Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[venge]

Probably gonna sound pretty stupid to all you experts out there but as I'm not very mechanically minded i don't really want to mess with anything until i know for sure what it is.

I have a '99 2.5 V6 auto which was running fine when i bought it a few weeks ago but i have noticed lately that when i first fire it up and until it gets fully warmed up, there is a clicking noise that runs in time with the engine. It sounds almost like one of the spark plugs is hanging out or something.

As i said before i am not very mechanically minded and certainly new to V6's, anyone any idea what it might be and what i can do to fix it?  

[craig]

maybe tappets

[v6coop]

No question is stupid round here only not asking if you have one.

One of two things I suspect.

Either one or both of the exhaust manifold gasket has failed. At this age they were made from a composite material which looks like a thick tougher cornflake box cardboard (they are now made from several thin layers of metal). When the manifold warms up it expands and seals the gap where the exhaust gasses escape silencing the noise. Only way to cure long term is to replace the gasket(s) with a new metal one.

The second option would be a cam follower, these fill with oil when the engine is running and automatically reduces the gap between the cam lobe and it's corresponding valve optimising the opening and closing point of the valve and reducing the noise it makes. Some times the follower does not fill with oil properly and the gap is bigger than it should be making it noisy. When the oil eventually fills it quietens down. The poor filling can be due to failure to change the oil regularly so an oil change (or two) in short succession can help to cure this otherwise it needs to be replaced or cleaned and re-primed.

Neither are normally a serious hazard to the functioning or longevity of the engine, more of a nuisance. Sorting them is not cheap if entrusted to a garage but can be done yourself if you are reasonably competent but probably best done if sorting something else which requires work on the top half of the engine, which is more urgent.

Which side of the engine is it coming from and would you describe it as a sharp metallic noise like big ball bearings banging together or a deeper mechanical sound coming from within the engine?

[venge]

Hey guys, thanks for responding so quickly.

The noise appears to be coming from the left hand side of the engine as you are looking at it from the front. It's more of a sharp metalic noise, almost like a static spark sort of sound.

Not sure i would be competent enough to try either of the suggestions you made  myself so may have to go down the expensive route and take it into a garage to have it done.

Thanks again for your suggestions, its really appreciated  

[dbug]

Had the same on mine - sounded like a cam follower.  Oil & filter change = complete cure in my case

[v6coop]

The noise appears to be coming from the left hand side of the engine as you are looking at it from the front. It's more of a sharp metalic noise, almost like a static spark sort of sound.

This sounds more likely to be the exhaust manifold gasket to me then. I had one on the same side which was blowing for 4 years before I fixed it recently. It had caused no obvious damage in that time just sounds bad until it warms up. It might be worth getting a garage to look at it for peace of mind (but frankly most of them don't have a clue about the Omega and the V6 in particular and quote silly prices to do anything). Where do you live? Worth filling in your profile as some helpful soul on here (and there are lots) might offer to have a look or even give you a hand to fix it if thats what you wanted.