any ideas on noise

[rspec294]

Hi guys have just done the timing chain mod and it was out of timing and have sent it to the mechanic to time it all up ,that's been done and now all sweet but now when you hit the key as the engine first starts and when you turn it off it makes like 2 or 3 clunking noises but not while it is running, we put the car on the hoist and started it and switched a number of times and it sounds like it comes from the back of the engine or the front of the gearbox ,now the car hasn't been driven now for a couple off weeks and hasn't been driven since getting re timed also to crack the balancer bolt was a mission and a half ,we tried rattle guns ,putting a bar on the chassie and hitting the key and that didn't work and ended up jamming a bar in there and 2 guys on a breaker bar to crack it so maybe we have loaded something up some where ,so does anyone have any ideas cheers

 

[Old.Tony]

I'm a little lost on that. If it was while you were starting only I'd guess the starter gear engaging.

The balancer unit sits low on the engine (under the crankshaft). Is the sound coming from down low or up high?

 

[sparra04]

if its a d22 it wont have the counter balance unit
they were only in the more refined d40 and pathfinders
we got stuck with the noisy one

 

[rspec294]

when we had it on the hoist it sounds like it comes from the bellhousing area , one idea is it may have something to do with fly wheel and like I said it only on start up and shutdown

 

[Old.Tony]

Try starting it up with the clutch fully depressed. This will push the thrust bearing against the pressure plate, so if it's in the bearing, the plate or the flywheel (or clutch) the noise will either stop or change dramatically.