Strange bang!

[balders118]

I really do not like owning a car. A new week, a new issue!! So bit weird this one. I had been driving on a mix of fast A roads and came to a stop at some tempory traffic lights. I had probably been sat there for around 5 minutes, and I hear a load bang/knock/pop coming from the front somewhere. Nothing changed, no lights, drives fine no other noises. Nothing unusual when I checked under the bonnet. But the noise was very obvious, fairly loud and definetly came from my car.

I have a knocking that happens every 3 seconds or so when idling, but this is much much quiter and have been told it may be the HCV. Totally no idea whether its related.

[andym1603]

Hi,
I don't think it will be your HCV (Heater control valve). Struggling to think what on the Puma
would do this.
Air con compressor kicking in?
How is the battery, thinking alternator may be overcharging and the battery has blown.
Can't remember what it is called but the variable valve timing solenoid. Do you still get a surge of
power between 2500 & 3000 revs?
Are your tyres ok?
Any coolant hoses holed?
Can't think of anything else at the moment.
Stopped at temp traffic lights, noise coming from associated works near to your car?
Andy..

Edited by andym1603 on Tuesday 19th October 20:34

[balders118]

andym1603 said:

Hi,
I don't think it will be your HCV (Heater control valve). Struggling to think what on the Puma
would do this.
Air con compressor kicking in?
How is the battery, thinking alternator may be overcharging and the battery has blown.
Can't remember what it is called but the variable valve timing solenoid. Do you still get a surge of
power between 2500 & 3000 revs?
Are your tyres ok?
Any coolant hoses holed?
Can't think of anything else at the moment.
Stopped at temp traffic lights, noise coming from associated works near to your car?
Andy..

Edited by andym1603 on Tuesday 19th October 20:34

Well my air con wasn't on and i've never heard this noise before,

Battert seems fine, ran fine the rest of the home,

I've been told the VVC kicks in at 4500? It still drives exatly the same as it did pre noise,

Tyres are fine,

I don't know what to look fo with coolant hoses, but it all looked okay when I checked under the bonnet

I was a good 50 feet from the works, definately came from my car.

[oakdale]

Going by your description, it could well be a broken front suspension coil spring, strangely they often go when the car is stationary.

[balders118]

I was worried about this. Mine went on my last car and it sounded similar. FFS!! I'll have to get under the car soon and have a look.

[andym1603]

oakdale said:

Going by your description, it could well be a broken front suspension coil spring, strangely they often go when the car is stationary.

This is probably the answer. The wifes Puma did the same. Don't know why I didn't remember that.
It has probably snapped a coil off at the top. Have a good look. They are easy to replace on this car.
Andy..

[balders118]

andym1603 said:

oakdale said:

Going by your description, it could well be a broken front suspension coil spring, strangely they often go when the car is stationary.

This is probably the answer. The wifes Puma did the same. Don't know why I didn't remember that.
It has probably snapped a coil off at the top. Have a good look. They are easy to replace on this car.
Andy..

I had a look today, and its not snapped at the bottom (like it did on the fiat) so I guess i'll have to get someone to have a look at it (I don't have the know-how) so they can assess the damage at the top if there is any. This is a bugger as i'll have to pay for this to get done probably. Seems tyo drive fine though, so if it is snapped it have snapped very far down the coil.

Edited by balders118 on Wednesday 20th October 14:35

[balders118]

Had a a garage get it up in the air today and they said the coils are all in tact. So what was it then? I'm leaning towards a concker falling from a tree (emmbarssingly) as I literally can't think of anything else.

[jimmy156]

balders118 said:

I'm leaning towards a concker falling from a tree (emmbarssingly) as I literally can't think of anything else

Haha.

To be fair when i first bought my Alfa i couldn't work out what this knocking was during slow speed manourvering, drove me mad. Turns out it was the very heavy, long keyring on the key banging against a hollow part of the dash