Rattle On A Cold Start

[marty16610]

Hi gang. Recently as this cold weather gets worse i am getting a rattle from the engine for about 30-45 secs after starting. It sounds like the tappets. Could it be where the oil is cold and taking longer to fill them or something more sinister. ;)

[tim-spam]

Sounds like a hydraulic valve lifter taking time to fill with oil - what grade of oil are you using, and when was it last changed?

If the noise does not return at idle with a hot engine, the problem should not be too serious.

[marty16610]

Hi m8. Im using Millers XFE 10w-40 changed 700 miles ago.

[bigdaddy]

Dont know much about the diesels,,,,but mypetrol gal uses 5w/30 oil bought at ford for

[marty16610]

Haynes manual and vehicle handbook both state 10w-40 so i don't reckon its oil grade related.

[chromedome]

My dealer only recommends oil to VW Spec 505.01.

[delboyt]

big daddy

is it full synthetic or part ?

do you have a ford number plese

i got a 2.0 petrol ford engine

& i need to change the oil soon on her

[bigdaddy]

delboyt,,,,I do not know if it is full or semi synthetic or just plain old oil,,,,I was told by another forum member,,,to go to ford and buy the oil for my gal, as I was having problems sourcing the 5w/30 oil,,,,,I went to local ford dealer,,,,,and ask for 5w/30 oil for a 98 2.3 galaxy,,,,, the oil was on a display at the counter,,,,,This is what it says on the can ,,,,

 

"Ford formula e 5w30,,,,high performance fuel economy motor oil"

 

,,,,,couple of numbers on the can which may help,,,,,,

 

1 343 795 ,,,,,,,fir no 161452

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,to be honest once I done the filter and oil change ,,,,, the engine sounds quieter,,,,,,but that maybe just me :o

[tim-spam]

Hydraulic valve lifters can get tired at high mileages. On my wife's old Jetta, we had similar symptoms, until it rattled most of the time. I changed all 8 valve lifters (camshaft needs to be removed, but this was a very simple job on the Jetta), and the car carried on for another 50,000 miles with no rattling at all, until we sold the car.

As regards 505.01 oil, this is only required on later PD engines.

[Masked Marauder]

Tappets for the 110 diesel are cheap from GSF and easy to change. It is a camshaft off job, but straight forwards.

[marty16610]

Will see how it goes before i start ripping it apart AGAIN. Its only done 51k with full dealer history though!

[marty16610]

Weather not as cold this morning and no rattle so nothing to worry about :unsure:

[seatkid]

Marty, before you go stripping down the engine, have you checked your glowplugs?

 

Without all of them working , the engine is lumpy and very rattly for a while after a cold start.

 

Its very easy to check- remove the plastic engine cover, then pull off the busbar that connects to the glow plugs (a good yank is needed and the busbar bit is a tight fit). Use a meter and check the resistance to the block or negative terminal of the battery. They should be less than 1 ohm (cold engine, stood for a good while). They dont all go at once so you dont notice the deteriation.

 

And they are used in most cold starts - even though the glow lamp may lead you to think not. The lamp is just used to tell you to wait - the glow plugs operate for several seconds after the start... Result is a much smoother idle soon after starting.

[marty16610]

Thanks seatkid-

I didnt think of the glowplugs, it starts first time and runs fine from the off but it will be worth checking them for piece of mind.