Hi all,

I was just wondering if anyone could shed any light on a little problem I have on my 2000 Brava 1.6sx please.

I came home from work a couple of nights ago, and I could hear a regular ticking noise coming from what appeared to be the drivers side of the engine / behind the rev counter area. I thought at first it might have been an hydraulic inlet/exhaust valve on its way out, But when I got to work today I could hear it again. So I popped the bonnet and the clicking sounded like it was coming from inside the wing instead of the engine. If I put my ear next to the gap around the washer bottle the sound is quite loud. Its also a regular clicking ( 2 or 3 times a second) and does not seem to vary with the speed of the engine, Though it does not appear to make the noise at idle at all.

So i'm wondering whether the Purge valve on the emission control cannister is on its way out, or whether its supposed to open and close at that frequency and I have just never heard it before. The noise doesnt start until I am nearly home and it has warmed up, and if I stop the engine for a few minutes and then drive it again the noise goes away.

Cheers for any advice.

thats bloody weird, but you're right to suspect the valve on the fuel vapour filter canister. see if removing the petrol cap stops the ticking.

Never thought of taking the cap off...

But it was the same last night, So I tried disconnecting the pipe that goes from the cannister to the inlet manifold at the quick release valve, and the clicking stopped. Reconnected it again and the clicking started. So I think perhaps the valve is on its way out.

Its just passed it's MOT so i'm going to leave it and see how it goes. Its going for a service in another 3000 miles, so if it holds out until then and is still doing it I will ask. The only thing that bothers me is if I start getting a vacuum in the tank and it starts causing problems, But I guess I can just undo the pipes under the bonnet to get me home.

I tried taking the cap off tonight, but it didnt stop the ticking. The car sat all morning so I took the filler cap off and there was a hiss as I unscrewed it as the pressure was released.

It sat all afternoon and evening, So when I got home tonight I opened it again and there was no hiss. So I assume that the valve is working, just not properly!

dont worry the hiss is perfectly normal.

since removing the fuel cap did not stop the clicking you know the problem is not due to pressure, so replacing the valve is a safe bet.

is it bad to remove the canister completely, and what can happen if you do as i have had mine disconnected for a while.

you wont notice the difference in mpg, and the environment doesnt matter, but make sure the valve is still fitted to the hose so you wont create a vacuum leak.