Zafira - clattering.

[witchy]

On Christmas Eve, I jumped into the car and noticed that the temp was - 8 degrees, the car started no problem though it did sound a little rough.

I drove into town and noticed that I had no heating and that my engine temp had rocketed up into the red. I pulled over, popped my bonnet and checked my hoses, sure enough a big thick hose feeding the radiator had popped off and all my coolant was pouring onto the road - I couldn't have had enough anti-freeze in it I suppose and as the water froze and expanded it must have popped the clip on the hose.

I pulled into a garage, reattached the hose, filled the car with fresh water and added 1 Litre of anti-freeze (£9 for a litre!), I checked for leaks and drove off.

My engine temp returned to normal, and after having to make another stop to bleed air from the system my heating returned and I was dead chuffed with myself

So, now the car is running at normal temps and I have heating again, but my engine sounds like a tank - and a broken tank at that!

When I start I hear an awful clattering, it gets worse if I rev the engine but almost goes away if I rev over 4000 rpm, my oil pressure light comes on from time to time yet when I check my oil level when the engine is cold it is just below the MAX marker.

I had treated myself to a big 5L bottle of Castrol GTX a while ago but that ran out during the summer, so from the summer until now I had been running the car with supermarket brand engine oil, could my problem be caused by shit oil? :err:

 

[smirnoff_rules]

No . The problem was u where to tight to put antifreeze in when u changed the rad 6 months back ...

 

[dogtoffee]

When you take the oil cap off is it covered in a gunk? change the oil m8 them engines don't run the best on cheap oil.

 

[davidh]

On Christmas Eve, I jumped into the car and noticed that the temp was - 8 degrees, the car started no problem though it did sound a little rough.

I drove into town and noticed that I had no heating and that my engine temp had rocketed up into the red. I pulled over, popped my bonnet and checked my hoses, sure enough a big thick hose feeding the radiator had popped off and all my coolant was pouring onto the road - I couldn't have had enough anti-freeze in it I suppose and as the water froze and expanded it must have popped the clip on the hose.

I pulled into a garage, reattached the hose, filled the car with fresh water and added 1 Litre of anti-freeze (£9 for a litre!), I checked for leaks and drove off.

My engine temp returned to normal, and after having to make another stop to bleed air from the system my heating returned and I was dead chuffed with myself

So, now the car is running at normal temps and I have heating again, but my engine sounds like a tank - and a broken tank at that!

When I start I hear an awful clattering, it gets worse if I rev the engine but almost goes away if I rev over 4000 rpm, my oil pressure light comes on from time to time yet when I check my oil level when the engine is cold it is just below the MAX marker.

I had treated myself to a big 5L bottle of Castrol GTX a while ago but that ran out during the summer, so from the summer until now I had been running the car with supermarket brand engine oil, could my problem be caused by shit oil? :err:

bigends by the sound of it

 

[witchy]

No . The problem was u where to tight to put antifreeze in when u changed the rad 6 months back ...

Ha, actually I did, but it was only what I could find in the backof the shed

I knew it wasn't enough and I kept reminding myself to top it up,but I never did.

So is that it, time for the scrapper?

@Dogtoffee, no mate, no water in the oil, oil is nice and clean, no gunk.

 

[witchy]

bigends by the sound of it

Isn't the big end a loud deep knocking?

Also it goes away at different revs :err:

Wouldn't the big end knock from the moment the engine powered up until turned off?

 

[davidh]

Isn't the big end a loud deep knocking?

Also it goes away at different revs :err:

Wouldn't the big end knock from the moment the engine powered up until turned off?

the only other ones are small end knock or piston slap

 

[dogtoffee]

@Dogtoffee, no mate, no water in the oil, oil is nice and clean, no gunk.

I have a meriva m8 had a noise like what you are describing this time last year, was using cheap oil, an engine flush and oil change fixed it. It would be worth a try.

 

[witchy]

the only other ones are small end knock or piston slap

When I'm looking at the car from the front, all the noise seems to be coming from the left hand side of the engine compartment.

@ Dogtoffee, as soon as I get a dry day I'll be replacing the filter and oil mate, but these noises are freaking ouot, it doesn't sounds like an oil change will help.

I think smirnoff has hit the nail on the head, now it's just a case of working out what I've destroyed.

 

[smirnoff_rules]

When I'm looking at the car from the front, all the noise seems to be coming from the left hand side of the engine compartment.

@ Dogtoffee, as soon as I get a dry day I'll be replacing the filter and oil mate.

water pump is knackered then m8 and the belt might of jumped too and the pump would of been froze for a few seconds

 

[witchy]

water pump is knackered then m8 and the belt might of jumped too and the pump would of been froze for a few seconds

Water pump, that sounds easy

What checks can I make mate, if you don't mind.

 

[Mr Parsnip]

water pump not so easy mate not mif it was anythjing like my vectra's.


get a manual and start looking

 

[wiz569]

Surely if it was the water pump the engine would be overheating again by now?

 

[Rs2k_Rider]

Surely if it was the water pump the engine would be overheating again by now?

depends mate, if the bearings are on the way out... then would make noise.


What I think would of happened is the cheap oil got so hot that it went very thin, thus was useless... this would of caused wear on parts pretty quickly.

if water pump bearings were worn anyway, thats all that it would of needed to knacker em.

 

[davidh]

depends mate, if the bearings are on the way out... then would make noise.


What I think would of happened is the cheap oil got so hot that it went very thin, thus was useless... this would of caused wear on parts pretty quickly.

if water pump bearings were worn anyway, thats all that it would of needed to knacker em.

how come the bearing where ok untill the engine over heated
i dont think its the bearings
but if the water pump is at fault
the engine will still over heat

may be the vains on the pump have broken away
that is what is making the racket

 

[Rs2k_Rider]

how come the bearing where ok untill the engine over heated
i dont think its the bearings
but if the water pump is at fault
the engine will still over heat

may be the vains on the pump have broken away
that is what is making the racket

might not be the bearings mate, but when oil gets very hot it gets very thin and breaks down... so would not of been providing decent lubrication. If the bearings were worn anyway but not showing it, this would cause them to fail..

TBH, its could be anything lol....

 

[witchy]

I've made a recording of me starting the engine, I just need to find my bluetooth adapter and I'll upload it.

If the car still starts 1st time everytime, then is this a sign that things might be not as bad as they could be?

My Engine Management light came on today.

Everyone is telling me NOT to drive the car until it has been looked at, but I really don't have that luxury, I need to drive the car daily I have no other option.

I'm off to find the Bluetooth thingy....

 

[dogtoffee]

I've made a recording of me starting the engine, I just need to find my bluetooth adapter and I'll upload it.

If the car still starts 1st time everytime, then is this a sign that things might be not as bad as they could be?

My Engine Management light came on today.

Everyone is telling me NOT to drive the car until it has been looked at, but I really don't have that luxury, I need to drive the car daily I have no other option.

I'm off to find the Bluetooth thingy....

If the noise is coming from the water pump don't drive it m8. if it decides to lock up it will break the timing belt. The water pump is not hard to do it's a couple of hours work, just make sure you line the timing marks up before you take the belt off. Any time I do one I mark the back timing belt cover and pulley with tip-x.

 

[Joe1989]

Dosnt sound like the waper pump to me, If the temps been right up into the red, for a while the oil would be rewined causeing the engine to start to seize! I think its either bigends, small ends that damaged!

 

[JIMLCHIPIT]

I think these have cam chains as opposed to belts so this is a likely fault