C180Sef
New Member
Good Evening all,
This is my 1st post on the forum - so, please be patient.... for a moment while I get my barings. No pun intended!
That said, this is not a particularly exciting post so if you're not interested in things Tappet related, then read no further. Thanks.
I am not an engineer and am only familiar with basic car maintenance.
I have owned my Mercedes (96 C-class, 1799 1.8 with 123k on the clock) for almost 5-years and whilst a good if not spectacular drive, it's not a car that has got better with age. It gets through a below average mileage per year of about 5-6,000 and has an annual service with an independent garage and does a mixture of short journeys and motorway miles every month.
It was last serviced about a month ago and nothing major, apart from two defective ball-joints on the front suspension.
It has suffered from the usual problems associated with a high-miler such as fluid leaks, blown gaskets, suspension problems and Noisy Tappets on several occassions.... The lifters have been replaced at least once, which has cost quite a bit of garage time and cash to rectify.
Before the latest episode of the 'dreaded ticking under the bonnet', the car had been idle for a few-days but had to be moved a short-distance from the road to my drive-way and subsequently the battery went flat.
The battery was charged and I drove the car for about 40-minutes on the M25 (at speeds of up to 70 Mph) and left it overnight; Only to find the Tappets ticking away the next morning! They were noisy, very persistant and with the cars history, frankly worrying!!
So, after ringing around a few garages - in the run up to Christmas - and being told politely to come back on January 5th, I thought I would have to live with my motor sounding like a Diesel for the duration of the festive period, or would I?
The only thing I could think of was that either the alternator wasn't charging, hadn't charged fully or maybe the engine hadn't been at a high enough temperature for long enough? Probably the latter, so I decided to switch the gear box from 'Economy' to 'Sport', which leaves the car in gear for longer and produces higher revs on the engine (30 to 40,000). Within 10-miles, the ticking noise had almost gone and after 20-miles it had stopped. Problem solved or Job done as they say.... Coincidence?
Here's what another forum had to say on the matter....
Question
I have a citroen zsara picasso 1.8 petrol. 4 days ago the engine started to produce a loud ticking noise. I had the car serviced and put an additive in during the oil change, things now seem ok. Is there an underlying problem? what would eventually happen if the noise came back? should I get anything replaced in the engine?
Answer
The lifter noise is common to cars that are driven long distances, allowed to sit for long periods, and not given frequent oil changes.
I would continue using the additive and also make routine oil changes at every 3 months or 2500 miles to keep the engine clean and happy.
After a while you can go back to a 3000 mile oil change and discontinue the use of the additive. The lifters are used to maintain a cushion between the valves and the valve train in you engine. They also act to lubricate the valve train during operation. The clacking you hear is when dirt and excessive wear prevent them from filling full of oil and maintaining their pressure.
The additive serves two purposes in that they thicken the oil and also add detergents to break up varnish and mineral deposits in the engine.
Thus allowing the lifters to fill and causing the noise to go away. If you are concerned about the problem regardless of if it will clear itself up with more frequent oil changes you will not detrimentally affect the engine by using the additive every time. Should the noise come back regardless of the additive you will need to have the lifters replaced. I am unable to offer an idea on cost and advise you to shop around a little before deciding who does the work.....
DISCUSS!
This is my 1st post on the forum - so, please be patient.... for a moment while I get my barings. No pun intended!
That said, this is not a particularly exciting post so if you're not interested in things Tappet related, then read no further. Thanks.
I am not an engineer and am only familiar with basic car maintenance.
I have owned my Mercedes (96 C-class, 1799 1.8 with 123k on the clock) for almost 5-years and whilst a good if not spectacular drive, it's not a car that has got better with age. It gets through a below average mileage per year of about 5-6,000 and has an annual service with an independent garage and does a mixture of short journeys and motorway miles every month.
It was last serviced about a month ago and nothing major, apart from two defective ball-joints on the front suspension.
It has suffered from the usual problems associated with a high-miler such as fluid leaks, blown gaskets, suspension problems and Noisy Tappets on several occassions.... The lifters have been replaced at least once, which has cost quite a bit of garage time and cash to rectify.
Before the latest episode of the 'dreaded ticking under the bonnet', the car had been idle for a few-days but had to be moved a short-distance from the road to my drive-way and subsequently the battery went flat.
The battery was charged and I drove the car for about 40-minutes on the M25 (at speeds of up to 70 Mph) and left it overnight; Only to find the Tappets ticking away the next morning! They were noisy, very persistant and with the cars history, frankly worrying!!
So, after ringing around a few garages - in the run up to Christmas - and being told politely to come back on January 5th, I thought I would have to live with my motor sounding like a Diesel for the duration of the festive period, or would I?
The only thing I could think of was that either the alternator wasn't charging, hadn't charged fully or maybe the engine hadn't been at a high enough temperature for long enough? Probably the latter, so I decided to switch the gear box from 'Economy' to 'Sport', which leaves the car in gear for longer and produces higher revs on the engine (30 to 40,000). Within 10-miles, the ticking noise had almost gone and after 20-miles it had stopped. Problem solved or Job done as they say.... Coincidence?
Here's what another forum had to say on the matter....
Question
I have a citroen zsara picasso 1.8 petrol. 4 days ago the engine started to produce a loud ticking noise. I had the car serviced and put an additive in during the oil change, things now seem ok. Is there an underlying problem? what would eventually happen if the noise came back? should I get anything replaced in the engine?
Answer
The lifter noise is common to cars that are driven long distances, allowed to sit for long periods, and not given frequent oil changes.
I would continue using the additive and also make routine oil changes at every 3 months or 2500 miles to keep the engine clean and happy.
After a while you can go back to a 3000 mile oil change and discontinue the use of the additive. The lifters are used to maintain a cushion between the valves and the valve train in you engine. They also act to lubricate the valve train during operation. The clacking you hear is when dirt and excessive wear prevent them from filling full of oil and maintaining their pressure.
The additive serves two purposes in that they thicken the oil and also add detergents to break up varnish and mineral deposits in the engine.
Thus allowing the lifters to fill and causing the noise to go away. If you are concerned about the problem regardless of if it will clear itself up with more frequent oil changes you will not detrimentally affect the engine by using the additive every time. Should the noise come back regardless of the additive you will need to have the lifters replaced. I am unable to offer an idea on cost and advise you to shop around a little before deciding who does the work.....
DISCUSS!
