Hi all,
I'm the owner of a 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier with a 2.2l 4 cyl engine,
130k miles. For a couple of weeks now I have noticed a weird sound coming from my engine compartment while idling. The best way that I can describe it is as sort of a mechanical "kakakakakakak..." sound, a bit similar to how it would sound if it were low on oil (which it seems
to consume somewhat heavily now). When I rev the engine the sound seems to go away, and the vehicle is still perfectly drivable. I've been on track with regular oil changes, and all other maintainence is up to date. Upgrading to a higher grade of gas (87 to 89 octane) seems
to help somewhat, but the sound does remain to a certain degree.
Anyone ever encounter anything like this? My instinct would be pushrods or lifters, but like I said performance doesn't seem to be adversely affected to a degree that would lend me to believe it's something this severe...