horrible engine noise, please assist!

[Kevin <aventari@cts.com>]

	Hey all,i need some help,  just today I noticed that my engine (I think)
is making a bad noise. :(
	The noise: If I just have the car in neutral and rev it up, around the
2500+ rpm range sometimes I will hear a sharp metallic clang coming from
the engine compartment. It is barely audible inside the car, but standing
over the engine w/ the hood open, it's so loud and sharp I get scared cuz I
think a rod is gonna come shooting up out of the block straight towards my
face! The noise sounds like something you would hear if you whack a fairly
thin peice of stiff sheet metal with a screwdriver, or shot it at high
speed w/ a bb gun or something. It sounds like something got caught in a
cam gear or something and got knocked out, but there is nothing around the
pulleys to get caught. 
	It sorta sounds like it's coming from the downpipe, but i can tell it's
not really an exhaust sourt of sound. More mechanical. 
	
	background: My clutch is getting oil leaked on it from a rear main, and
has been slipping and shuddering worse and worse. My tranny doesn't like to
shift 1st to 2nd smoothly either (always grinds at high revs) Just a few
days ago I noticed my throw-out bearing is making knocking noises when i
put the clutch in, like it's going bad(I replaced it 6 mos ago, maybe the
pushrod is bent or something).
	
	Anyways, today I pulled the plugs and checked them, they were good
(electrodes didn't break off or nothing!) and pulled the valve cover. The
cam and cam followers looked in good shape and the oil looked good too.
(I've used synthetic 15w50 religiously in this motor). I should mention I
have a lower windage tray, one of the metal ones w/ the gasket, and it
sounds JUST like something is whacking that at high speed randomly. I cant
firgure out what it could be though!
	One problem that could be related is the oil pump. I have a melling high
volume pump, but even when I put it in new the gears were loose, and now
the oil pressure is really low at idle. so low in fact that if i drops
below 900 rpm and the oil is real hot, the low pressure light will come on
and flicker as the rpms bounce around. but I have no problem above
1500-2000 rpm, I get about 1 bar (14.7psi) for each 1000 rpm, so at 2k im
around 1.5-2bad which isn't bad i dont think. 

hmmmm well the car runs and drives great though, I haven't noticed any
power loss or other wierd noises, so i dont know what to do. please help me

Kevin Fry 
aka aventari
icq#21583385

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