Technical Noisy tappets??

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Technical Noisy tappets??

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Oct 4, 2007
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On start up I'm getting a real tapping / clicking from the top of the Barchetta engine. Oil level seems ok. Has anyone come across this before and any idea of a fix??

Thanks, Dan
 
Dan, if it goes away after a short while (minute or so) it may be the variator. Common (if not popular) noise.
 
We have this on our 2005 "B" with only 47K miles on the clock.

On start up rattles/tappets like mad. Within 5 odd seconds quietens down. Has been doing this for many K miles. It is 99.99% noisy hydraulic tappets draining down and thus have large valve clearances till they get pumped up again.

Variator "dieseling" / rattling will be persistent at idle and will slowly disappear as RPM is increased and then return again when idling.

Both are an annoyance, more so the variator as it never goes away, however no damage is being done except to your sanity/peace of mind.
 
Thanks both!

I'll take a video later and get that loaded up. We changed the variator a few years ago, and this is definitely a different noise. But it's not just for a few seconds... annoying!
 
Hi,
Definately sounds mechanical to me but it is very difficult to diagnose remotely. With my previous engine I had a similar dilema with knocking/tapping sound fom the top end. I thought variator, cam, hydraulic tappits etc, if I put my hand on the top of the engine I could feel the knock and the sound/knock increased with revs. Finally the car was diagnosed with big end failure (unusual) oil was never low. So I guess I am saying you probably need someone to physically look at the engine who is familiar with the engine and go from there.
I hope it is a simple repair for you.
Good luck, SteveD
 
Ooh! Don't like that! I would expect a 'big' end to be deeper in tone, that sounds 'top' end, but not quick enough for tappets. We had a similar noise last year with a corresponding drop in 'get up and go'. Took it to a main Fiat dealer who took the cover off to reveal the injector units and spark plugs (4 bolts, remove the oil filler cap and surround too to get it off) plug/injectors 1 and 2 not firing/firing erratically, diagnosed new injector units 4 of, but because we are about to shut for August come back in 4 weeks! Took it to a local chap who whipped the plugs out, found they had been sitting in dampness, dried everything out and put 4 new plugs in, now runs sweet as a nut!:eek:
 
Not tappets and not variator I'm afraid.

Almost certain it is not what follows either (might be worth checking though) but I mention for others as I've come across this before, and that is an incorrectly adjusted cam belt tensioner. On later Fiat (Post Uno, Punto onwards as a date guide) Fiat use sprung loaded "floating" tensioners. On an incorrectly adjusted one when the engine is cold(er) and rough(er) running then the tensioner can bang against either the upper or lower end stop (never both). This also cause a tapping/banding noise which will be of different intensities depending on how far out the tensioner positioning is.

In this case I would get my mechanics stethoscope out (or a long shaft screw driver with a nice large wooden flattish top handle) and start probing around to see if one can identify if there is and head or block location where the sound is more prominent.

Another diagnostic trick is to use a small filler funnel (3 inch) and on or two tubes into the ear and work you way around the engine and ancillaries listening. This is sometimes better than a stethoscope when it comes to some things as mechanical noises and frequencies travel exceedingly well through engine blocks/components making source location a lot harder than one would think.
 
Thanks all.

So, as a starter I thought it worth changing the spark plugs.. fairly straightforward and as it turned out, they looked pretty ropey anyway.

Turning on the car, I instantly thought it was fixed, however, the noise gradually reappeared. Don't think it was as loud though. Definitely from the head of the engine.

I left the car running and after a few minutes, and as the car got warm, the noise did disappear. Ran smoothly after a short while.

So.. could it be that as I haven't used the car for a few weeks, there was a lack of oil throughout? Not sure. I wasn't intending to use the car until at least March, so it will stay in the garage SORN'd until then. I'll then get it out and do a proper test when I can use it more regularly.
 
Turned the Barchetta on this weeek.. engine ran like a dream! bizarre. Clutch release bearing is a nightmare, so have decided to change the clutch. Getting that underway, will be a challenge.
 
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