Rattle from engine (possibly due to low oil level) ?

[Anonymous]

I have just returned from a 1000 mile round trip and noticed a slight rattle from the engine. only covered 50k in total
On checking the dipstick once cooled I found it to be on the low side.
Could this be the source of my rattle ?.
Obviously I will drop the old oil (what little is left) and hope thats all it is.  s:oops: :oops: s:oops:  [/b]

[spit]

Difficult to advise about noises over the interweb. If you could trace the area of the rattle and describe it in relation to engine speed it might help focus on the problem but I doubt any of us could say what it is with any conviction.

If your oil is on the low side but still between the markings of the dipstick, I wouldn't get too worried just yet. Worthwhile to do a flush and oil change for peace of mind and see how it is after that.

A few of us have had start-up rattles at the top of the engine on old oil and low levels - possibly where bearings have been temporarily starved of oil - but I for one have had no lasting side-effects after the initial scare.

[kanujunkie]

and dont forget that good old favourite, the cat heatshield rattle

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your advise.
I topped up oil level and its cured any scarey noises so now its time for a full service.
I,m off to spennymoor on thursday to have my pre-cats removed after reading some posts cos I cant take the risk of them destroying my engine.

[Anonymous]

and dont forget that good old favourite, the cat heatshield rattle

thats what i think is wrong with mine at the moment, usually only does it for the first 5 - 10 mins of driving, seems to go away after its warmed up a bit.

[spit]

and dont forget that good old favourite, the cat heatshield rattle

thats what i think is wrong with mine at the moment, usually only does it for the first 5 - 10 mins of driving, seems to go away after its warmed up a bit.

Yep its a distinctive noise compared to engine-related woes (which is why I didn't bring it up in the first reply  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  ). The other symptom that some people get with this is that the shield only resonates at certain revs when its loose.

While we're talking about shields, less common but also possible is that front and back shields to the manifold rust at the side bolt mounting points.

undrift.....

[leon_in_uk]

not sure if that happens to mine aswel. really does sound like a bad diesel when starting up cold! couldnt be the shield.. but think its normal when the oil hasnt got round the engine

[aaronjb]

but think its normal when the oil hasnt got round the engine

These engines are really tappety first thing - mind, they also run shimless solid lifters (rather than hydraulic tappets), which is always going to make them more rattly than your average people-mover.