Engine noise

[KillerHERTZ]

Okay, this is a pointless thread as I have no idea of the problem.

Bascally I booked the car in for a few repares (Headlight & Heating - finally!) I was driving along without the stereo on and I noticed a noise.

My car sounds like a pod racer from Starwars Ep:1 with that thun thun thun noise - bit like a propeller I guess.

Any Idea's? fan on its way out?

The car runs fine - maybe it has been like this for time - who knows? come monday I should know

 

[Koolvin]

could be your CAT .

without hearing the noise can't be sure....

 

[mmerc]

I HAVE A VERY SIMILIAR NOISE ON MY C200 ,but as you said everything works on the car and runs well,i have changed the poly v belt ,checked as much as i could see but still no result.dont try to fix what is not broken!!!Good luck in your search.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Just got it back from the Garage, they said it was the 'tippetts' or somthing along those lines.

Also they changed the oil fliter etc & now its fine

 

[Mambo]

Just got it back from the Garage, they said it was the 'tippetts' or somthing along those lines.

Also they changed the oil fliter etc & now its fine

Tappets

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Thats it, after walking 2 miles in the cold I wasnt listening to well

 

[GrahamC230K]

I thought you were speaking to an Irishman! - thinking of the accent only before someone gets offended!

 

[230K]

I thought you were speaking to an Irishman! - thinking of the accent only before someone gets offended!

230k

 

[KillerHERTZ]

The sound has started up again (not all the time) called my mechanic and have booked it in.

Reckons it could be an oil pressure problem...

Sound about right? expensive???

 

[Vips]

Don't laugh, but have you checked the fan belt?

I had a BMW 320ci not long ago and only 3 years old. There was a loud noise coming from the engine. The car ran fine. Showed it to several mechanics and they all claimed that it was quite serious and that the tappets / pistons etc would all need changing. They were all quoting me between 1200-1500 pounds.

In the end I took it to my trusted indie Merc mechanic and within minutes knew what the problem was. It was the fan belt. There was a large chunk of the rubber missing. Fixed in 5 mins and cost me 10.00 for the belt.

 

[DieselE]

The sound has started up again (not all the time) called my mechanic and have booked it in.

Reckons it could be an oil pressure problem...

Sound about right? expensive???

The expensive bit is the fault finding. You're paying for the mechanic to feel his way round in the dark without knowing what he's looking for.

Tappets tend to make a noise that sounds not unlike the components name when they're out of adjustment. Mind you most cars now have self adjusting ones.

I don't see oil pressure problems producing a thrum thrum type of noise.

 

[DieselE]

The sound has started up again (not all the time) called my mechanic and have booked it in.

Reckons it could be an oil pressure problem...

Sound about right? expensive???

The expensive bit is the fault finding. You're paying for the mechanic to feel his way round in the dark without knowing what he's looking for.

Tappets tend to make a noise that sounds not unlike the components name when they're out of adjustment. Mind you most cars now have self adjusting ones.

I don't see oil pressure problems producing a thrum thrum type of noise.

Sorry about the second reply. I pressed submit reply and nothing happened so I pressed it again and two replies appeared. Must learn to be more patient.

 

[grasmere]

theres a MASSIVE difference between noise from a cat or tappets or fan belt etc. Any mechanic will (should) separate those 3 instantly.

Symptoms help, like is it only at road speed, at higher revs, standing still, front or rear, underneath, left or right, screwdriver against ear/rocker cover etc etc - and thats for starters.

Agreed that intermittant is the hardest to locate though . . .

 

[tamrsoft]

An obvious question but you did not specify specifically - was this noise present while you had your head under the bonnet as well as when you were driving. If it is the drive belt, then remove it and start the engine and run briefly to see if noise now disappears, warning - run for a short period only since you will disconnect the water pump and risk overheating if run for longer periods. Could possibly be an out of balance problem in the final drive train.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Cheers for the replies, its going in tomorrow.

He only mentioned it could be somthing to do with the oil pressure as its causing the tappetts to not function correctly - this was after I mentioned it had the same sound as before. - this was over the phone

So he hasnt been near it to have a new look yet.

I have used him for years and as far I know he isnt 'feeling his way around in the dark' as he has been very helpful in the past etc

Noise appears when im driving aswell as when stationary. and I can tell myself its not the fan belt.

Cheers

 

[KillerHERTZ]

The beginning of the end???

Ok, just got off the phone with garage. (trying to rememeber all he told me)

They have been through the engine, flushed out the oil filters etc etc and cant find anything that looks out of the ordinary... unless they start taking the engine apart.

Reckons it could be oil pressure/cydinder or somthing along those lines, or could be all the tappetts that need replacing etc etc.

As I would be looking at around £600-£700 to take the engine completely to bits & find that its a part that costs another few £100 he reckoned I should keep driving it to see if anything changes/gets worse (as it only makes a noise from time to time).

He also asked if I have ever had the oil warning light on, (which I hadnt) and to keep an eye on it.

Performance wise, its the same as its always been. Watch this space

 

[Parrot of Doom]

I'd say it depends on how long you plan to keep the car. If you're going to run it until it dies, then its probably worth spending the money as while the engine is in bits you could also have him replace numerous seals.

If you don't care that much about the car, then I'd just 'see what happens'.

It might seem like a lot of money to spend on a relatively old car, but its still much less than you'd be 'spending' on depreciation if you sold her and bought something newer.

My vote is to spend the money (if you trust the mechanic).

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Just picked it up, Just had a run about in it, and it didnt make a single noise for about 40 miles.

He mentioned that Merc's (or just ones with my engine) didnt have an oil pressure adjusting valve or somthing so apart from relying on the oil warning light, or dismantling the engine they cant check it...
I think I will keep driving it and see what happens...

With my mortage, I cant afford to spend £600-£700 to basically dianose a problem


Next time it makes the noise, I think I will record a video clip so you guys can hear it & give your opinions

 

[Ian B Walker]

To the untrained eye it sounds as if your oil pump could be the cause. Not a hard job to do in a well equiped garage. Just have to lift the engine 3 inches, remove the sump, unfasten the chain drive to the oil pump and replace the pump 2 or 3 bolts if I remember correctly.

 

[Dieselman]

I think the noise could be external to the engine block and making the engine resonate. I'd be checking the viscous coupling, the belt pulleys and tensioner and the alternator bearings.