Diesel Engine Rattle

[raybangor]

Hi all,

 

Firstly i am a new ford owner and secondly my first diesel car. I recently bought a used 2009 1.8tdci Galaxy (30,000 miles) and i am mostly enjoying the experience. The only thing i have noticed is an excessive diesel rattle when at low speed or low gears.

 

If i get into the car and start to drive when cold there is no noise at all. It sounds just like my wifes diesel passat however when it warms up a little there is a distinct noise when in low gears and starting off or going down the gears when slowing down. This noise i could only describe as a rattle and makes the car sound like a bus and unhealthy.

 

As i do most of my driving in rush hour traffic i listen to it constantly and maybe have become a bit obsessed.

 

The car drives very well and the noise disappears when you accelerate or get the revs up above 2000. It actually is very quiet above 2000 revs. I have no loss of power or anything like that and there is no smoke being expelled at all.

 

I know most will say its a diesel just get used to it but the rattle does not sound like my wifes diesel - has anyone else ever had this problem or can anyone give advice to help me get it fixed? Or is it normal for the Galaxy?

 

I have put Diesel additive in with my fuel for the last 5 fills but it has made no difference.

 

Any replies welcome

[gregers]

well i have 2 smax in my household,basically the same car.ive never heard a rattle in ours,1 @16k(wifes) 2@105k(mine)

but as ours are 2 ltr tdi's im wondering if this is a characteristic of the 1.8 ??

maybe test drive a 1,8 and have a close listen to see if its the same?

[raybangor]

Thanks for the reply

 

I did have a quick drive in the 2L Tdci Galaxy and it was very smooth and had no noise (sounded just like the wifes). Maybe it is how the 1.8 engine sounds i just don't know but under 2000 revs it is loud you can even hear it over the CD player. I spoke briefly with the Ford garage that sold it to me but they just said thats how a diesel sounds - but it appears to be alot louder than most other diesels with the exception of a bus or train lol.

 

Thanks anyway

[NikpV]

moved to mkIII section :-)

[alan_131]

Would be concerned if it was me. No expert on these engines - it may be characteristic of 1.8 but I'd think it was much more likely to be a fault . If timing is out when hot for some reason then this can be bad news on diesels. Possibly just ask mechanic at main dealer for opinion, or get diagnostic done....

[dmoran]

I have got a 2.0 TDCi and it can rattle quite a bit, narrowed it down to the air intake box which was not seated on the bungs properly. The AA came out to swap a faulty battery and when the air box was removed to get the battery out and the engine started the rattle completely went. Ours was the same that when revved over 1800/2000 the rattle disappeared. Undo the jubilee clips that secures the air box in place, wiggle the air box securely in to the mountings and then secure the jubilee clip again.

[GaryM]

Does the rattle go if you dip the clutch? And do you get it when turning the engine off? If you do try starting and turning off again with the cluch pressed. If it goes it would not surprise me if it is the DMF (dual mass flywheel) even though your motor is reasonably low mileage.

[raybangor]

Thanks for replies: - GaryM the rattle is not there when the car comes to a halt, when at idle or when you switch the engine off. It only appears when at low revs either starting from a standing start, at the beginning of acceleration or when at low speeds and you need to accelerate.

 

Strangely when you start it first thing in the morning and it is stone cold this noise isn't there at all in any of the above situations. Why i am concerned is that it only came with a 3 month warranty that ends on the 3rd December and I have had it back for a sqeaky roof already that is when i mentioned it to the dealership mechanic who seemed to pass it off (although when we went for a drive there was only light traffic on the road and we didn't really have to stop or start to much).

 

He mentioned there was a slight rattle on what he said was the 1st turbo initiation but then said the car sounded fine when the 2nd turbo initiation kicked in - I left thinking it was all in my head. I just hope i haven't been sold a pup and in a short while i might get hit with a large repair bill cause i don't have the money.

 

Just out of interest if the DMF went how much would that cost me?

 

I also had a chat with a work colleague who was a mechanic a few years back although he did say the modern engines nowadays are alot more advanced than when he worked with them but when i explained the symptoms he said that it sounds like the car engine management system might not have the correct fuel settings in that the engine settings are correct for when the engine is cold (hense bring smooth with no noise) but are not set properly for when the engine starts to warm up. I don't know if that makes any sense.

 

Anyway I think the only thing I can do is ask the dealership to run a diagnostic check although i dont hold much hope of them finding anything or at least admitting to finding anything.

[GaryM]

I'm not mechanic just technically minded and have my own experiences to go on.

 

30K for a DMF would be premature anyway. And normally you would change it together with the clutch as the unbalancing of the DMF increases clutch ware and being a big job is not worth doing one without the other. Parts are circa £400 plus labour so aboy £700.

 

The only reason I mentioned it is that you say it is on the low end revs and that is just like the DMF. Normally it will also take out the Thrust bearing and this rattles on very low revs and when you turn the motor off.

 

Fueling is all electronically managed so unless there is a pump, injector or sensor failure there is nothing to program unless it has been fuel mapped by a third party.

 

Hope it is not the turbo cos that is another biggy and I'm just about to go down that route with mine as it squeals all the time and I cannot spin the impeller freely.

 

Could it just be a ratle caused by loose cables or pipes against the bulkhead? It is all very tightly packed in there.