Car fixed, now need tyres and downpipe

pauljb · April 4, 2008, 10:28

Hi guys, sorry i know your probably at work, i am too. But when i arrived at work and turned off the loud music i was playing i heard a strange noise when the car was ticking over. When i rev the car it sounds clicky rough noise like a cold diesel.

My car is a Y 2001, 42,000 miles, pre cat still in.

Any help would be great guys, i dont want anything serious to be wrong with my car. s:x :x s:x

Paul

Peter Wright · April 4, 2008, 10:37

Check the oil now and report back
Pete

TJK · April 4, 2008, 10:40

I'm sure you'll get all the usual pre-cat related replies and it's well worth checking to rule it out. However, I had something similar happen and it was only a fuel injector which needed replacing, so not necessarily a need to panic. It is advisable to stop driving the car as whatever the problem, driving will only make it worse and risk damaging the engine further! Get it towed to a dealer and have them check it out.

pauljb · April 4, 2008, 10:44

Yeah i will be be expecting the pre cat thing.

Going to go and check the oil and see if it has drop alot from the last time i checked.

Fuel injector? how much does that cost to fix and y do u think it is that that is producing the strange noise?

This noise happens when the car is still, i dint notice when i was driving, prob because of the fact my music was so loud!

enid_b · April 4, 2008, 11:05

sounds like oil starvation from the limited description?

fingers crossed for you chap

E

TJK · April 4, 2008, 11:08

Quote from: "pauljb"Fuel injector? how much does that cost to fix and y do u think it is that that is producing the strange noise?

This noise happens when the car is still, i dint notice when i was driving, probably because of the fact my music was so loud!

The injector itself is relatively cheap, it's testing which one is faulty and the time/labour costs involved in changing it that makes it more expensive. I think it cost me £250 (ish) to get the problem sorted.

pauljb · April 4, 2008, 12:19

did u have a similar problem, and a similar noise. It doesnt kind of sound like it may not be firing on all cyclinders, but sparks have just been changed a few hundred miles ago.

Jaik · April 4, 2008, 12:40

Does the ticking increase in frequency with revs or is it constant? Couldn't be a horrible-sounding heatshield rattle could it?

pauljb · April 4, 2008, 13:40

It does increase i think with the revs. Seems to get louder and harsher sounded at least.

I have a had a few problems with a virbration noise at around 2000 rpm. But this noise does sound more engine like that a rattle or vibration

Innocent · April 4, 2008, 16:16

Does sound like a mis-fire. You not got an engine light on? Could be sparks, coil packs, injectors seals anything! Needs a code reader by the sounds of it.

pauljb · April 4, 2008, 16:55

sparks, oil and oil filter just changed a few hundred miles ago, checked the oil and it seems to be at the seem level it was when we filled it.

The house comes in at around 2500rpm and contines on up through the rev. It does stay and same kind of noise, sounds like a clicky old cold diesel. Harder to hear up the gears, prob due to extra noise or what.

Car feel fines and power is there as normal.

Please help guys, i just keep having one problem after another with my car s:(

s:(

Innocent · April 4, 2008, 17:15

No light then?

If the precats eat up the engine the oil will drop quickly or the engine will go bang as there's no oil left so you should be ok on that basis.

If the engines mis-firing you'd really know about it! Big loss of power (25%+ per cylinder i guess) and it wouldn't wait til 2,500 revs to do it.

Does it sound like a metallic resonance? Like shaking dried peas in a tin can? If so, the first thing i'd do is check the heatshields are on tight. Even the slightest gap can make it sound like a tractor. Theres loads of threads on here about heatshields. If you can't see it get Mr T to diagnose which heat shield it is then fix it yourself at a fraction of a fraction of the cost.

Hope its just that, but if your not loosing oil or power and the engine warning lights not on then chances are its nothing major!

Anonymous · April 4, 2008, 17:25

If it was a piston / ring failure (caused by pre-cat debris) or oval bores, then you should be loosing oil. If it's a bearing failure (not many of these reported on this forum) then the knock will sound at under 2500 rpm and sound much worse under load (driving up a hill). Spyderchat has lots of info about timing chain rattle (strangely not much on here??). Exhaust shield rattle is well covered and, from you description. it doesn't sound like that. From personal experience, and from a couple of other threads on here, on returning from a two week holiday and starting the car to quite an alarming tappet rattle, maybe there is an issue with some sort of oil starvation to the top end?? but this should go away??? Difficult to diognose but you need to get it checked out. My guess would be oil starvation to some top end part.

pauljb · April 4, 2008, 17:31

hi sorry, yeah there are no warning lights at all coming on.

"tappet rattle" is prob a good way to describe it.

The noise is pretty constant, not increase going up a hill or anything.

Sounds rattlely like an old diesel engine. Like my dads old mitsui carmisa when just started and u rev ed it?

pauljb · April 4, 2008, 17:32

If it is oil starvation, what causes that and how do i fix it.

Cheers guys for all your opinions so far. So for bein a pain with all the questions.

Just dont want my little car getting wrecked!

Innocent · April 4, 2008, 17:40

If you've got the right amount and type of oil in the car it should get to all those hard to reach places. I had pretty much the same symptoms and it ended up being the shield between the main cat and pre cat loose. Exhaust the cheap and easy possibilities before getting someone to look inside your cylinder head!

Anonymous · April 4, 2008, 17:44

Tappet rattle does increase with engine revolutions - the faster the engine turns the faster the tappets have to work to move the valves etc.
So! more info??

Jaik · April 4, 2008, 19:00

I'd guess at tappets or something else valvetrain related too based on what's been said, but that's as far as my knowledge goes I'm afraid s:(

s:( Good luck getting it sorted, I hope it's something trivial!

pauljb · April 5, 2008, 18:06

Hi guys,

Still havent got anywere with my car, going to take it down to the garge and see. I am hoping it is something loose, as there is no obvious signs of engien damage i.e. loss of power, smoke, oil consumption etc. Just that tappet rattle noise that comes in around 2500rpm and stays there most of the way up the revs. Although when i get into 4 and 5 gear at high revs, i dont hear it. Either that or the car noise is louder but when reving the car at around 6000 rpm in 2nd gear its not any louder (engine noise that is) that having the engine in 5th and doing around 3 - 4 000rpm. So maybe that would indicate that it maybe vibrating thing. Cause if it was something with the engine u would here noise noise just as loud in all the gears ??

U guys want to know anything more feel free to ask?

Or if u have any suggestions on what i sshould check or look at that also would be good. Cheers guys thanks.

Anonymous · April 5, 2008, 18:49

most 'expensive' engine noises increase as you put your foot down and decrease as you take it off. My guess now is vibration (as others have already said) so, good luck!

pauljb · April 5, 2008, 21:01

Cheers guys,

i will let u know what happens!

RacingSnake · April 7, 2008, 13:55

Hmmm s:? :? s:? Well chiming back in with my heat shield rattle for the umpteenth time on a thread - I had my '2 jacked up again over the weekend to try & tighten or remove the heatsheilds mentioned in this thread. It REALLY CAN sound like the symptom you describe. Mine's gone through various incarnations of 'diesel' 'exhaust' 'gravel in a bean tin 'depending on whether I have my giant jubilee clip attached. I'm now on the brink of garaging it to get it tightened or removed as I just resorted to swearing at it on Saturday s:)

s:) Essentially those 2 heatshields which are clamped together over the lowest pipe section of the exhaust (over the converged pipe out of the precats) travel by about 3 or 4mm up & down at the right revs & cause grey hairs to appear! If you have the same, try running the engine - flip the lid & reach right down through the engine compartment on the left side of the exhaust (far as you can). Grab the edge of the heatshield you can see from above & pull up, (noise gone?). Other than that , can't suggest anything s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

Anonymous · April 7, 2008, 15:59

I bet swearing at it made it a bit quieter s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

Innocent · April 7, 2008, 16:02

Quote from: "RacingSnake"Grab the edge of the heatshield you can see from above & pull up, (noise gone?). Other than that , can't suggest anything

What, with the engine running?! The sounds will be drowned out by blood curdling screams from the burns! s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

I'd suggest that instead of bodging it with clips all over the place that may or may not work, just get underneath with the nappys off, bash out all the rusty old bolts and fit new ones all over. At least you'll then know for sure they're all ok!

RacingSnake · April 7, 2008, 18:20

Yeah, actually interesting you say that. Whilst the bolts are corroded, all seem well solid. The coupling together of the upper & lower heatshield around the exhaust is ok - its just play in the whole assembly slightly up & down as if it should be fixed somewhere else as well. Would I be right in thinking I've seen a spot weld mentioned somewhere on here - perhaps thats whats missing on mine. Oh & obviously not grabbing the shield more than about 1min after engine starts! you'd be right about the heated screams s:lol: :lol: s:lol: