Engine @ idle knock.

[Pipsta]

I think I could be totally screwed with this issue. I'm not sure and hoping there's something I'm not thinking of that could be the problem.

Motor running fine for the past few months, just did an oil change a few weeks back. Then this past weekend I take it out and about 30-40 minutes after I get buzzing around I start to hear a knock coming from the engine so I'm thinking 'uh oh'.

Although when the rpms get raised it goes away. When I idle, it's a continuous run set up on my villager 8, the knock comes back. When I put it into neutral and throttle it to raise the idle it goes away but as soon as it drops back down it comes back.

It doesn't sound like valves at all, I've owned VWs and have done valves a hundred times so know what they sound like when loose. Rod? Bearing? Screwed big time? Hopefully something less painful like the ignition system not delivering enough spark at idle that's making it misfire at low rpm.

[rib33024]

Need to get some thing to listen to the motor, and narrow down where the knock is coming from, use a long screw driver, or a broom stick handle, or a wood dowel rod, and put the metal part of the screw drive on the block and the plastic piece up to your ear, and listen, move it around and figure out if it is the head, or the block, could be the clutch,

what motor are we talking about ?

[Pipsta]

It's the fe350.

Just from my visual.... er if you could call it that, my audio estimation it does seem like it's coming from the motor as opposed the the clutch which would be coming from the trans-axle area.

So I do the listening while it's running, which works out in the aspect it happens when it's at idle and I don't have to be throttling it. If I use a dowel I just use one side of wood to the engine or do I have to put a nail in the end so it's metal touch the engine?

I don't think I have a screw drive long enough to get to the different areas to listen.

[rib33024]

while it is idling, Just the wood dowel is fine, i'm talking about the drive clutch, the one on the motor

[lockman1]

Originally Posted by rib33024

while it is idling, Just the wood dowel is fine, i'm talking about the drive clutch, the one on the motor

Worn drive clutch buttons will make sort of a knocking noise at an idle!

[rib33024]

Originally Posted by lockman1

Worn drive clutch buttons will make sort of a knocking noise at an idle!

That's what i'm thinking, because the noise goes away when the rpm's go up

[Pipsta]

Does the fact that it appeared in an instant help diagnose what it is? It went from not at all, to it happening with no gradual increase or anything. Just *boom*, there it is. It definitely only did it when the rpms were at an idle level. Otherwise there isn't any other noises that are out of the ordinary and it didn't even seems like there was a loss of performance from what I have grown to know from my cart.

What are drive clutch buttons? Never heard of them. I searched here on the forum and googled and all I get is pics of the buttons but no pics of where they are, what they look like on the motor, no diagrams. If it doesn't mean cracking the motor open I'd be tickled.

I think I'm going to be looking at the cart tomorrow and see if I can narrow this down so any further help, pictures or info to guide me would be greatly appreciated. This forum has been so good to me and always seems to nail the problem from my crappy descriptions before so I'm thinking it just might be those buttons.

Edit: Actually after searching even more threads in my search return I came across some pictures....I'll bet dollars to donuts or even drive clutch buttons that's what it is....heh