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Model specific boards => Golf mk3 => Topic started by: joehb10 on 19 September 2010, 20:46
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ive now added a video link with audio of the knock! Please watch and listen and let me know your views!!
Thank you so much guys!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA0e-Eeh9bs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA0e-Eeh9bs)
I have a 1997 1.4 golf, which i brought for 400 pounds about a month ago. so far no issues, apart from the knocking noise coming from the engine. it knocks at idle, and when i just stood still in neutral, the knocking will increase as i rev the engine, up until about 2500 revs then you dont hear the knocking abymore, just the engine reving, which sounds good- how its supposed to sound.
Under load, accelerating you can hear the knocking worst of all. Ive been to several garages, and even took a mechanic with me to check the car when i brought it. he said it sounds like tappets or at least, the top end, and that its a sound car. i also asked a garage near my flat and they said its piston slap, and that it needs a new engine- £600 was their quote. Today i asked another mechanic whom i know and trust as he serviced my old car regularly, and he said i shouldnt worry abotu it, he said hes almost certain its the lifter tapping away.
ANYWAY i was reassured when he said that, but driving it today and listening to it, i dont think it sounds like tappets. Its a high is pitched knock 'chack, chack, chack chack...'' and its as if its coming from the area of the engine on the driver side, near to the exhaust manifold. there is a broken bolt on the manifold in this area, but its still well attached to the block and this is not a leaking manifold sound... and i cant feel any gas escaping from the area. when im coasting the car in neutral you can barely hear it...
im sorry to go on. its just that i really love this car in every way and dont want this to all end badly...!
I would really appreciate your input.
BTW, this knock is fairly loud. when im driving down the street, people turn to look at the car, as its quite loud. When i get out of the car and leave the engine on, and walk away, i realise its loud too. the engine is very sound. Just the loud knock!
Please advise...
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Bearings?
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You mean big end bearing?...
The one thing that scares me is the prospect that i could be driving along one day, 80 miles from home, and it just dies, and then im screwed...
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1) Not a tappet
2) Main, big end or small end bearing in trouble
3) stop using it and get it fixed if it lets go it will cost you loads more.
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could it not just be piston slap?? thats what i was praying it was.
as i though piston slap is not such a major issue?...
thanks
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could it not just be piston slap?? thats what i was praying it was.
as i though piston slap is not such a major issue?...
thanks
Well if it is a piston I would still not keep using it.
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I had that with my Celica. ended up just scrapping it in the end :/
If it is the Big Ends then its a tough job to do your self, but not impossible, i would just go and get a GT :)
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That makes me sad... How long did you keep the celica going before scrapping it then?
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about a month. I changed the bearings but one of the pistons had been scored so could not be assed with rebuilding the complete engine.
Do a compression test, this could rule out slapping as this would lower the compression I think :S
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ok so lets say i do a compression test and theres no loss, would that suggest big end problems?...
BTW oil consumption is almost non existant. Had an oil change 600 miles -ish ago and oil level is fine. No smoke out the back, or anything, just the knock...
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The problem is that if it the bearings then there is no real way to tell, bar the sounds, and as wayne said, they will eventually go, and that would be a complete rebuild :/
Only way to find out for sure it to look :/
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Have you determined where it is coming from? i.e:
Rocker cover
Head
Upper block
Lower block
Sump
Tensioner/Rollers
Pumps
Get a long screwdriver and put the tip on each component above and place your ear on the handle. Wherever the sound is louder you'll know what area to target.
As said by everyone - you cannot be sure until you have a look and ideally you don't want to drive it incase matters are made worse.
Don't stress just yet dude - until you know what you are dealing with there is no point. Been there with my Mk2 tappets, one sounded like it was hitting the rocker cover.
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Can you make a video of it??It may help us to help you a bit more.Many of us have been around these engines for years so you never know
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Hi, your engine is a short block A series engine, Its piston slap! Its when the piston rocks from side to side slightly on the up and down strokes. Its pretty normal to be honnest, all the later 16v engines in the polo and MK4 golf also do it.
My Old 1.4 did it badly, very heavy knocking under load, Worse when cold, Almost totally goes away when decelerating, Sound about right?
Anyway before i did my engine swap for a 16v gti engine i ragged the living crap out of my 1.4, i had it on the limiter for 10 mins at a time, After taking it out and stripping it down there was only very slight ovaling of the bores and the pistons looked fine, so its nothing to worry about.
Its almost certainly piston number 3, The only cure is a new piston, and the only time to start woryying is if its a clackety banging noise and missfiring or a loud clicking noise/burning oil badly. Any to be honnest it would take a lot of hard abuse to get it to that point.
I recomend living with it, and keep up regular oil changes as per service schedule.
Hope that helps a bit. :smiley:
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Rmachines, your spot on with the part about not knocking on deceleration. Thank you rmachines for that reply, by the way, ive taken a video with audio of the engine today. The engine was run for about 40 mins while driving home so this is the normal idling sound really of the car...thanks
check out video link below...! What you think...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA0e-Eeh9bs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA0e-Eeh9bs)
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sounds like top end to me
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Yea, it sounds a bit top end ish in the video there but its deffo the typical AEX piston slap there, and that's not a bad case of it by any means
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_bOFOy-3Ic&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_bOFOy-3Ic&feature=related)
I know that vid is a different engine but that is the typical piston slap noise, and even when that loud its still not going to suddenly fail Its less chattery and more of a knock if its just the one piston like in your case.
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I think your mad to keep running it sounding that bad.
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Since working for honda i must have serviced 10 accords with the F20Z1 engine and some of those have just sounded awful! Honda dealer technical say "Its due to the manufacturing process and does not require attention" And that's coming from honda! Never heard of one failing, doubt any of the master techs have either.
Anyway, same case with the golfs. Mine did it, my brothers 1.4 16v does it several i have appraised at work have done it, and i hear polos and other golfs regularly with heavy piston slap (all AEX AEE and AE series blocks) None of those are going to blow up any time soon. Mine did 40k miles and never got any worse, and after stripping it down, there was only very slight play, More than anything its down to the design of the block making it louder than what it really is. So unless its burning oil or misfiring it aint worth forking out for. And 90% chance a 2nd hand engine will sound exactly the same! Just keep up services and watch for lack of power/slight misfire and heavy oil usage.
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Out of interest, have you had the oil pressure checked?
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Bearings?
sounds like alty try running without belt to check alt idler and sutch