Rattle On Startup

[Guest james120479]

I've recently noticed a distinct rattle/growl coming from the engine area on start up of a cold engine. I haven't had chance to investigate properly as i first noticed it last night and again this morning, but it soon dies down - within a couple of seconds... about the time it takes to pull away from a parking area and then the engine sounds as quiet and smooth as it should

 

Has anyone had any experience of this or know what it could be?

[anadin]

hi, which engine ?

[Guest james120479]

hi, which engine ?

 

Hi, it's a petrol... zetec 1.8

[anadin]

difficult so only a guess , check for anything loose ie cover heat shield , but prob hydro tappets try oil flush then oil/filter change, make sure you use correct grade of oil

[Guest gooner52]

could be a 100 different things,for the simple to the hard

 

not a lot of focus input on here,try

 

www.ffoc.co.uk

 

might get some more answers on there

 

good luk

 

u got the zetec e ..engine

 

quite a robust lump,

[Guest james120479]

Thanks, i've recently had the oil changed in a service so it can't be that can it?

 

I've been told it might just be that it's taking time for the oil to get to the engine when cold, the only reason i'm worried is i'm sure it didn't do it when i first bought the car (a few months ago)

[NikpV]

did they put the correct viscosity oil in ??

[Guest james120479]

How can i check? It was a ford dealer so surely they should know the right type of oil?

[NikpV]

possibly they used oil from the big drum (as admitted by local ford dealer - my gal uses Formula sd - and I get the spare 0.5 l in the container to make sure) only method I can think of is to change it yourself, without knowing what oil a focus diesel needs - something too viscous when cold will cat things better but move around the engine slower - take longer to reach all the bits needed

[Smilge]

Betcha any money its piston slap!

[anadin]

Betcha any money its piston slap!

 

:) you've owned a rover then ?

[Guest gooner52]

:) i have :)

[Guest james120479]

I'm assuming if it is piston slap - i'm screwed and it's only gonna get worse?! :)

[Andrew T]

Would piston slap disappear so soon after start up?

Has the noise only been noticable since the last oil change?

[Guest james120479]

Yeah, i've only noticed the noise since i had it serviced although that doesn't mean it wasn't there... i haven't had the car long but i'm almost certain it didn't do it when i first bought it.

 

They did put too much oil in in the service and i had to have some drained out

[Andrew T]

Your handbook will tell you the correct viscosity for your engine, as said earlier ther'es a good chance the garage put the wrong stuff in (i.e. too high a viscosity) and the hydraulic tappets are unable to pump up quickly enough.

[anadin]

agreed if they overfilled :lol: chances are the apprentice was let loose, hence it could be the wrong grade, if high mileage it all gets gummed up, hence a propper flushing oil, not an addative :lol: , try this first, at worst it may need a new lifter, take it to another garage for a second opinion , it may put your mind at rest ^_^

[Guest james120479]

Cheers for all your advice... i've now booked it in elsewhere for a full oil flush and change to see if this makes a difference first and take things from there if not

 

Thanks again! Much appreciated! B)

[anadin]

Cheers for all your advice... i've now booked it in elsewhere for a full oil flush and change to see if this makes a difference first and take things from there if not

 

Thanks again! Much appreciated! B)

 

you not doing it yourself B) :o :P

[Guest james120479]

Cheers for all your advice... i've now booked it in elsewhere for a full oil flush and change to see if this makes a difference first and take things from there if not

 

Thanks again! Much appreciated! B)

 

you not doing it yourself B) :o :P

 

I tell you - if this comes back overfilled, i'll probably top myself

[anadin]

Cheers for all your advice... i've now booked it in elsewhere for a full oil flush and change to see if this makes a difference first and take things from there if not

 

Thanks again! Much appreciated! B)

 

you not doing it yourself B) :P :P

 

I tell you - if this comes back overfilled, i'll probably top myself

 

:o :o :P

[Guest james120479]

Oh well... had another oil change - watched them do it this time so know it was done correct but no change, the rattle is still there :ph34r:

 

I'm starting to wonder if i'm worryin about nothing, its not extremely loud it's just the fact i didn't notice it before... it's going to be so difficult getting a garage to listen to it, cos they'll have to wait couple of hours for it to cool down and then it only does it for a min or so

 

Do you think it'll cause damage if i leave it for now and see if it gets any worse?

[anadin]

Oh well... had another oil change - watched them do it this time so know it was done correct but no change, the rattle is still there :ph34r:

 

I'm starting to wonder if i'm worryin about nothing, its not extremely loud it's just the fact i didn't notice it before... it's going to be so difficult getting a garage to listen to it, cos they'll have to wait couple of hours for it to cool down and then it only does it for a min or so

 

Do you think it'll cause damage if i leave it for now and see if it gets any worse?

 

most likely now you need a lifter or two , just let it warm up before you go racing off, its just slow at picking the oil up , see how it goes

[Guest james120479]

I'm actually begining to think that this is now piston slap and feeling a bit gutted about it :ph34r:

 

I really don't think it's an oil issue, it's more to do with temperature... if i leave the car for about an hour - there's no noise on startup but if it's left to go totally cold then it taps/rattles also if i start the car but don't move the tap does not stop until i've moved / reved a few times.

 

I'm no expert but having read around it sounds to me like the noise stops once the pistons have warmed up and expanded...

 

So... does anyone know anything about piston slap? Should i be as worried as i am, is it likely to get worse quickly and is it not even worth contemplating trying to get it fixed?

 

It's only done 39 500 miles :ph34r:

[Smilge]

James ...I wouldn't worry about it too much. I've had quite a few cars that have had an annoying rattle on start up, particularly a Rover 216, like Anadin mentioned. I doubt it would be piston slap with the mileage you stated as this usually only occurs with high mileage engines or if they've had the b*****ks revved out of them. Even so, if it was piston slap there's not much you can do apart from have oversized piston rings fitted along with a re-bore. What I would do (with any engine from cold) is to short gear change and limit the revs until the engine is warm, change the oil regularly and keep an eye out for blue smoke from the exhaust.

If you're still not happy .... take it back and ask for a compression test on each cylinder with the engine cold. This will highlight any problems.

 

Regards

 

Chris