Well I was trying to get the oil pan removed and still no luck. I am in the process of dropping the front differential. I moved the pan enough to where I could see up in there and get my hands in there. The 2nd and 3rd rod cap is loose, there is a little play in them.I could wiggle them and make them clank a little. Could this be what the noise is coming from? I couldnt reach the 4th rod so I am not sure about that. I think what I am left to do now is just remove the engine completely and just go through the whole thing and start from scratch. I found another motor for $350 turn key, I am thinking very hard about jumping on that as well, but I dont want to install it and have the same problem or something similiar. I could see pretty well into the oil pan, and I seen no sign of any plastic or any foreign materials at all.