Well as some of you have read my tread about the problem with my bonneville ( I called it my GREENBEAN) about the electrical problem with the oil pressure droping and engine surging, well I have thrown in the towl on her because I found that the piston rings are shot on her as well. Well thats not my problem now, I found me a good deal on a 1997 Buick LeSabre whith the same 3800 series engine in it (god I love this engine). Well it had one owner which was a little old lady and it has its original 68,000 miles on it, keept up in good condition. Well I got her and she runs perfect, smooth ride and everything, great power. Well then I noticed a few days later (Click Click Click Click Click) coming from what seems like the side of the engine where it meets the firewall. It does not sound like what u would say a knock, its more of like a mixture of a click and a knock. I cant really pinpoint it to one spot but it sounds like its eather coming from the valve cover area or the exaust manifold area. Could it be a knock? Could it be and exaust leak? Also I noticed that the oil pressure guage is a little jumpy and at idle the RPM guage moves about a quater of an inch up and down. there is also some vibration in the car. I though it might be missing but I changed plugs and wires (it needed them as well)and still the same. Does anyone have any ideas on what this might be? I hope you guys will still answer questions I have on my car even tho its not a bonneville. I like what you guys have to say and I cant seem to find any other help on the net for these series engine cars. Thanks alot............................Antonio



P.*. Here is a video (or I should say sound clip since its dark) Also why would this thing sound like its supercharged? bad belt?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKKVQ6uYKgY

Sounds more like a bad pulley to me or maybe the power steering pump. Remove the serpentine belt, start the car and listen.....Don't run the car for more than about 20 seconds, you will have no coolant circulation! If the sound goes away, it is one of the pulleys or driven devices - alternator, A/C compressor, idler pulley, water pump, etc. Try turning those pulleys by hand feeling for looseness, or binding. If the sound is still there with the belt removed, that points to something internal or possibly a bad harmonic balancer (crank pulley). You would expect a bad HB to at least change sound without load , i.e., running without a belt.

and this would cause the Clicking sound coming from the firewall area?

Well, listening to a video is not at all like being there. I did not hear a distinct click when I played the video, more like the cyclic rubbing, or squeaking sound from a pulley. Although I did not hear the clicking you are referring to, a bad tensioner pulley spring can make a clicking noise, and the tensioner is located closer to the firewall than the radiator.

Perhaps the clicking was just too quiet or at a frequency that I cannot hear. It is possible for a leaking exhaust manifold to make a clicking sound - doesn't seem likely, but it'* true, they can sound almost as loud as a ticking lifter, and that could be located against the firewall.

I should have pointed out that the serpentine belt may not have to be removed completely to run the no-belt test suggested above. That would necessitate pulling the spacer under the front mount. It may be possible to de-tension the belt, and remove it from the alternator pulley. That may give you enough play in the belt to arrange it so that it does not touch the crank pulley, which will be the only pulley moving when you perform the test.

listen to it at about the :47 sec mark, it sounds like the exaust is putting, well thats what it sounds like on the video, but amagin that as a knock sound

OK, I listened again (and again) especially after you revved it around the :47 second mark, but I am just not hearing a knock or tick. Sorry :( If you are hearing an exhaust leak, as mentioned above, that can cause a ticking sound near the firewall. An exhaust leak can be a cracked exhaust manifold or a leaking gasket.