Hello Forum
While driving along minding my own business, suddenly noticed a rather loud tapping noise on my 1.2 8V 60S, my engine is not the quitest so this got my attension.
Popped bonnet where it sounded loud, seems to be coming from inside of the r/h side of rocker cover.

Sounds like a single tap, tap, tap constantly, metal to metal sound, goes up and down with the revs.

Got home removed cover no broken parts no metal bits lying around (good news)

Tried to remove the 3 bolts that hole the oil supply pipe but could not budge them !!! are they standard threads (anti clockwise to undo) or are they torqued so tight that a standard spanner would not do the job.

If there torqued up maybe to risky to try to undo, anyone done this ?

I just wanted to remove this pipe to see if there is a blockage on the r/h side.

I have a basic socket set plus some ring spanners here so maybe not the right kit.

Thanks for any help.

If they're the bolts I think you mean, they also hold down the cam shaft (with the other 3 bolts, plus 2 on the right hand side by the coil pack, making a total of 8, pic below) so will be fairly tight. However those 3 bolts probably shouldn't be removed without the other 5 at least being loosened, but then essentially the camshaft will no longer be secured down and will be pushed up with the force of the valve springs below.

75sx cylinder head but assume it's the same?


Not sure of 'proper procedure' but would guess that the timing belt should be slackened and taken off the camshaft pulley, then the camshaft (along with the oil squirter pipe) can be removed. You'll then just have to be careful not to mess up the timing but that should be simple enough.

Hope that makes sense, good luck anyway!

I Don't know that engine, but it sounds like a failed hydraulic lifter/tappet. First thing would be to check the valve clearances before you take anything apart. Ebay item 232082523811 may be the right lifter.

Robert G8RPI.

kazer92 & g8rpi
Thanks for the photo, yes mine looks close to your photo, thanks for the replys and the advice/infos also ... today I made up a transparent plastic cover to fit over the cam shaft so I could check to see if oil was being supplied to the cam while engine running.

To my horror no oil came out of the supply pipe not a drip along the whole pipe length !!!

No oil waring light comes on !!! what I can see is the remains of oil below the cam shaft on the head so must have been supplying oil at least till I got home (10 miles)

Had to stop looking as gale force wind here and I am in the open isnt it always the case when you need a break never happens :bang:

So I dont know my next move or what to try.

well no warning light means there is oil pressure.. its just not getting to the cam squirter holes......

So need to get that off. As kazer said the bolts hole the cam caps on so you will need to undo all of them, don't need to come out completely unless you want to inspect the bearing surfaces for wear - just crack them all loose so the camshaft doesn't get stressed. Do the 2 middle ones first, then move to the outer ones. Once they all cracked loose you can undo the 3 holding the squirter tube in and remove it.. Stick that in a bath of paraffin over night, that should clear it out completely.

Before you reassemble i would drop the timing belt off, disconnect the crank sensor and turn car over a few times - oil should come up the middle bolt where the oil squirter tube bolts in. You really do need to take timing belt to stop the cam spinning for this, and the disconnecting the crank sensor will stop it firing the plugs and injector. Its a non interference engine so it won't hurt the valves or anything.
If you don't want to do that then you could just stick it all back together (torque settings for cam caps are in the haynes manual, plenty of places you can download that if you don't have one) and start car and check the squirter is squirting.

At that point even if it is I would drop the oil, fill with some cheapy stuff and add some engine flush - follow the instruction as to how long to leave it running. Then drain and change oil filter and refill with oil. Its prob got a fair amoutn of sludge in it if the oil squirters have got blocked.

Its hassles but really if you set aside a day to mess with it there is nothing that hard here... You may as well fit a new rocker cover gasket while you have it apart. And as g8rpi suggest it would also be a good time to check valve clearance, again thats all in they haynes.

Let us know how you get on.

Thanks blu73 for the reply.
Today unplugged the oil pressure plug from behind the filter as a test to see if the warning light works ... engine started nothing on the dash showed, I have only handbrake, battery & injector lights on the r/h side of dash that have ever lit up.

I dont know where the oil warning light is located on the dash ? but there must be a warning light there somewhere, maybe the bulb has failed ?

So now I am not sure even if the oil pump is working, had the oil / filter changed about nine months back and only done 1,500 miles since so the oil is good

Looks like I will have to buy a torque wrench to do this properly, as I said I tried to free the oil pipe bolts but realized they were so tight that they had been torqued, I have a Haynes manual so will look for info there.

I take your various points about the cam being under torque with the timing belt on and not to stress it when freeing those bolts.

I have made a copy of all the points given here for when I can get to tackle it.

If anyone knows where the oil pressure light is on the dash please let me know, thanks.

If anyone knows where the oil pressure light is on the dash please let me know

Click to expand...

There should be a red oil can to the immediate right of the battery light, like in the picture here.

Also, in case it's of any use to you, there's a download of the cluster electrics (in French) here.

The red "oil can" light should illuminate when ignition is turned on and go off when oil pressure increases on engine start up. What lights come on when you turn the key?

Thanks for the reply's
My dash looks very different from the one posted here, the three red lights are similar in the right lower part of the dash but there's no oil can light.

The only lights on when ignition turned is injector, battery & handbrake light thats it maybe there is a light on that cluster with a oil can I will have a closer look.

There must be a oil pressure light on that dash but I have not seen it will do a better check.

My Punto is a 1998 1.2 60s has no temp gauge only a warning light if it overheats.

Thanks for the help

Put up a picture of your dash, do you have access to an oil pressure gauge?

Peter034 said:

Thanks for the reply's
My dash looks very different from the one posted here, the three red lights are similar in the right lower part of the dash but there's no oil can light.

Click to expand...

Is yours the cluster with the large clock in place of the rev counter? That's the only one I know of without a temp gauge. If you have a manual with the car it has a section on the instrument panel and what light is where, unfortunately I recently sold my Punto so I no longer have a manual to check.

pic from the punto hand book [emoji1303]

tbh i think its most likely the bulb has just gone. As said by someone above it should come on when the ignition is switched on, being that the sensor gets power and there is no oil pressure until you start the car. Check the bulb, just swap it for one that you know works at first - if it still doesn't light up maybe the sensor has failed (pretty rare but possible).

There is a slim possibility you actually have no oil pressure but thats worst case at this point and probably least likey problem. Oil looking new still after 1.5k is pretty normal and it wouldn't have driven 1.5k if you had no oil pressure without properly destrying itself.

You won't need a torque wrench to undo it, infact its probably bad for a torque wrench to use it to undo stuff.. Just get a socket and a ratchet on it - stick an extension on the handle if you can't undo it or give it a firm tap with a hammer, use a 6 sided socket rather than 12 if its really being stubborn as it far less likely to round off. You will need a torque wrench to put it back but you can strip it all down and clean everything first if you don't have one to hand immediately