Knock, knock! Who's there? Rod bearings! Awww hell. Options

[bnr32celica]

So I just get my Celica back and now I have a nice little knock at certain RPMs. It's in the early stages, but I'm being proactive. I'm guessing standard size bearings should be ok, no? It's only at 2000-2300rpm, 3500-3800rpm, and over 5500rpm. The car has 281,000 miles and JUST had a head gasket done. This is a repair I can do, I did my head gasket in 4 hours. It just started today, and I maybe put 100 miles on the car (had to get her home).

If I do the bearings, should I just say to hell with it and do my pistons too? I wasn't comfortable using a graphite gasket, so I wouldn't mind getting the MLS gasket in there. I'm keeping her as long as I can so a budget rebuild wouldn't be throwing good money away.

TIA.

[bnr32celica]

Well, something let go tonight. Tear down is tomorrow night. Funny thing is, there was no abnormal noises picked up from a stethoscope on the lower end. Every abnormal noise points to valve train, more than likely a maladjusted lifter, which the machine shop said they all checked, cleaned, and adjusted to spec. Hmmm. We'll find out. If I dropped a valve and chunked a piston, someone's gonna be paying for a nice new 5S block. Car doesn't even crank though, so something in the lower end is at fault as well.

Right before it happened, I lost power, and the noise got louder than it has been. Was doing 45mph in 5th, level ground, cruising. Twenty minutes prior, my dad and I stethoscoped the engine and he said that #2 intake lifters were abnormally loud and what sounded like #3 rod bearings (or the main bearing cap adjacent) were faintly louder than the others. This was at 2300rpm.

5S carnage pics to follow!