113,000 mile Pug 306, 1.4l noisy valve lifters

Our 1998 (S reg) Peugeot 306 1.4l petrol has a bit of a history for making tapping/knocking noises from the top part of the engine. I've always assumed it to be the tappets/hydraulic valve lifters. It seems worse at different times of the year (can't remember if worse in Winter or Summer) and usually is most noticeable at slow speeds in low gears, eg. when reversing off the drive.

It recently passed 113,000 miles and I did another oil + filter change (Castrol GTX, 10w40) and noticed it was a bit noisy again after changes. A couple of days later, whilst in Halfords, I saw some magic liquid (yes, I know....) which claimed to improve valve lifter noise. Simply pour into oil filler hole and it helps clean up the problems which causes noisy valve lifters. Claims to be able to be kept in the engine permanently (rather than X days and then do oil change). Thought I would give it a go, not sure if it would make any difference but thought it was unlikely to be a problem and at £5, wasn't really a problem if it didn't make it any better.

Needless to say since doing this the engine has been far far worse at tappet noise. I can just about notice it driving along at 30mph with the windows open. Reversing as before the noise is very very noticeable.

A couple of questions. What may be the reason for this noise happening in the first place? What might this 'snake oil' have done to make it worse noise (eg. made more or less viscous, thus losing oil between tappets, thus making a tapping noise).

Finally, would I be better off with a different grade of oil? Would something like 15W40 be better? I've seen that advertised for 'older engines'.

Thanks

David

Reply to
David Hearn
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ROFL...another one.

If you'd have come here, you'd have been told the best thing to do was to add a bit of automatic transmission fluid, run for a while then do an oil change.

Anyhow..

The noise can be caused by low oil pressure, blocked oil galleries, worn lifters.

The snake oil may have blocked the galleries or it might have cleaned up the varnish on the inside of lifters and if they were shagged, the coating of dirt on the insides stopping them from rattling is no longer there.

Thicker oil makes them rattle more. That's why it was louder in winter because the oil was cooler, therefore thicker.

There's only one fix and that's to get some engine flush to flush out the s**te you've added, do an oil change and also change the lifters for some new ones.

Reply to
Conor

However the 1.4 engine doesn't have valve lifters as such. Not hydraulic ones anyway. They are normal adjustable type, and have probably never been done. So I would suggest doing that first. Inlet 20mm Exhaust 40mm or Inlet 8 thou Exhaust 16 thou

Done on a cold engine.

Reply to
Nigel

Okay, so thinner oil would help make things a bit quieter. However, thinner oil is more likely to leak in an older engine (which already leaks a bit). The head gasket area has been leaking a little for years

- more 'wet on front of engine' than 'puddle under car' type.

Hmm....

"1. The rocker arm assembly is secured to the top of the cylinder head by the cylinder head bolts. Although in theory it is possible to undo the head bolts and remove the rocker arm assembly without removing the head, in practice, this is not recommended. Once the bolts have been removed, the head gasket will be disturbed, and the gasket will almost certainly leak or blow after refitting. For this reason, removal of the rocket arm assembly cannot be donw without removing the cylinder head and renewing the head gasket.

  1. The camshaft is slid out of the right hand end of the cylinder head, and it therefore cannot be removed without first removing the cylinder head, due to lack of clearance."

Another job to get done relating to the head gasket/timing belt which isn't going to happen for a while! I'm not sure if I have the courage to do a headgasket myself, but the local garage has suggested £500-£600 for the work - and on this car it's probably 1/3 of it's value. DIY'ing over 5 days 'holiday' seems a possibility, but not done anything like this before.

I take it that using engine flush would require a new filter too?

What spec oil would you recommend? Stick with the 10W-40? Castrol say:

Castrol's best oil for your vehicle EDGE 0W-30 Alternative recommendation MAGNATEC 10W-40 A3/B3

Alternative recommendations, Engine,

Reply to
David Hearn

Might as well, it's beyond a different grade in oil making a difference for the tappets and 0W 30 will just fall out of the gaskets and seals.

TBH, I doubt that anything is going to make sufficient difference save reconditioning the top end and/or possibly the full motor.

Depends on what your level of skill and confidence is as to whether you're up to a head job and I can't say either way other than to say there's nothing frightening as long as you take your time, don't try shortcutting and have decent tools.

Reply to
Conor

Well david take note of what Conor has said as this does work .i did this on my 405 diesel and i dont have any noise from the top end now.also try that Magetec oil, they say that is very good for old engines and high mileage engines.

Reply to
Chrs

Firstly the 1.4 has adjustable tappets, so your first port of call should be to have them checked and probably adjusted- it may well be only one or two causing the noise. Of course the buckets and / or cam lobes may be worn too, this should be spottable by a trained mechanic... If this is the case, replacement will be necessary.

Anyhow, Slick 50 et al, is a waste of time. Drop out your current oil, fill with fresh and about 0.5 litre of ATF. Run the car for 100 miles or so, avoiding high rpms / load and then change the oil and filter again, refilling with what the handbook suggests. I would imagine that it could well recommend 15w-40 as this engine is about as old as the hills, and isnt designed for the very modern thinner stuff....

Tim..

Reply to
Tim..

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