Hey guys, I have a 1993 Camaro Z28. About 8 months ago it started tapping a little and I didnt think anything of it. Over the past few months its gotten worse and Tuesday when I went to start my car it made a loud mechanical clunk, like something stopped it from starting. After the clunk it took it turning over a few times to crank, and it usually fires right up. Now the tapping is worse. The tapping gets much quieter or goes away after driving for about 10 mins. Also after driving for about 20 mins the "Service Engine Soon" light comes on and stays on until the car is shut off(next drive it comes back on after 20 mins). It sounds like its coming from the right side of the motor. Anyone have any ideas what this could be?

 

Well I would probably recommend that you don't drive your car anymore. Without a video or something so we can hear what the sound actually sounds like it's hard to say. It would just be a stuck lifter or it could be something more severe. Can you get a video of what it actually sounds like?

 

take the valve cover off that side and see if the rockers are all ok. clunk does not sound good. could be a number of things like slvr says and it would help alot if we could hear it. oh welcome to the forum.

 

Hey guys, Thanks for the replies! I tried to make a video of the noise but it was just way too oud under the hood and drowned out the tapping noise. I guess to best describe it, it sounds like someone typing really fast on a type writter. The clunk could have just been a misfire or something. I'll be replacing the universal joints after work today. If theres something I can look at while I'm under there let me know. Thanks again guys!

 

That type of noise could be your lifters, noisy fuel injector(s), or even an exhaust leak. It depends on where the noise is coming from. You can take a section of heater hose, hold it up to your ear, and probe around the engine while it's running to help pinpoint the location. Or, do it the hard way and get yourself a mechanics stethoscope.

 

ses light = trouble code.... most times. scann for trouble codes and let us know what they are.