We have a 1992 Galant - V6. Over the past winter we would start the car some mornings and you would think you had a diesel engine in the car. It rattled like a bucket of bolts being shaken. Seemed worse as it got colder. However, some mornings it was quite normal. Even now with the warmer weather it happens once a week. My mechanic says it could be a stuck hydraulic lifter. Any ideas?

 

Something may be loose near the flywheel. I had a broken flywheel plate in my 1991 4cyl. Replacing it cut out the metallic noise until a couple of weeks ago when I was teaching someone to drive. Now mechanic is guessing engine mount problem but I feel a regular impact.

Perhaps you have a loose part somewhere in the drivetrain. Is it regular like a diesel or random noise?

 

This is an intermittent problem and it seems only in cold weather.