2004 Mitsubishi Galant I am at an dead end. Please some hel

pecan111 · Posted at Sat Nov 07, 2009 11:24 am

Noises problem
2004 Mitsubishi Galant 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic 84000 miles

I have been chasing down a problem with my galant for awhile and am not getting satisfactory answers. Please, if someone can assist, I am open to suggestions.

I had timing belt changed at 74,000 miles as suggested, along with water pump. Immediately, there was a loud rattle, shaking noise in the engine upon early morning cold startup. It only appears obvious at that time. I have heard it underneath the engine noise at times, but it is very slight. It is one of those situations that only the driver of their own car can hear, otherwise it is only audible when early morning starts (cold). It disappears within minutes. I fought with Firestone about it and they finally pulled the timing cover and changed the tensioner pulley and timing belt again. It took months for them to finally look at it again. They stated that the pulley was "wobbling around in there". After re-assembly after leaving overnight, the car is still making the same noise. Christ, I feel so taken advantage of...what could be wrong. The firestone guys want to say that it sounds like the lifters, but I am not convinced. I don't trust these guys anymore and I am sick of taking it down only to be without a car, which I must have.

There were no issues with the car previously. I have had routine maintenance done and regular oil and filter changes. At the same time the timing belt was changed, all fluids were drained and replaced and car was shortly thereafter given new tires and has been aligned and rotated regularly. I am really tired of this. Can anyone suggest more definitely what may be causing this or how I can help to diagnose it while sitting in my driveway so I can present a clearer picture of this car to a mechanic?

mathiaso · Posted at Sat Nov 07, 2009 1:24 pm

Hello pecan111

you said that the noise start in the morning when you start the car and disappear after few minutes?
let's find out what I'm thinking.

In the morning, do not start the car.
place a small amount of heavy oil on the top of the pistons.
this is done by removing the spark plug and squirting the oil on the top of each piston.
Rotate the engine several time to allow the oil to seep past the rings.
Start the engine, if noise is gone , the problem is probably piston slap.
Why should I chose piston slap as primary suspect?
Piston slap occur when engine is cold, and desapear when it warms due to aluminium piston expanding faster than the cast iron block.
Be patient, noises are difficult to diagnose, but step by step, you will find where its coming from.