OK so after replacing my block and all the gaskets(including piston rings) drove it down the road a few times and all was good, but then there was a loud noise and a horrible rattle causing it to stop running. i took it all apart and found out my torque wrench was F'd, so i got a new one and re torqued everything (everything was way off). it runs great now the only problem is there is a rattle in the top around the 4Th cylinder only when it is decelerating or when you let off the gas. I have done everything i could possibly think of and i am running out of ideas. Any thoughts on what it could be? or has anyone encountered this same problem?

Remove the rocker cover and check the camshaft, if the head gasket was on the wrong way round it may have starved of oil and seized.

checked that and it is all the right way, lots of oil. I decided to change the valves thinking that mabey there are a few bent valves  and when i took the head off the gasket was on the right way. I am putting the head back on tomorrow, i am hoping this will fix the noise. If not then i dont know where else to look, any thoughts?

Check and make sure the exhaust mani is not cracked between #3 and #4 cylinder, also check the condition of the rockers and adjusters.

Is the noise loud or low?

its loud, it dosnt sound like a knock it is more of a loud rattle, when i put a flat head on the valve cover and put my ear on it the noise is loudest at the fourth cylinder. I will chack both of those, what should i look for on the rockers? they seemed fine to me when i was looking everything over

well i got everything put together,(new piston rings, intake and exhaust valves, head gasket, intake and exhaust gaskets, distributor gasket, spark plugs and wires, cap and rotor) and everything runs great and smooth BUT!!! at low RPMs(1000 to 1500) and when you let off the gas there is a loud rattle, it kinda sounds like it is miss fireing i think(but im no mechanic). Any thoughts on what it could be i have tried everything i can think of, including messing with the timing but it runs so smooth at a high idle that i dont want to mess with it to much. Every once in a while it will make that rattle sound just once then go back to running smooth at the high idle(1500 to 2500)

Don't know if this helps, I also have a rattle nose when letting of the gas mostly from 1 to 2 or just revving the motor a bit.   I have checked everything under the hood looks fine, runs great mine sounds like it's the muffler... sounds like the baffles are broken inside.  You might check that, also check the cat. if you have one as they get broken inside sometimes


98 tracker 4dr

i will check that out thanks, but it still sounds like it is coming from the 4th cylinder area.

The PO of my sidekick had replaced the muffler with a rather cheap replacement and the internal welds went within a month or so and it rattled and buzzed like a nasty bucket of bolts. Cheap parts are cheap parts that dont last!

What engine are we discussing here?  Some of the 1.3 pistons have slots behind the oil rings and occasionally the skirt breaks at the slots allowing the piston to move and rattle - drop the oil pan and see if you find anything unusual.

ya it is the 1.3 out of an 86 sami, i am gonna pull the engine again today, i had a mechanic take a look at it last night and he told me it sounds like conecting rod bearings are shot on the 4th cylinder and probably shot the crankshaft aswell. so im gonna take a look at it all and plastigadge everything to see what the problem is. I just put new piston rings in it so the piston should be nice and snug in there but i will def take a look at that aswell thanks

I'm a little puzzled here - the first post says you changed the block, gaskets & piston rings - that seems to have beenfollowed by a head job, you're now talking about checking the crank - is that an engine you have thrown together from used parts or something?

Most of us would have gone through the engine and verfied it's condition before proceeding - you have to remove the rods & pistons to change the rings - it makes sense to check the rod bearing condition & clearance at that point - rather than repeatedly tearing the engine apart.

New piston rings doesn't mean a thing - if the pistons or the bores are worn.

I know it's sounds strange but it your t wrench was off I wonder if your flywheel bolts backed
Off and rattling your flywheel. (had it happen on my kick) never buy junk t wrench. Also had
heat shield in front of cat break a weld. Good luck