Uh Oh... engine noises!

[Nuova500]

Couple of weeks ago I noticed the Pandas engine was sounding harsh at cold start ups. Then it started knocking loudly from the top for around 15 to 20 seconds, getting louder under load! This wasnt happening everyday, but eventually it did it every morning. Then, it started doing it when only left a few hours, it sounds hydraulic tappety, but is loud and only seems to be one of them judging by the noise. I knew if I paid a dealer visit and left the car with them the phone call would go, cant hear anything sir, its probably nothing!!! But it is loud, so today, I changed the oil as the cars done nearly 10k... will see tommorow if its OK?

 

[Steven]

It's a 1.2 8v engine right? If so then my old Punto which had the same engine was very tappety. It was like that more or less from new. I had it at the dealer but they said it was fine.

 

[wolfracepunto]

Mine ticks and makes many other noises, but when its cold its much louder, so you're not alone

 

[Nuova500]

yeah, thats the one, but this noise is loud and heavy. Im sure its a tappet but it sounds horrendous, Ive had Fire engines before and non were like this. Ill see in the morning if the oil change has cured it, if not then Ill be a wee bit concerned!

 

[Scorg]

Mines been doing that since it started to get bloody cold out there, while the car is heating up for the first few minutes.
The Rover was identical as well, all down to those hydraulic tappets.
First time I heard it on the brava I thought it was a bit OTT, as it was a very loud tick sound it was making, but after a bit of thought I realised its probably normal.
The last fire engine car ive used was a 1ltr Uno, Carb with manual tappets so its tech is a bit different to what ive got in the 1.2 now

 

[Nuova500]

this started when the weather cooled down, but my old cinq and sei were really quiet. A girl in our street has a mk1 Punto which sounds the same, but it goes away nearly straight off and sounds like all the tappets are bad, not just the one!

 

[space]

Turn up the tunes and ignore it

 

[Scorg]

this started when the weather cooled down, but my old cinq and sei were really quiet. A girl in our street has a mk1 Punto which sounds the same, but it goes away nearly straight off and sounds like all the tappets are bad, not just the one!

I cant really remember what my dads Punto mk1 was like, but it was used and abused and never serviced and if anyone remembers when I first joined the forum, its lower end of the engine was knocking (110k on that and only serviced twice since 60k !!).

Anyhow, the noise does go away after a couple of mins does it?
As it does disapear after a minute or two here

 

[Nuova500]

yep, goes away after about 20 seconds, after reading this lot Im not so worried now! Cheers!

 

[Liam]

You should flush the engine and also replace the filter to get the full effect.

Liam

 

[steviepab]

i used to have an escort that did that!! I got the tapits tightened and it all stoped!! She went quiet and still was when i sold her!! not to sure about Christine tho bc my exaust takes away the sound of my engine!!

 

[Nuova500]

blooming car was even noisier this morning!!!! Oh well, think Ill ignore it, after all it does have a warranty!

 

[Nuova500]

spoke to a dealer today about this, the service manager has been with Fiat for 30 years and says the noise sounds worrying and will have a listen after xmas. He says a slight rattle at start for a few seconds is OK but not what mines doing. Never had a fiat engine problem before either... wonder if the pennypinchers had anything to do with it!?

 

[MATTB1]

Noise you are describing sounds like piston slap, alot of the new fire engine suffer from this problem, if the noise dissapers after the engine starts to warm up, dont worry about it, if it is still there when it is warm, it could be more serious, the tappets on that engine are shim tappets (not hydraulic)

 

[Nuova500]

funny you should say that, its got worse, it now knocks for around 90 seconds, sounds terrible driving up the road! Its in dealer now awaiting a diagnosis.

 

[Nuova500]

Finally resolved, Fiat technical say it is piston slap and its a characteristic of the Fire engine. They say if it gets worse or does it when warm then bring it back. Apparently it wont do it when the weather warms up!

 

[Scorg]

that pretty much sums it up, mines only been doing it when its been utterly freezing. yet with a bit of milder weather it doesnt.
Could say that last week it did, this week it isnt

 

[beau]

they dont sound very reliable?

 

[Scorg]

trait of modern engines really.
When I had the rover, the way it was designed, when cold you thought somebody had swapped it for a diesel, but 5 mins later it was the smoothest engine going.
With the Brava, only found this out before christmas that its not a hydrolic tappit engine, I just assumed it was, since the noise would go after the same amount of time

 

[Nuova500]

Its weird, I have owned loads of ancient relics and older engines from the 1960s and even 70s seem so much quieter than modern ones from cold.