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MG MGF Technical - New baby has tappet noise :o(

Hi All - I picked up my new (to me anyway) MGF a week or so ago and I've noticed the engine tapping when starting from cold. Didn't notice it when I bought it :o( I took a look at the earlier thread regarding this subject and some of what was said rings true.

I got a 1996 VVC with 11K (genuine) miles on the clock - so it seems like the hydraulic tappets have become a bit gummy. WHen the engine's hot, the noise tends to go away (or reduce in volume quite significantly)

Solutions?: The MGF is under gauruntee from the dealer where I bought it - do you think it's worth going back and asking them to sort it? (It's a MG Rover main dealership)

If not - would you recommend a good engine flush and refilling with a good synthetic oil, say Mobil1?

Hmmmm ... not sure.

Apart from that - fantastic car - love it.

Thanks!

Pete
Pete

Hi Pete,

My new 1.8i 2001 F does the same thing. When its cold it makes a really obvious tappet type sound (not unlike the old 85 toyota corona's).

I asked the service department about it when I had the car in the shop the other day (and when they reversed it into the hoist- sigh).

The mechanic said that the ticking noise is something to do with a mechanism pumping oil up into the motor, which goes away after the engine is warm because the oil has circulated.

I don't know how accurate this is, but I certainly notice the sound goes away when the car warms up.

Maybe someone can confirm/deny this explanation?

regards,
David Crawford

Pete,
How full is the oil (test when cold), if it is nearing the min mark then the engine gets significantly more noisy.

Will
Will Munns

Hi Will - the engine oil is tip top (it was serviced only last week)

David - did the mechanic say it was the oil pump making the noise? I have to confess that I've never heard a noisy oil pump before. Or was it because whilst the engine is left standing, all the oil drains back to the sump, therefore leaving the top end 'dry and ticking' until the oil recirculates ...


Thanks
Pete

Pete

I had tappet noise on my 97 VVC.
When cold it was very noticeable, and not much better when hot. When the Head Gasket eventually went, upon strip down they found one of the tappets beginning to break up - hence the rattling/tapping.

Paul
Paul Lane

Pete,

It seems that this engine is quite noisy at idle, particularly when cold - not that far off diesel proportions!! Certainly very noticeable on my 2000 VVC and it seems on many others too.

Chris
Chris

All Audi TTs sound like diesels when they start up.

And on thread... my VVC has always sounded a bit "ticky" from cold. I've never worried about it. Sounds the same after the head has been off and examined (for other reasons).

P.
Paul Nothard

My Trophy 160 is the same - engine ticks when cold. I spoke to Mike Satur about it at one of the NMGO meets eariler this year, and he said that it could be the oil that needed changing. I did get it changed, but it still makes the noise when cold.
However, from others I have spoken to with newish cars, the VVC does seem to make a bit of a noise when cold, so I'm not going to worry about it.
Cheers
Paul
PK51VDL - Yellow Trophy
Paul

Pete,

Yes, thats it. The mechanic said that when the car has been sitting for awhile, the oil drains to the bottom. The ticking sound is some pumping device (he called it a hydraulic system, but I think he was trying to use laymans terms to me rather than a factual name) which pumps the oil up into the motor upon ignition.

He said the reason it goes away is after the oil has pumped through the engine i.e. has warmed up, it gradually fades out as it stops pumping.

This is consistent with the behaviour I've noticed, so I took it as correct.

I hope this helps.

regards,
David Crawford

As long as they don't get loud/noisier as time goes by, it should be alright. And yes I have a tiny tappety noise. All the time.
Hanah Kim

David

The standard internal combustion engine has to have valves to let the fuel/air mix in and the exhaust out of the cylinders where it has 'done its stuff'. These valves are operated by a means of cams and followers - it varies from engine type to engine type - but there is normally an adjustable pad between the valve and the cam (and pre overhead cam shaft engines a push rod was used) and sometimes this pad is 'pumped up' with oil to eliminate the clatter from these rapidly opening and closing valves. On most of these so called hydraulic tappet type engines the oil will drain from the tappets located on the cylinder head, where the valves are, when the engine is not running. On restarting the engine the oil will be forced back into the tappets but untill it fully fills the cavities a clatter or tapping noise will be heard which in itself should not be harmful - however the noise should go away once the engine is warm and if it does not then this probaly indicates a gummed up oil way or such.

Ted
Ted Newman

All - thanks for the replies and info. I won't be worrying about it anymore as it seems to be a 'feature' of the engine.

Thanks again
Pete
Pete

If it ticks when hot, I would take it back. With low mileage cars it is quite likely that the hydraulic tappets/cam followers (or one of them) is noisey. The will replace all of them as it is difficult to determine which one is faulty.

Happened on mine 11 months old and 6k miles. They told me that for low mileage cars the oil should be changed every 6 months to stop any clogging up.

Steve
Steve

Steve is correct if the noise is present when still hot or on hot start up then you may have tappet/head problems. My tappets, then a week later, the head was replaced by Rover after a few hundred miles. Bad workmanship on the head channels.
Hunter

My 1997 vvc sounds like a diesel at tickover both hot and cold. It has been stripped down under warranty. Found nothing, better for a week then back to diesel. I now ignore it.
GJ

This thread was discussed between 17/07/2002 and 19/07/2002

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