Rob Kay Posted July 24, 2001 Share Posted July 24, 2001 Not a good Day. I started my VX today after it had been standing for a week. There is now a loud tick tick noise from the engine which speeds up or slows down with the revs. I think its a sticky tappet if so how do I mend it. Thanks Very much for your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenny. Posted July 24, 2001 Share Posted July 24, 2001 Rob, I too had this problem when I was on hydraulic lifters, I changed the oil pressure relief valve, then fitted new steel oil pump gear, I guessed oil pressure was wavering, and guage was becoming erratic on idle.....bugger still knocked. Problem is discovering which one is duff....no chance!! I finally bought a complete new set.(£450 from Vauxhall), but I got the last set from Caterham at good price. It went a lot better , but if car stood for a while I'd get the knock again........I just reckon they take ages to pump up. If you need a spare set to see if there's any difference, if you're local (Lancs.) you can try mine....it's a 20 minute job to do. Sorry I've got no definate answer, but I don't think there is one. Kenny HPC PS one final thought......mobil 1 and quiet tappets don't mix....in my view Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFA Posted July 24, 2001 Share Posted July 24, 2001 If you run Mobil 1 0/40 you may get this problem. Comma SynerG 5/40 is a cheap solution if your engine is under about 240bhp otherwise Mobil 1 Motirsport 15/50 is the best option. Don't replace the tappetts - they are bulletproof. If you really wish to stop it for ever get the solid tappet conversion done. Much less expensive than new tappets. Arnie Webb So fat the chassis snapped....wink.gif See Fat Arnies 2 piece Seven here See the Le Mans Trip Website here See the Lotus Seven Club North Kent Website here Edited by - fat arnie on 25 Jul 2001 00:23:06 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Russell Posted July 25, 2001 Share Posted July 25, 2001 I find that my tappets tend to 'rattle' if the oil level is at all low, and now I tend to overfill it slightly and allow any excess to blow off into the catch tank. I would also agree with Arnie that Comma G seems better than Mobil 1 in the Vx engine. My engine has never run quieter or smoother than after swopping to CommaG.My tappets which always worried me previously are now silent! As an aside, CommaG also makes a great underseal, although it does smoke a lot! To explain, I went out for a blast on Sunday morning and whilst overtaking a 'Sunday Morning BMW Driver' at about 7000rpm in second the oil filter managed to detach itself. Boy did that BMW dissappear in a cloud of smoke!!! I cut the engine without any damage, but now have a car that is liberally coated with Comma's finest, and I mean coated! It's gone everywhere! At least I shouldn't suffer from a rust problem in the Winter!! Guess what I'm doing for the next few evenings..............yes, rags, jet washes etc, gunk and grime........ At least my tappets don't rattle. Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domster Posted July 25, 2001 Share Posted July 25, 2001 So, Andrew, what happened to the BMW behind you? Did he disappear in a cloud of smoke into a nearby hedgerow??!! ;-) Rgds Domster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Russell Posted July 25, 2001 Share Posted July 25, 2001 Judging by the quantity of oil spread all over my car, inside and out, I don't think there was much left for the road! At the speed the BMW was meandering along, I doubt if he was in any danger of 'going off'. Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domster Posted July 25, 2001 Share Posted July 25, 2001 I gather James Bond had a similar problem with his oil filter in Goldfinger! Q found a way of only keeping the oil on the road though ;-) Rgds Domster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony isherwood Posted July 25, 2001 Share Posted July 25, 2001 I smiled. I was that BMW driver ;o)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjc Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 Same problem with me. But I am having a lot of fun sorting it out. If it is a wet sump engine, one thing to try is ensure that there is a 5/16 gap between the bottom of the oil pick up pipe and the floor of the sump. You have to drop the sump and make an "L" shape with a bar of metal or wood which is the same depth as the floor of the sump. Remember to allow for the width of the gaskets and the bottom end separator plate. You can then measure the clearance and bend the pipe with a lever (big ring spanner) to a reasonable clearance. This relatively simple mod has been known to cure all sorts of VX engine ills - or so I'm told. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjc Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 Me Again ! If you want to identify the rogue hydraulic lifter, start and run the engine gently until all but the knocker will have pumped up. A couple of revs to moderate RPM shouldn't hurt. Stop engine, remove rocker cover and turn the engine by hand. As the camshafts turn to the closed position in sequence (i.e. the lobe pointing away from the hydraulic lifter tappet) push down on them with a piece of dowling. Don't use your finger 'cos they will be hot ! Any tappet not pumped up will be so soft that they will just plop up and down. By that stage they should be as hard as a rock. Removing the camshafts is a relatively simple job and you can then swap the tappets about and see if the problem moves with the tappets (bad tappets) or stays put (problem with the head). I'm at the prolem with the head stage, anyone out there got a spare head ?? PS It's pronounced Frankensteen OK ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Russell Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 Tony, Am I mis-reading your posting? It surely wasn't you who I overtook was it? Coincidences like that don't happen do they? And if it was, you might have stopped.......it took me ages to get my wife to arrive to tow me home! Anyway, apologies if your wipers streaked a little when you tried to clear the screen!! Rowland, I was aware of this problem with the oil pick-up pipe and checked the very same clearance just a month or so ago, when I replaced the foam baffle in the sump. Another thing to check for is that you have a 'tea-strainer' on the end of the pick up pipe to stop any crap getting sucked up from the sump.... Maybe I should have tightened the filter a little more when I reassembled it all.........................??????????? Good luck. Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjc Posted August 14, 2001 Share Posted August 14, 2001 Thanks. I am going to have the engine stripped and rebuilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Johnson Posted August 21, 2001 Share Posted August 21, 2001 Arnie, when you say that the tappetts are bullett proof, does that mean I am not damaging mine when I run it & it is tapping. Certainly I have a similar problem to those above, when the car has stood for a while I suffer, also if I rev it hard I notice it comes back for a while, I have this re-occuring dream of big bills. Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenny. Posted August 21, 2001 Share Posted August 21, 2001 Edited by - kenny on 21 Aug 2001 08:41:25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenny. Posted August 21, 2001 Share Posted August 21, 2001 Geoff, As I said in my contribution to the thread, my tappets knocked on and off for ages...sometimes they would knock from cold and sometimes they wouldn't, was always worse when I pulled off track and took helmet off....sounded like a really sick car. I changed everything I thought would make a difference.........pump, relief valve AND the tappets themselves....buggers still knocked when they felt like. Switched form 0/40 Mobil 1, and things improved......then somebody on this site mentioned overfilling slighly. I tried this.........probably about 6mm over max. line on stick............problem cured............could it be that dipstick is standard VX one that is not caliberated for Caterham sump, and as such we run too little oil......Caterham say no but mine is now sorted with 4 bar oil pressure all the time when hot, and 2 bar tickover. Might sound a bit daft but irrespective of what anyone says.......this has cured it. Kenny HPC PS No engine damage was sustained through them being noisey. Solid lifters are the way to go and a cheap fix, we've done a couple of sets retaining the standard buckets and machining our own inserts....very cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Johnson Posted August 21, 2001 Share Posted August 21, 2001 Cheers Kenny, I will add some oil & keep going. Stress over for today. Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFA Posted August 21, 2001 Share Posted August 21, 2001 You don't need solid lifters unless you are revving over 8250rpm. Since my original posting I heard of Matthews disintegratingfoam baffle so its logical this could be restricting oil flow within the engine if it has broken up badly. Best option is to use a thicker oil and make sure you have the correct amount. Fat Arn See another FAT ARNIE here See a meaty Vauxhall car here See the Le Mans Trip Website here See the Lotus Seven Club North Kent Website here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenny. Posted August 21, 2001 Share Posted August 21, 2001 Most cam changes I've seen reccomend solid lifters, apart from QED 42H.......With regards to correct oil level, Caterhams specified fill does not coincide with full marker on dipstick........I've found perfect level to be above marker by quite a bit...is that normal? Kenny HPC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Johnson Posted August 28, 2001 Share Posted August 28, 2001 Cheers for your views on this. I have checked on the oil level & it was 1/2 way between full & empty, normally I would not have bothered to do anything about that, but following the advice on here about not having re-callibrated dip sticksI have now slightly overfilled it & all is fine smile.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjc Posted September 1, 2001 Share Posted September 1, 2001 Well folks - thank God for you lot. I've just overfilled the car by 5mm and my tapping has disappeared too. Goodness me Swindon Racing Engines ain't going to be pleased they wanted £2500 to test strip crack check and rebild it. Thanks pals, I owe you all a pint sometime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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