i have a 93 se 5spd with 128k miles. i always use the premium gas (91 or so octane). oil was recently changed, albeit regular. there has been a loud knocking noise coming from the engine somewhere. it comes and goes, in both hot/warm/cold weather. anybody got a clue as to what the problem is? it normally occurs at low rpm when the gas is not pressed; noise mostly disappears as soon as gas is pressed. any help or revelation here is welcome. thanks

 

oh, and performance wise...no problems. so my situation is not like a recent post on engine noise.

 

http://www.geocities.com/maximamike/nvcs-bible.html

I demand a sacrifice!

 

well, your piece on vtc sound like a probably cause. my car, however, doesn't go "tick..." rather, it is a very loud knocking noise...like if you banged a wrench on the engine. when people stand by my car, they always look at it becuase of the lound engine knocking. do you still think its the vtc?

 

it could be. when the VTCs click really bad, they make the engine sound like a deisel (like mine some days).

usually it's worst when it's cold, but can happen at any temperature.

also might want to have them check your timing chain tensioner. if it's worn/loose, it can make some nasty noises and do some damage if/when it fails.
may or may not be your problem, but it's worth checking out.