Rattling on start-up from cold
Discussion
Evening,
Could do with some advice on the wife's car, a 2004 Saab 9-3 1.8i Linear Sport.
When starting the engine from cold, there is a metallic rattling sound coming from the engine bay which seems to disappear after a minute or so, and does not recur until the engine has been started from cold again.
Bit concerned as to what this might be - it sounds a bit like a rattling heat shield or something but I can't seem to find anything loose.
One thing that did occur to me was that it could be the timing belt tensioner or similar, which has led me to look on the internet to double check that the 72k interval in the manual is correct. It appears that a lot of Vauxhalls with the same sort of engine are needing the belt done as low as 40k as there have been some failures.
With an apparent lack of Saab sites on the net, any ideas regarding these two issues would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
Could do with some advice on the wife's car, a 2004 Saab 9-3 1.8i Linear Sport.
When starting the engine from cold, there is a metallic rattling sound coming from the engine bay which seems to disappear after a minute or so, and does not recur until the engine has been started from cold again.
Bit concerned as to what this might be - it sounds a bit like a rattling heat shield or something but I can't seem to find anything loose.
One thing that did occur to me was that it could be the timing belt tensioner or similar, which has led me to look on the internet to double check that the 72k interval in the manual is correct. It appears that a lot of Vauxhalls with the same sort of engine are needing the belt done as low as 40k as there have been some failures.
With an apparent lack of Saab sites on the net, any ideas regarding these two issues would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
I know a lot of the Saab 9-3's suffered terrible sludge and oil pickup blockage problems, which led to big end failures.....
So if its making a noise, do not ignore it !!!! Have it looked at immediately, and I'd be inclined not to drive it at all if its rattling.
At least until it can be diagnosed to say if its something serious, or something minor.
So if its making a noise, do not ignore it !!!! Have it looked at immediately, and I'd be inclined not to drive it at all if its rattling.
At least until it can be diagnosed to say if its something serious, or something minor.
Your description of it sounding like a rattling heat shield doesn't tally particularly well, but it's not just the tappets is it?
Hydraulic tappets take a minut or two to pump up, if they've leaked down while standing and a bit of tappet rattle is not necessarily too much to worry about. The manual for my old Saab 900 T16 (different engine, I know) said to expect this and that tappet rattle within the first 15 minutes of operation should not be regarded as untoward! Scandinavian winters, perhaps?!
If it is the tappets, you might find that simply changing to fresh oil (of the correct grade) will improve matters.
Hydraulic tappets take a minut or two to pump up, if they've leaked down while standing and a bit of tappet rattle is not necessarily too much to worry about. The manual for my old Saab 900 T16 (different engine, I know) said to expect this and that tappet rattle within the first 15 minutes of operation should not be regarded as untoward! Scandinavian winters, perhaps?!
If it is the tappets, you might find that simply changing to fresh oil (of the correct grade) will improve matters.
Cheers, I had another listen today. It has only done 34k so I hope it's not sludge build up. You can hear the tappets slightly but only if you put your ear really close to the engine. Today it didn't seem to make the rattling noise, which was odd.
One thing I did notice is that the oil filter is a Mann filter rather than a genuine one. I am sure I read somewhere that these don't have a valve in them which prevents the oil draining back when the engine is off, though with the filter being mounted horizontally I didn't think it draining would be an issue.
According to the book the timing belt is due at 72k but there are postings on the net about it needing doing at half this so we are going to get it done ASAP along with the tensioners etc. in case that is the problem.
One thing I did notice is that the oil filter is a Mann filter rather than a genuine one. I am sure I read somewhere that these don't have a valve in them which prevents the oil draining back when the engine is off, though with the filter being mounted horizontally I didn't think it draining would be an issue.
According to the book the timing belt is due at 72k but there are postings on the net about it needing doing at half this so we are going to get it done ASAP along with the tensioners etc. in case that is the problem.
The oil sludge problem IS NOT associated with the 9-3 Opel Ascona based engine. I can't comment on the noise. Nothing comes to mind that isn't obvious. The Mann filter should be fine and it will almost certainly have a check valve in it. As for belts, twist it and look at the condition of it on the inside. Regardless of miles, if in doubt, change it.
Quick update. Picked the car up, timing belt fitted. The dealer said that there is a heat shield fitted by 2 spot welds, one of which had failed. "New exhaust to fix it, but we are aware that a lot of customers just remove the heat shield."
Hopefully that is the cause. It'll be off the car tomorrow morning.
Hopefully that is the cause. It'll be off the car tomorrow morning.
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