motor ticking noise

[creamy]

when the car in running it makes an annoying ticking noise, it does it for a few seconds then stops for a few seconds then ticks again.
it is annoying and a little bit worry ful as i not sure what the noise is?
hopefully nothing serious.
any information be much appreciated.
cheers

[Holdfast]

Have you checked the oil pressure guage?

Have you checked the oil level?

Have you used a different type of oil?

How many kilometres has the engine done?

Crikey! And how have ya been

Don't worry too much at this stage but hust do a few checks and lets see what they produce.

There's plenty of us to help out

[creamy]

dont have an oil pressure gauge, just a normal dash
oil level is fine, i have changed the oil but was doing same thing before i changed oil, and after also now
motor has 260000 on clock, but trip meter not working, has never worked since i have owned car, so could be 1000000 for i know, hahaha

[Holdfast]

There's quite a few noises an engine can make (That's if it is the engine)

A worn or damaged water pump.

A worn piston or piston pin hole.

Maybe valve tapping?

[Holdfast]

I reckon it probably is the Water pump.

Do you know much about mechanics or how to test to see if its the water pump?

[Holdfast]

Anyway, gotta go soon but if you want to check if it's the water pump try this.

Safety first, becareful of the fan when the engine is running.

Turn the engine off and apply the handbrake.

Do you know where the water pump is?

Try to find the water pump weep hole; it's a small hole close to the left hand bottom side of the water pump.

Look at the bolts at the base of the water pump where they connect to the engine block.

You'll notice 4 main bolts around the base of the water pump.

Look at the left hand side of the water pump (as if you were sitting in the drivers seat).

In between the two bolts on the left hand side there is a weep hole.

If this is dripping water or there is brownish discolouration the bearing in the water pump has or will fail soon.

A water pump is easy to repair if you have a repair manual and the tools if not it can be expensive.

There's another way to check if the water pump is buggered.

[creamy]

not bad with mechanicals,
used to work at a wreckers
have a few ideas myself but was looking for others
i know where water pump is, dont know how to test it though
how to fix valves if tapping?

[Holdfast]

not bad with mechanicals,
used to work at a wreckers
have a few ideas myself but was looking for others
i know where water pump is, dont know how to test it though
how to fix valves if tapping?

Cool

Have the motor running, watch out for the fan blades (safety)

Grab ya longest screw driver.

Place the tip against the alloy body of the water-pump, lower your ear onto the smooth end of the screw driver and be bluddy careful of the fan.

Listen carefully to the noise transmitted through the screw driver to your ear.

If it sounds like the ticking or clicking sound you have spoken about then it probably is the problem.

But; move the screw driver to the heads of the motor; if there's no ticking or clicking coming from the heads go back to the water-pump to have another listen.

You'll definitely know if the water-pump is buggered by the noise made.

If its the lifters or valves etc you'll here exactly where the problem is if you adjust the location of ya screw driver a few centimetres at a time.

Best of luck.

I'm no mechanic, but this has worked for me on my VL. I've had my VL sedan now since 1997 and have replaced quite a few things.

[creamy]

cheers mate
will try in the morning
to dark now
will let you know how i go

[jatsvl]

it would most likely be hydraulic lifter noise, very common for a vl.

[creamy]

how do i fix the hydrolic lifter noise?
is it easy?
how much possibly cost for mechanic to do?
how much roughly for me to fix?

[jatsvl]

I have found that oil changing at regular intervals (5-10kks)helps alot because the ticking tends to happen as the old oil thins out
there is a detailed thread on this forum this issue has been covered several times a search will yield helpful results.
for now I would suggest an oil and filter change and an additive like an oil treatment, other forum members recommend and use "NULON lifter free" available at most auto stores including bigw & kmart