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[jamescropley]

Happy New Year!

Unfortunately, mine is not as i have issues with my beloved omega.

Travelling back from Scotland earlier i noticed a horrible rattling sound coming from the engine. Pulled over at services to check it over and it sounds like a bag of nails rattling/massive knocking sound, whenever i accelerate although sits smooth when idle. Oil levels are fine and it literally started to happen with no warning signs.

Didn't want to risk driving so called out RAC. He said it could be the crankshaft...also noticed a pool of water on the floor when i had parked from the exhaust, smelt like almonds?? Is that coolant?

Anyhoo, just wondering what advice you could give me on this before i take it to the garage.

Many thanks!

[hotel21]

When was the cambelt and tensioner last changed?  Possible impending failure...

But could also be the aux belt tensioner failing.  Use a spanner to remove the tension on the tensioner (there will be a bit in the maint guides, go have a look for yourself, please...) and remove the serpentine belt.  If, when restarting the engine, there is still noise, switch it off, as its probably the timing belt and tensioner thats guff.  If the noise is gone, probable aux belt tensioner but remember, the water pump and other bits are driven by this belt so could also be one of them....

Give it a look in the morning and report back.   

[jamescropley]

Unfortunately, i cannot find the guide to do what you suggested so any help with the link would well, help )

The cambelt hasn't been changed whilst i have owned the car (17 months) and i have done around 20,000 miles in it.

I don't mean to sound rude but wouldn't the tensioner just give up rather than start to fail? I'm slightly ignorant in the mechanical department but from various bodies, ive been told hydraulic tappet faliure, big end, top end, broken rods etc...

Not sure wether its time to send the girl to the scrap yard in the sky....

[Entwood]

Tensioner pulley bearings fail, vwery easy to check as said above .. single spanner on the centre nut, 15 mm I think... take the tension, slip the belt off. On mine I never bothered to start the engine as I could feel the pulley was knackered as I tried to spin it !!!

Pulley on its own is available from VX .. don't take their crap that you need the whole tensioner .. just change the pulley. Same bolt just undo it a bit harder after you've taken  up the tension.  10 minute job.... if the belt is in good nick.  If the belt has got damaged its a tad longer ..

[RobG]

As above, check tensioner. Top L/H in pic of aux. belt routing

[dbr]

our tensioner bearing failed on the original engine. from 1st noise to complete failure was about 30 miles. wife stopped at shop the on restarting one big bang and many rattles as metal bits started to hit each other.  check the belts and bearings before starting. now I always change belt and pulleys at the same time (4yrs) as we only do about 6k / year

[Selseybill]

To stop the rattle turn the heating up and then your knee's will stop knocking together.
Seriously i hope it not to expensive to fix

[Kevin Wood]

Exhaust manifold blows can often sound like a knocking noise, and are very sensitive to engine load...

Kevin

[feeutfo]

from your description it sounds more seriuos than failed aux belt tenssioner to me. But i do hope i'm wrong.

Personally would not start the engine until the its been turned over by hand( ratchet on the crank pulley) with the cam belt cover removed so as to expose the tensioner and timing marks. If that looks ok crank it on the key with a quick flick, and see what you have, then go from there

[Bionic]

Hiya,
First thing I would look at, cos I had this trouble with mine, would be the Anti-Knock sensors. If one or both fail you will get a terrible clattering (known as 'pinking' or pre-ignition) as you accelerate which them goes away until you next accelerate.
They are not expensive to replace and not too difficult either.
My right side bank one had had its wire chafed through by it not being correctly routed by the previous owner after some work had been done. Fortunately I was able to repair it and so negate having to change it. Its never troubled me again now it is correctly routed!
Almondy smell from the exhaust usually indicates a catalytic converter on the way out! Have an emmissions test at a local garage. Water from the exhaust happens on mine too and is just condensation from the hot exhaust gasses hitting the colder air then turning back to water. Its why exhusts rot from the inside!
GudLuk

[jamescropley]

Hi guys.

I appreciate all the replies I have received concerning this matter.

I have checked the tensioner as described but everything seems ok.

The noise (if this helps) is coming from the top right of the engine casing. Only slight when idle but at revs gets louder and obviously more frequent.

If anyone is local (I'm in Grantham) I would gladly slip someone a tenner for a quick look and their opinion 

[TheBoy]

Hiya,
First thing I would look at, cos I had this trouble with mine, would be the Anti-Knock sensors. If one or both fail you will get a terrible clattering (known as 'pinking' or pre-ignition) as you accelerate which them goes away until you next accelerate.
They are not expensive to replace and not too difficult either.
My right side bank one had had its wire chafed through by it not being correctly routed by the previous owner after some work had been done. Fortunately I was able to repair it and so negate having to change it. Its never troubled me again now it is correctly routed!
Almondy smell from the exhaust usually indicates a catalytic converter on the way out! Have an emmissions test at a local garage. Water from the exhaust happens on mine too and is just condensation from the hot exhaust gasses hitting the colder air then turning back to water. Its why exhusts rot from the inside!
GudLuk

If the knock sensors (or most likely their wiring), the ECU detects this an retards the ignition to prevent preignition, and pops on the EML as well.  EML may not pop on until above 2k.

[TheBoy]

Hi guys.

I appreciate all the replies I have received concerning this matter.

I have checked the tensioner as described but everything seems ok.

The noise (if this helps) is coming from the top right of the engine casing. Only slight when idle but at revs gets louder and obviously more frequent.

If anyone is local (I'm in Grantham) I would gladly slip someone a tenner for a quick look and their opinion 

When you say tensioner checked, is that the aux tensioner or the cambelt tensioner?

[jamescropley]

Hi Guys,

Just to close to this question, i took the car to my garage yesterday and my crankshaft has buggered so being a 10 year old car, it has gone on ebay for spares etc. Too expensive to repair

Thanks for your help

[feeutfo]

Hi Guys,

Just to close to this question, i took the car to my garage yesterday and my crankshaft has buggered so being a 10 year old car, it has gone on ebay for spares etc. Too expensive to repair

Thanks for your help

sorry to hear James, but thought it was top end? what did he say? any details?