Engine ticking noise

Does the ticking get faster with increased engine speed? If so it sounds as tho' it might be piston slap or little end knock, although why this should happen when you changed the exhaust pipe I cannot think.

Rob Graham

I'll check it today and I'll let you know. As to why this happened after changing the pipe, I am also puzzled.

Matei

Hi!

I did some investigations and here's the result.

Not quite. The noise seems to be related to car's speed rather than engine speed. When the car is stopped, the noise doesn't exist regardless of engine speed. The noise only shows up when the car is moving, and gas pedal is depressed. And yes, it seems to get faster with increased car speed.

Please help me. It's so annoying... The car feels like a "Just married" vehicle towing those tin cans (though in a little bit more feeble noise).

TIA

Matei

Sounds like a CV joint. Reconditioned joints and driveshafts can be picked up quite cheaply - not much point forking out for a new one on an old Astra.

Is it possible that the noise has been there for a while, steadily getting worse, but you haven't noticed it as the exhaust has been blowing? Replace old loud exhaust with new quiet one, and...

The other (less likely) possibility is that the new exhaust doesn't quite fit properly and is tapping on the chassis.

Propshaft rubbing against something.

oops! Was thinking I was still on the BWM group :-)

Worn driveshaft or CV joint. You can probably hear it more if the exhaust is now quieter & these things tend to get worse pretty quicky.

I had a car that had a nasty knocking sound coming from the side and yeah it was the CV joint.

The other thing to check is your tyre - you may of got some debris struck in a tyre.

Thanks guys. I'll have the CV joint inspected asap.

Matei

Before you resort to expensive solutions, read this.

I remember having a similar problem on a 1.3 Astra and it sounded like a metalic noise in the air intake (among other possible diagnosis) but I could never trace it until I changed a mounting bracket for the downpipe at/near the gearbox which turned out to have a central rubber bush where it was mounted to the car. It cost next to nothing to replace but solved the sort of thing you describe completely. I had been trying to track it down for years.

That is why it happened when the front exhaust pipe was changed!

Sorry my memory is not more specific but you will kick yourself when you find it.

Hope it helps.

Tony.

Hello and thanks everybody!

I got the ticking sorted out.

It looks like the mechanic who did the pipe replacing job (didn't want to get my white small hands dirty :-) ) messed it up a bit. One of the

4 screws tightening the down pipe to the exhaust manifold was loose... ney, off. Completely off. So I put in another screw and it works just fine now. I'll check the rubber bush to make sure it's still there.

It sure is worth posting to this group.

Matei