Wrist Pin Problem? Advice Please

[Stacysm]

Have a 99 tahoe with about 120,000 mi on motor. Recently started making a tapping sound as it warms up :-(
My mechanic says it sounds like a wrist pin and isn't worth fixing- short of new motor. Shame cause truck looks good and otherwise runs great.
Does anyone know if safe to drive it? short distances? will it go out suddenly? get progressively louder? etc.
Suggestions welcomed!! Thanks

 

[lesterl]

Could be a ticking lifter..... How old is the oil (how long has it been since it has been changed last?) What brand/ weight was the oil? Have you tried adding some ATF to the oil (dont overfill) to clean it?

 

[Exgie]

Really there is no absolute way to know until you take it apart.

Yeah, it will get louder and will eventually break the piston if that is what is wrong.

 

[MO Viet Vet]

There is a definite difference in what either problem, lifter or wrist pin, would sound like. First you can pin point the cylinder by carefully, insulated pliers, removing each plug while engine is idling. If the noise stops when remove the plug wire then is likely a wrist pin. If noise is still there then is likely a lifter. When you stop the explosion force of the plug by unplugging the wire then the wrist pin is not under that much pressure. It still has some pressure because it is moving a piston up and down in the cylinder. Wrist pin means a different engine, either used or reman. If you like the vehicle put a Jasper reman engine in it. If is a lifter then remove the intake and replace all and not just the one and if you like the vehicle do the cam at same time but is a lot more labor. Only you can decide what the vehicle is worth to you and how much money to put in it. If you buy another used vehicle then you buy something with more unknowns. Cheapest attempt to fix is change the oil and add 1 quart of atf in place of 1 quart of oil and drive for about 100-200 miles and then do a complete oil change again and see if the cleaning of the atf freed up the sticking lifter.

 

[lesterl]

Good point raiderron, excellent way to find out what the issue is and the transfluid thing is something I do to alot of my cars when I get them if they have lifter noise, seems to help clear them up.....

 

[MO Viet Vet]

Good point raiderron, excellent way to find out what the issue is and the transfluid thing is something I do to alot of my cars when I get them if they have lifter noise, seems to help clear them up.....

If you don't mind me asking, lesterl, where in Mo. I moved from there in 1997 to Oregon.

 

[lesterl]

I'm kinda from all over mo, but currently SE of KC...

 

[MO Viet Vet]

I'm kinda from all over mo, but currently SE of KC...

I lived north of the river in K.C. in Gladstone. My brother still lives in the Parkville area and still works at the Ford assembly plant in Claycomo.

 

[lesterl]

I live in Harrisonville right now, been trying to get on at Claycomo.... they still havent called.... :-(

 

[MO Viet Vet]

The only way my brother even got an application in the first place was that his best friend's dad was working there and he got it. Been awhile since I been to Harrisonville.