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Posted on Nov 24, 2008
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Loud noise on 2001 ford focus

The last few weeks my car has been making a tapping noise .then it was getting louder .it got louder when i pressed on the gas and let off .the my son went to start it and a cloud of white smoke came out and he thought it was cold and then he started to pull away and the noise was very loud so he turned around and parked it ?

  • 2 more comments 
  • tylrwb2001 Nov 24, 2008

    so any suggestions id like to have my son try but if its to much for him i would have to send it somewhere to be done but its just trying to get to the problem of it

    would it sound like there is a rod nocking?

    thanks esther

    auto mach are very expensive ...

  • tylrwb2001 Nov 24, 2008

    it helps me out thats what i was thinking but i know no oil issues or coolant im very up on all that.

    Also the knocking has gotten louder and will not shift out of first gear. This happened after the smoke out of the exhaust.

  • tylrwb2001 Nov 24, 2008

    Well I have to do something i still owe 2 years left on the loan. It was bought used off a dealership lot. I appreciate all the help.

    thanks

  • tylrwb2001 Nov 24, 2008

    thanks for everyones help your helpful hints have help me out ,thanks for kind people like yous to give some advice and maybe your right he was in auto mach but then quit so im better off having someone look at it knowing im gonna give some off the advice yous have giving me

    thanks again esther

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Gary Schneider

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  • Posted on Mar 18, 2009
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If this is a SOHC, you probably dropped the #4 valve seat. This is a common problem with the SOHC. My daughter's car did that last summer, and with the seat took out the piston (the skirt was destroyed all the way to the wrist pin) and rod was bent. We were fortuneate that the block was not damaged. It is most likely cheaper to get a junk yard motor if you can find one, or better yet someone who can replace the SOHC with the DOHC engine. The conversion will cost the same as just a replacement engine (~$1300). These engines are getting tough to find.

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  • Posted on Nov 24, 2008
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From my own personal experience, it sounds like you may have some pretty serious internal engine issues. Usually white smoke indicated that you've got leaky piston rings. However, the tappingleads me to believe that you may have a blown head gasket. Try checking the oil and the coolant. If the oild looks like chocolate milk or is gatering "foam" around the filler cap, or if your coolant appears to have oil in it, you're going to have to most likely get the head gasket replaced. I would drive it as little as possible to keep from throwing a piston rod until you know exactly what's going on. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that's probably what's wrong with it. Hope this proves to be useful. Have a nice evening.

James

  • Anonymous Nov 24, 2008

    Depending on how old your son is and how extensive his knowledge of automotive applications is, I would probably suggest finding a reputable mechanic to do the work, even if you asked around for someone that you know you can trust to do that kind of major work. It's not too bad for someone who really know what they're doing, but there's going to be a lot of bolts, brackets, and components that are going to have to come out to access a head gasket or even the transmission, whichever the case may be. I only say this because I've changed a few of them over the years, but I can remember when I was about 17 years old, I tried to tackle my first head gasket by myself and ended up really creating a headache for the mechanic that my parents ended up paying to fix my mistakes. Hope everything pans out well with it.

    James

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  • Posted on Nov 24, 2008
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White smoke is water or antifreeze
you may have blown a head gasket or maybe worse
are you going to try to fix it yourself
if so let me know ill give you instruction on where to start
later paul

  • Anonymous Nov 24, 2008

    SMOKE

    blue smoke = oil

    black smoke= fuel

    white smoke = water(antifreeze)



    i bet you have lost almost all your power also.

    what you could do is drop the engine oil and look for metal shavings or silver content and then you would have a spun rod bearing.

    i wouldnt recomend in rebuilding this engine i would find a low mile engine at a salvage yard to install in the car if you feel the is worth keeping



    good luck

    paul

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