sounds like this is going to be expensive

["Livolsi, Stephane" <livols1@investorsgroup.com>]

I was under the hood of the 5k earlier today still working on the idle
and I noticed an unpleasant noise coming from the back of the engine.
Hope someone can help me diagnose....

It sounds very mechanical and metallic and dry. (sounds very similar to
the sound a starting motor sometimes makes after it starts the car and
the pinion gear is winding down to a stop... especially if the bearing
is going)... and it happens as the engine revs are coming down.  I
manually move the linkage to increase rpms and when I let go this noise
starts and only lasts a second or two.  The noise does not start til
rpms get down to around 1500 or so and as rpm's drop it goes away.  It
really sounds like its coming from the rear of the valvecover but it
could be further down. The car is standard transmission and is obviously
out of gear when I do this, but the clutch is not pushed in.  Could it
be a gear or bearing in the transmission? Are there any tranny
gears/bearings moving when the tranny is out of gear but clutch is out?
Otherwise, what could it be - rear cam or crank bearing, distributor
gear?

TIA

  
Stephane Livolsi
180 Yorston St
Williams Lake, BC, V2G 3Z1
ph 250-392-2637
fax 250-392-2693

'86 5KTQ stock (if you don't know what it means, you aren't in the club)