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MG MGF Technical - engine sound

Hi everyone,

I own a MGF-VVC 11-98. Something is making my engine sound a bit like an sewing machine. When running idle I can hear a steady going click.

The engine is working perfectly so I was wondering of this could be a mayor problem? The sound has always been there since I can remember (3 years) and my dealer has never warned me for anything.

Thanks for any comment on this.

André,
Amsterdam, Holland
A.P. Bruls


noisy tappets
Bob Millar

Flaw on one of the belts or pulleys? See if you can ties down the source of the sound with the engine cover off.

Chris
Chris

Flaw on one of the belts or pulleys? See if you can trace the source of the sound with the engine cover off. A long screwdriver makes a good stethascope, but avoid the moving parts.

Chris
Chris

Hi Andre,

As Chris says, a screwdriver is a useful tool for identifying the source of noises, but I suspect you'll find it is coming from one of the tappets.

If the noise has been the same for 3 years then it is unlikely to be a major problem. Even if one or two of the tappets are not filling properly or are leaking, the camshaft and valve still operate perfectly well, they just make more noise. You could probably cure the noise by having the head rebuilt with new tappets and oil seals, but it would be an expensive job.

Mike Hankin


Also check to see if the oil filler pipe/ dipstick is loose.

That was the source of a massively annoying rattle for me.
Bob Millar

What you describe is likely to be wear in the VVC gear. Another way of describing it is almsot like a diesel. It occurs if lubrication has been inadequate at some stage in the past - two principal causes are wrong oil spec or water in the oil. Unusual but not unknown.

The wear occurs in the bushes beteen the inner and outer (inlet) camshafts, or in the drive pins in the VVC unit. Only practical solution is to replace the units, though the bushings could be redone but would probably cost more than a good second hand assembly.
Paul walbran

Thanks fot your comments everyone. I don't think I will do anything about the noise for I'm trading the car in in august.
A.P. Bruls

The VVC units can be noisy,not usually from wear in the bushes in the cams or drive blocks as Paul mentions above ,unless he has information on hand he can share, but usually from careless assembly of the cam wheels. If these are tapped on it unsettles the bearing in the VVC unit causing a characteristic 'diesel' like noise on low engine speeds.
If the engine sounds like any of my sewing machines then it will be fine;-))
If it is a clicking that dissapears when the revs rise then it could be just a tappet that drained down repressurising when oil pressure rises, nothing to worry about.
Main thing is to identify the source of the noise.
mike

Mike

You are quite right about the bearings - we have also encountered damage there and have renewed a few of them. However, I can confirm that we have found the bush and pin problem in bad cases; as I noted, unusual but it can happen.

None of the problems appear to be mileage related but more from maltreatment or lack of lubrication. Certainly none of the 3 VVC engines in our fleet have shown these problems despite vigorous use (one race car, one club car) and high milage.
Paul Walbran

It seems the noise was something serious after all. I intended to go to the dealer to have the tick checked out. Before I got the chance a spark plug blew out!! The dealer fixed it in 2 hours, the towing costs were higher. Anyway, the noise is gone now.....thank god.

I have been driving with the noise for more than a year. If I think about is, the noise was getting louder the past weeks.

Thanks anyway.
A.P. Bruls

This thread was discussed between 26/05/2006 and 01/06/2006

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