V6 Rattle

[DaveM]

Had my 2.8 V6 services and MOT'd last week

 

only problem was a slight blow in the exhaust, but as the exhaust was 20 months old and the guarantee was 24 months, I got it replaced free of charge.... result, I knew it was worth keeping all those receipts !)

 

anyway, the garage did tell me that there is a very slight rattle when ticking over, "nothing to worry about just yet" he said, "probably the hydraulic valve lifters" (I suppose the equivalent of tapits from the good old days!)

 

I didn't really notice it until he told me, (but I do have a rather noisy AC compressor which I run on auto all the time !!)

 

Is this correct ? is there really nothing to worry about ? (and how much for a garage to repair ?)

 

2.8 V6 1998 with 60k miles, (genuine, as I'm the only owner)

[tiny]

If my garage said "Nothing to worry about, probably just..........."

 

I'd be thinking "Probably time to find a different garage!"

 

Seriously though, hydraulic lifters can be a little noisy for a number of reasons and that could have serious implications for your engine. Have they used the correct grade/quantity of oil during servicing? 60k isn't a lot of miles, so if the cars been seviced regularly then wear shouldn't be a problem, but it could be a symptom of low oil pressure, something that would require further investigation.

 

Also oil quality varies greatly and some of the cheaper brands may not contain sludge inhibitors or additives used in more expensive/reputable brands, perhaps an engine oil flush with the likes of Wynns engine flush would help?

 

Or you could try some of this-

 

Wynns

 

I would however seek a second opinion from a reputable garage.

[sepulchrave]

Tiny, you really should know better than to recommend putting any aftermarket sludge in your Oil.

 

DO NOT USE ANY ADDITIVES, EVER!

 

DaveM, stop worrying about it and USE the car! :(

[tiny]

If it can be heard on top of a noisy compressor and the underlying V6 I would still be tempted to have it checked out. Better safe than sorry. Once oil pressure is up they should be silent, if they are noisy they're not doing the job!

[Vanbursta]

My timing chain rattles like this and has done ever since I bought the car, when I first got it I replaced the tensioner and the improvement was significant, however as it had obviuosly been run with the adjuster faulty, there was still some rattle. I don't worry about it anymore I just drive the car and eventually I will get round to replacing the chains / tensioners, as it's a fairly major job I am waiting until I really have to do it.

 

Sepulchrave is right though, you should never use additives - very bad for a modern engine.