Alternative to Rod Knock?!

[tmontague]

I cant think of anything other than what you have stated. Possible oil contamination causing a a spin bearing the cause however could be anything BZ stated above.

FWIW during the cold months I notice water mixed with oil on the tip of my dipstick (dont say that out loud). It isn't pink colored however and it is the same stuff that shows up in my catch can when I dump it.

This is likely due to my commute to the gym and work only getting my oil up to 168F so the water doesnt boil off until I do a longer run in the highway.

Not sure if this is what you are experiencing, but chances are it's not seeing as yours was pink compared and you have a noise.

[atomic_hoji]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

I appreciate where everyone is coming from on the coolant possibility. I said 'pinky', I should have been more specific - a 'pinkish tinge' to it. Not to say it isn't still possibly the source of the issue, but I had (maybe hoping) chalked the colour up to a reaction with additives in the oil. Now, however, according to my wife who provided a 'peer check' for me - since I have utterly useless close-up vision - she doesn't think it's pink at all. Apparently what the hell do I know?! lol

Originally Posted by tmontague

...
FWIW during the cold months I notice water mixed with oil on the tip of my dipstick (dont say that out loud). It isn't pink colored however and it is the same stuff that shows up in my catch can when I dump it.
...

lol! Well played, sir.. But, that's very interesting - that is exactly what I'm finding.. The first time, when I changed it out immediately, it was definitely water up in the valvetrain and I knew it was condensation from leaving the vent hose disconnected (the hose had water droplets come out of it..). Since then, I have been assuming it was leftover contamination in the oil - it has had a cocktail of oil through it in a short time. I've never run into this issue on any of my prior vehicles.. As you said, short commute - maybe 10 minutes driveway to parking lot - so the car doesn't warm up really..

Originally Posted by suprf1y

It's impossible to diagnose without actually hearing it but from your description it sounds like it goes away when you rev it and comes back on idle? If so that doesn't sound like a rod knock.

Regarding noise going away - when driving it becomes hard to hear just in part because of wind and road noise; it's getting worse, but isn't like a clapped out pre-combustion chamber diesel.. lol I've always popped the hood, gotten out of the car, and listened at idle so I had my wife come out and give me a hand when I got home from work today and had an interesting result.

Still partly warm from driving home, I got my wife to start the car and 'poof', no bad noise.. of course - she's not an auto mechanic by trade, no. lol Let it idle to warm-up and had a listen. When I asked my wife to rev the engine a bit, she stepped on the clutch and brake, and whammo - noise started right up.. I got her to do a combination of brake and clutch and it wasn't reliable to go away / come back. BUT, it's the first time I've heard it audibly when I've gotten home and then had it go away. Annoying, but good news?! I don't imagine if it was a connecting rod that the noise would go away at all? Adding revs to it speeds up the noise as expected, and eventually the volume of the engine and speed it starts to blend in and become difficult to hear - almost turns into a smoother whir-whir-whir instead of a snappy, metallic toka-toka-toka.

Sound-to-text technology at it's finest here.. hah. One of these days I'll figure out how this YouTube thingy works.

Never-the-less, I appreciate the replies from everyone, thanks! Makes for a few ideas to have a look at, and (oddly) explains that goop on the dipstick is apparently a common 2ZR thing..? Sam's just across the way and probably has the same sort of weather we're getting - I wonder if his dipstick has the same trouble? Maybe a bit of a personal question..

-- Adam