenever timing gets pulled, and especially when it is off ( due to age/belt wear/stretching of the rubber timing belt) the valves in the engine can come into contact with the piston heads. This is not “normal” operation, but not too far fetched if timing is out by more than a few degrees.

If you had a bent valve, it could explain the noise. Also, that copper color could be from the piston rings or bearing. Could be anything previously listed…just mentioning the possibility seeing as your in the range for a timing job.

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Just read back through everything. It sounds like piston slap/ring land failure and a failing bearing. Get it to someone soon that can work on the vehicle. I blew my engine a few days after hearing a sound like this develop. Trust me, don’t wait till the engine doesn’t run anymore

 

[Beatwrx]

honesty the previous never told me much about the car and its mods and stuff except he did have the car tuned with a custom tunes for all the mods on the car. when i was putting new timing belt on noticed the old stuff had gates brand name on it. the car is currently right now in pieces getting the motor ready to come out. I also gotten set of new head gaskets as well as new bearings to use on rebuild. So this is possibly a cracked ring land and main bearings starting to go? the previous owner also had said it made about 335ish whp on the dyno from last time he got it tuned.

Sounds like you’ve got it all ironed out! Please update us on what you get figured out.