Any Machanics or car guys here?

[Big_Papa_B]

Hi guys...I have a question and I was hope someone on here could help me out...I was driving home from work today the car was running fine (2001 sunfire) I know its a shit car but its my winter beater...Anyways I stopped at the store of a few minutes..when I came out I started the car and there was a huge bang...I think it was a backfire..followed by a big puff of blue smoke...then the car started idling like there was marbles in the engine...it was making a very loud "clicking noise" followed by a very strong smell of rotten eggs...Now this just happened so I left the car in the store parking lot...does anyone on here know what might have blew up or broke??? I would like to have somewhere to start looking at to try and fix this....Please help!

[talon05]

could very well be the computer bro if thats the case you can prolly get one form the wreckers..the backfire could also be from injectors or blowby

[Dk]

clicking sounds like injectors

[buildinthaskinnys]

I would have to say, but without complete certainty, that you "had" a plugged catalytic converter, when I say "had" in past tense its because the explosion you heard was probally the exhaust system clearing itself out. the noise you are hearing is probably all the shit that broke up floating around inside of the pipes. You can do a simple test if you want or can and that is when the engine is not running tap the converter with a hammer and you should be able to hear the crap rattling around.

[champcar99]

$$$$$$$$$$ will solve the problem !

[RagingRandy]

I would have to say, but without complete certainty, that you "had" a plugged catalytic converter, when I say "had" in past tense its because the explosion you heard was probally the exhaust system clearing itself out. the noise you are hearing is probably all the shit that broke up floating around inside of the pipes. You can do a simple test if you want or can and that is when the engine is not running tap the converter with a hammer and you should be able to hear the crap rattling around.

+1
I would disconnect the front pipe from the cat and see if you still get the noises. It will be a lot louder but if it is running rough you could have damaged the engine from the plugged cat. Any exhaust shop will be able to install a new one for you.

You may also have a bad injector that is dumping fuel which would have ignited when it got to the hot cat.

[Big_Papa_B]

So I took at look at the car today in the day light & the spark plug was blowen right out of the cylinder head..threads are stripped..I guess my only options is new engine or try to fix with a heil-coil repair kit....does anyone know any other tricks for this???

[macka]

I've done the heli coil kit, its pretty easy, but you need the tool. You could also pull the head and replace it with a reman. Odds are the rough idle is caused by the missing plug. If you go that route, you might as well get the injectors inspected.

[RagingRandy]

If you do the heli coil route. The trick to keeping the filings out of the cylinder is to move the piston to the bottom of the stroke. To do that move the crank around and put a screwdriver in the plug hole to feel it at the bottom. Once it is at the bottom fill the cylinder with shaving cream, the expanding foamy kind. When you are finished tapping it out spin the crank and it will push out any shavings that would have fallen into the cylinder.

The thing I am curious is what caused all this. The rotten egg smell from the converter is a sign that it is working overtime.

[AlladdinSane]

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-Pontiac-great-winter-beater-97-pontiac-sunfire-W0QQAdIdZ111715379


The real easy fix.

[buildinthaskinnys]

That would have taken a serious amount of back pressure to do that!,

and in the process could have created more problems, first you should check to see if the exhaust was backed up and caused the problem, if this is possible, although now I dont think this is what caused it.

What you are decribing now makes me believe that you have timing problems or more specifically something broke and didnt allow the exhaust gases to even escape to the pipes. in this case a stripped out spark plug is the least of your problems.

what kind of engine does your car have? I would guess a 2.2 litre?

[meathead]

So I took at look at the car today in the day light & the spark plug was blowen right out of the cylinder head..threads are stripped..I guess my only options is new engine or try to fix with a heil-coil repair kit....does anyone know any other tricks for this???

Dont use a heli-coli! You should use a time insert. The heli-coil wont work properly in a cylinder head.

Heres a time insert

http://www.timesert.com/

The egg smell you are talking about is a plugged up cat.

Good luck!