Prominent ticking/rattling sound from engine

[Woogler]

Hi all,

I just joined this site today as I feel a responsibility to get involved. As a result of absolute frustration and the total lack of a solution from any Holden dealer, I started searching the internet to try and find a few tips on the problem with my VY engine.

It has that quality ticking sound coming from the right hand underside of the car. It has done it since new, once the oil settled in. And everytime after each oil change, it does it after a few days. Everytime I would tell the service dept about it, they would change the oil & say they can't hear it.

So I waited for the oil to settle in after the last service (approx a week) and I drove the rattly motor to them and they came out with the usual (here's that whinging d#@head again) look. This time I left it idleing in their driveway and the tick was quite prominent. The service guy looked straight at me and said "OH". He got the head tech and none of them had a clue. Since then, about 2 months ago, the lifters have been changed without result. The exact noise is there. My concern is that the whole underside of the engine sounds a little rattly. Certainly not the same as others. But
apparently I must have extra special hearing or something as I am
the only one to consider this.

So to clear up a few points, I have had this car since it was new.
It has 31,000km's on it.
I don't flog it.
I have reported the noise since its 1,000km service.
The noise does NOT come out the top of the engine bay at all. You can only hear it underneath.
Tomorrow a Holden "rep" and "tech" are coming here to apparently do something else and I have been asked to bring my car in for the sixth time and have these jokers listen to it.
Local dealer is now hopeing they will just put a new motor in it.

I have read many threads here since I found the site last week and see that many of you have similar problems. Some even mentioned that ALL VY Ecotec's will accrue rattles/ticks in the engine in a little while. I found this to be not the case. My work has had Commodore staff cars for years and I have NEVER heard one with a tick or rattly engine. And I assure you I have been listening to them to compare them to mine. 2 in particular are pushing over 75,000km's and are absolutely dead silent and purring beautifully.

Anyway, there is a history of my stress machine. I have absolutely had a gutt full of the lack of repair support for such an obvious problem. If these "specialists" don't acknowledge a problem and offer to fix the damned thing smartly I will be pursuing this through other means. I have been patient for 2 yrs now. If a fraction of what they spend on advertising was spent to rectify some of these problems, maybe some of us would continue to buy their products in the future, even if they are faulty when new.

Any simialr experiences? I am curoius for info on your outcomes dealing with these people. I will update this thread after I talk to "the experts" tomorrow.
Cheers.

[betrayed]

Hi, Woogler,
I have a VR ute, runs great but engine sounds like a sewing machine on idle. Everybody from Holden to tom dick and harry tell me , oh its just a normal holden sound dont worry about it.Ive had the rattle for two years now still going like a dream. By the way I also drive it nicely.

[wrexed03]

Ecotech shouldnt rattle. Should be quiet. Just see what the reps from holden have to say. If you dont agree tell them that your not satisfied. If you get nowhere you can always write a letter to Dmooney. People further up the food chain do read these letters beleive it or not.
The usual steps to take are as follows.
Inform dealer. If not satisfied escalate problem
Inform Customer Assistance Center
In turn they send out feild reps from holden
If you have no joy there lodge complaint with Customer Assistance center important you tell them about your issues with the reps.
If no action there send a letter to the MD.
If all the above fails try legal. Yes it gets expensive but if your problems are valid they should come to the party.
Good luck with it.

[Woogler]

Thanks guys.

I intend to be very direct with the reps this arvo and point out that 2 yrs and the fact it has done it since new and has been reported, acknowledged and recorded by local techs should mean something.
In relation to the Ute with a rattley donk, I agree, my engine "appears" to be going ok. I am worried that once it has a few more km's and wear on it that the rattle may become much much worse. I am only comparing my engine against others of the same genre/vintage/model. It is not normal for these engines to rattle and clonk mate. And that advice is from my Holden service team. And why should you pay $38k for an engine that has any issues at all? It sounds like its 15yrs old. Not 2.

Thanks for the heads up gents. Any other advice from anyone else who has had similar experiences would be appreciated. I will update you all this evening after my visit with the experts.

[Woogler]

Well today was somewhat productive in the ongoing saga of my Ecotech. The rep from Sydney, a guy called Craig was most approachable. He listened to the nosie from the bottom of my engine, and discovered that it increased in intensity at higher engine revs. After the high rev test was done, he became even more concerned.

It was put straight up on the hoist and the head tech was called into play with a stethoscope. Some 20mins transpired until no one could find or offer a solution. But the sound was loud enough to resonate from the workshop into the waiting area at times. Anyway, I was impressed with the service guys from my local dealership going into bat for me bigtime!!!! The rep fella has agreed now to fix the car regardless. No options. He said the noise is unnaceptable and not right. My local service guys kept right on him until he completely agreed to repair without resistance.

So Monday it begins. The motor is being lifted, so I guess they must be setting it up on a test bench or something, cause they said now they have the approval from Holden to fix it regardless of the problem. So NO more resistance or delays. AND I am being given a loan car for as long as it takes to fix my Ecotech! And, I didn't have to splinter or vent or raise my voice. Very happy with the outcome and I didn't look like a psychopathic killer.

So I will keep you all informed as I promised at the start of this thread. And as for anyone else who has posted threads on ticking engine issues, GET ONTO YOUR SERVICE CENTRE AND PUSH THE POINT!!!!!! Do NOT accept any half arsed excuses about the engine rattling or ticking away. I have it from the horses mouth today that it is not acceptable and that Holden won't accept it either. They will repair if you are still under manufacturer warranty. If you need info on the Dealership as a reference to support your claim, I am happy to post if needed. Finally a win!

[Woogler]

Today I had the service manager call me to ask me if the car had ever overheated. Of course it hasn't. So then he told me what they have found since they stripped it down.
1. The valves have been burnt so badly that they have turned blue from the heat.
2. 2 bottom bearing caps were removed and the bearings have been cooked.
I then reminded him that I reported this noisy bottom end since it was brand new. He then admitted that Holden do run the engines at the factory. So the cause is all up to your imagination. And no, I am still not getting a new engine. They are doing repairs. I asked about repairs and he said they were gonna replace just about everything. They hope to get the car back to me by Friday, dependant on availability of parts. I will post an update then. I guess the damage explains why it never idled very smoothly....interesting...

[Woogler]

Apologies for lack of updates. But finally the job on my engine has been completed. New parts are; 2 new heads, piston rings and bottom end bearings. That is all I have been told, but the engine is now quiet. I have only done about 300km's since the repair. I am off to Sydney this w/e so I will know by next week if it has been fixed of not.

[Ratty]

Oh Dear... My VYS2 V6 has a I guess TICK to it ... sounds a little like someone is underneath with a PVC water pipe and tapping the engine... I thought it might have been the wiper bottle rattling and thus causing the tick... but alas that is secure... its going in this week for 15K service. Going to try and see what Holden say about it...

Wish me luck

[Woogler]

Ok, when the rep listened to mine, he reved the engine to 2500 rpm and had the car parked next to a wall. He raised the bonett and listened. It ticked away with comparitive speed in sync with the engine revs like an old grandfather clock in warp drive! Give that a try.

[malibu]

My vy v6 has done 47000ks and ticks and rattles and also comes good after oil changes for a couple days, it was first thought to be a valve guild so they removed the heads , on picking the car up it sounded good but the noise soon returned asthey had changed the oil . the next time they said they could not hear the noise SELECTIVE HEARING so i faxed GMH melb and they called back and asked me to take the car back to the dealer. the head tech listened to it but was nonconmital and said to leave it for a GM rep to listen to. GM melb called me and said the ticking rattle was operational BULLSHIT iwork at the wa govt garage and have driven 100s of vys they dont rattle this is my first and last holden :

[drift450]

Try also lodging with Consumer affairs or see if there if the Ombudsman will interveen. Means the faults are logged publicly and that all people may benefit from a warranty claim. Also works wonders with persuading a little better customer service....

[CNULTR]

My 25th anniversary has done 28 000 kz and it suffers the same, it shivers and makes a clicking sound its not pleasnt.My dealer had said they changed the lifters but a couple of kz later same noise is existing does any1 no how to get rid off the sound completly? a friend of mine theyve got a VY acclaim and theyve done about 30 000 and they havnt got this problem is it one in ten that suffers.

[Woogler]

Hi,
I am not suprised to hear that my engine was not the only one to be ruined at the factory before I ever took delivery of the vehicle. I have had nothing but trouble with the vehicle since new, also with so many things not related to the engine, and going by the popularity of this website, a lot of other people have lots of trouble too.

Just stick to your guns when it comes to your rattly motors. Start name dropping as was suggested by previous users. It makes a difference.

I have had a few commodores. Never again. Holden have such a market dominance, but I want a quality vehicle, not a beta release.

[lowvy]

hey, my vy had the same noise at 70 thousand k took it to holden and they replaced some exhaust valves. This made no improvment so i took it bak to them and then they replaced the whole engine. They told me it was piston rattle. All good after that.

[JacksonVX2]

Hey, i've got the exact same thing happening with my VX series 2. Its only got 108000kms on it. Also hearing it from under the driver side door like you are. The dissapointing part is that the car only started doing it 3 months after i bought it and it had just passed its warranty period. I've dropped new lifters in it and its still noisy, getting worse actually.

[lukeyVY]

Piece of shrapnel sized slag caught in the catalyct converter? thats what happened to mine when i got the whole exhaust done. think the guy said it came from the welding joints between the gaskets/headers, or something.. only seemed to tick after it got to a certain temperature or rpm.
probably completely irrelevant though hey

[SwordFish]

Valves.......

Fish!

[MikesCalais]

way to bring up an old thread hahaha, i didnt even have my car back in 2005! when this thread was started

but now i do have a car...with 173,000kms on it... and it sounds like it has the same problem.. it ticks its little heart out and sounds like its gonna dump a whole bunch of bolts. Except my ticking seems to go away at 2500 revs and above

[SwordFish]

Valves......

Fish!

[ScoHar]

worn camshaft lobes/springs/VALVES/leaking headers/leaking other part of exhaust/timing chain/stuffed rockers/lifters and the list goes on.