I just bought a 1989 Cutlass Ciera.
The engine sounds like a diesel for lack of a better way to put it.
Every mechanic has a different opinion and all are expensive.
Had tests run.. heard it was a blown engine.. heard it was motor mounts.. heard it was the motor resting on the exhaust.

The car only has 81000 orignal miles. It was previously owned by a teenage girl.. her grandfather sold it to me and they have recently done do it yourself repairs like spark plugs and a new starter.

The grand daddy also told me that he was told it was exhaust. But he never fixed it.

The car runs perfectly.... no problems other than the noise.
When popping the hood.. the engine vibrates some.. I don't know if that is too much or not.

I just had the oil changed and the mechanic put in something he called "honey." Said to baby the heck out of it.. no freeway driving.. and if I am lucky I will get through the summer.

Could this be something less expensive?
Anything that I, a mommy who knows nothing about cars, can try to check myself to see what is wrong?

I can not afford a new engine on a car I only paid a grand for.
I have a child with immune problems.. my money is best speant on her doctors and tests...

ANY advice is appreciated... Thank you for reading my post!

Forgot to put this in here...
It does it at idle.. but gets louder with acceleration.

In the past 30 years, auto mfg's have recommended thin motor oils for fuel milage considerations and the engines show it when they get close to 100,000 miles. For the work they're doing and turning less rpm/mile with overdrive transmissions, they should last 250,000 miles but the thin motor oils allow parts to wear out fast. In addition, some parts like the lifters have small oil feed holes so that if you do run thicker motor oil, the lifters can't get enough oil then they peck-peck-peck when the motor's idling cold.
What to do? The mechanic(I didn't say tech) that put the thick stuff in your oil and said take it easy is trying to help you. He knows what bad rod bearings sound like and driving easy will buy you some time. I drove one gentle like that for 2 years...motor knocking and pecking like someone under the hood was under the hood beating the motor with a bat. Don't let the motor overheat either. If you can find a full service gas station and buy gas from the full service pumps so they can keep your water and oil topped off will help. Valvoline 20W-50 Racing Oil is fair heavy oil to protect those worn out rod bearings this summer and you can get it at most auto parts stores plus you can go to a Vavoline oil change place for your oil changes. This is a good lesson for you...learn the noises this engine is making so if you hear them on the next car you look at, you'll know to leave it alone. Gasoline..use the middle grade gas..you can't stand any detonation or spark knock at this stage. Talk to the mechanic and inquire about his favorite remanufactured engine and their prices so you can start saving for paying at least the labor charges for the engine change IF the transmission is still in very good shape. Seek financial aid ANYWHERE you can find it to lessen your money burden so you can get some money together for the motor change. Because the transmission was in good shape on my '86 Cutlass, I opted for a remanufactured engine so now I have a pretty nice, very reliable little car my boy drives to work and school without a major car note.
I wish the best of luck to you, we'll help with information where we can here. Keep in touch.

If this is the 4 cylinder 2.5 motor what you are hearing might be a normal sound for this motor. During the eighties GM 4 cylinders came from the factory with noisy timing gears. I worked for a rent a car company and you could here the noise when they were taken off the truck. The mechanics would call them little cement mixers, especially the Pontiac Grand Am's, they were the loudest. After a few years GM did redesign the gear to quiet the motor. There was a hidden recall done by the dealer if a owner complained.
I would get another opinion. I am not a fan of using thicker motor oil no matter what the miles. When the engine is cold thicker oil flows slower, and doesn't get to lubricate the motor as fast as a thinner oil. That is why a car manfacturer recommends a mixture of 5w30 weight oil.
I had a Ciera with 225k miles and now own a Altima with 145k miles and only use 5w30 oil, change it every 3 - 4 thousand miles as recommended by the manufacturer and never had any engine problems.
Good Luck

Oddly enough, mine is an '86 Ciera w/2.5 Pontiac "Iron Duke" my Uncle bought from a ...hold on, a car rental company. He drove it one year until the motor would barely run. Bad distributor. After he gave it to me, I replaced the distributor, removed the oily air filter...excessive blow-by, changed the plugs and some liquids. The little motor was noisey with lots of ticks and peck noises but no knocks. I was asked to listen to another 2.5 once and there was no mistake that a rod bearing was shot...not only could you hear it, you could feel it with your hand on the thermostat housing(cold motor).
After a year on my Ciera, the blowby got so excessive the motor would quit at stop signs, the blow-by displaced air being taken in...shot rings at 124k. I couldn't believe it. It has a reman in it for the past 3 yrs. My '70 GMC had 177k in great shape when I gave it to my brother, My '92 Bravada has 176k in great shape, My '80 98 had 262k w/no blow-by, passed local emissions tests and quiet when I traded it, my '92 Dodge w/Cummins had 140k when I traded it...I know they are expected to go 500k, my '97 Bravada has 98k, and my '01 Dodge w/Cummins with 77k. They all have one thing in common. :naughty:

Thanks for your replies...
The Ciera is a 3.3 L.

Hmm, tough one. Is it louder on a cold start, if it's been sitting overnight? Is the noise a heavy thud, or a softer ticking type? Do you have an oil pressure gauge or just the oil warning light? If you've got the gauge and if it works, watch and observe the gauge reading when the car is fully warmed up and tell us here. If, like you say, the rattling is present through all engine speeds, then I'd say there's some bad mechanical damage somewhere, or less likely an exhaust problem but I'm betting there's somethign amiss with the engine. A slight clicking or ticking sound coming from the top of the engine could be acceptable. How much did you pay for this car by the way?