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Re: Tapping noise at idle
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Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Thu, 21 Mar 2002 13:02:27 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: Tapping noise at idle, Peter [Profile/Gallery] , Thu, 21 Mar 2002 11:22:52
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There are A LOT of things that can cause a tapping noise. I assume we're talking about a tapping from the engine compartment, that increases with engine speed, and my dissapear at higher speed.

Get a couple of feet of hose - I use some old garden hose, but any hose an inch or so in diameter will do. Hold one end to your ear, and move the other end around the engine compartment to localize the noise.

Places I would expect to hear noise would be from the cam cover and the fuel rail/fuel injectors.

If you have a 16 valve engine, tapping from the valve cover may be a lazy hydraulic tappet. The self-adjusting valves use oil pressure to adjust, and some get noisy a low oil pressure when idling or when cold. This is not a problem. The other noise from the valve cover/cam area could be the timing chain. Now, this *might* be a problem. Usually a timing chain problem doesn't sound like a tap, it sound more like a clatter. But it could be a high spot on the chain is hitting the upper valve guide. That's not serious. The only question would be the integrity of the chain, and that really can't be determined by sound - it requires inspection. If it's just a tap, I would let it be and drive the car.

Of course, make sure your oil level is correct, and do an oil change before going - that can quiet and engine.

If you hear tapping from the fuel rail or fuel injectors, don't worry. They get noisy but still work fine. There is a device called the fuel damper whose job it is to damp out pulses in the fuel line as the injectors open and close. It's sole purpose is to quiet things. If the damper gets old, you'll get a tapping noise, but it's just annoying, not serious.

Isolate the sound, and go from there. A good mechanic would do no more to start.

Good luck!

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