The car is a 1999 Vauxhall Vectra 2.0l petrol (X20XEV engine).
A few days ago the engine developed a ticking noise that goes up and down with the revs - barely audible when you're in the car but if you're standing next to it, you can hear it. The best way I can describe it, is it sounds like a diesel engine! Also, when the car comes to a stop, the oil light comes on and then goes out after a few seconds.
There is plenty of oil in the engine as it was Vx serviced 7k miles ago. Any help with diagnosis would be greatly appreciated.
|
|
If you listen with the oil filler cap off is it louder. It sounds as though it is a failed hydraulic cam follower. I doubt this could drop the oil pressure significantly but I would try changing the oil filter incase it has collapsed internally. Regards Peter
|
|
|
Have you actually checked the oil though in the last 7k miles?? If so, and the level is within acceptable limits, either its due for a change or Vauxhall may have put in the wrong stuff! The ticking sounds like the hydraulic tappets being starved of oil for whatever reason, usually that its too viscous. The oil light signifies that pressure is too low, again, could be due to wrong oil (i.e. too viscous) in the engine, or level may be too low.
Manufacturers claim that its not unusual for the oil level to go from max to min on the dip stick in 1000 miles, even for new cars.
|
I can confirm the oil is at the right level - I check it regularly and I'm as sure as can be that Vx put the right stuff in. Obviously they changed the filter when they did the oil, so I would have thought it would still be OK.
With the filler cap off, I can't detect any difference in the level of noise. Also, the oil does seem to be getting up to the top, i.e. there is lots visible there.
|
|
Update: just been out to check the oil again (now 3hrs since I got back from a 20 minute run to the shops) and the dipstick comes up bone dry!! Do I really have no oil in my engine and could this cause the symptons described (I am thinking Yes). How can I accurately check the level of oil? And no, there is not a pool of oil under the car, the sump plug is in place!
|
1. Check oil after it has been parked up overnight; or after an hour or so when it's had a decent run to get the oil hot. If the oil isn't very hot, then it'll take longer to drain back into the sump - especially in winter.
2. How well do you trust the garage you use? It's not unknown for a lazy grease monkey, or the tea boy that doubles as an apprentice to simply give the existing oil filter a wipe over with a rag, hence giving the impression a new one has been fitted.
Given that the level of oil between min & max on the dipstick is one litre, I would pour ½ a litre of oil in and see if the dipstick registers it or not. Continue adding ¼ to ½ litre of oil until you see something. Remember to wait a few mins for the oil to make it's way to the sump before checking the dipstick.
|
|
Had that noise on my old Vectra- in my case it was oil pump failure though it sounds like you have a different problem as you have no oil however the consequence is the same- oil starvation to the top of the engine. This was horrendously expensive for me to get fixed and came close to writing the car off. Best of luck.
|
|
|
It's not unknown for a lazy grease monkey, or the tea boy that doubles as an apprentice to simply give the existing oil filter a wipe over with a rag, hence giving the impression a new one has been fitted.
I know that the filter was changed because the car is Vx services every 10k miles, and oil and filter is changed at National every 5k in between services. Vx fit a GM branded filter and National don't so I can tell at a glance if the filter has been changed or not.
|
and oil and filter is changed at National every 5k in between services
Well I meant to say, I usually have it changed every 5k, been a bit slack this time. Anyway, the lesson has been learned - I *will* check the oil every week, I *will* check the oil every week, I *will* check the oil every week...
|
|
|
|
|
|
I can't understand why you're having the problem checking the level - this was never a problem on my vectra with that engine. I used to check cold if possible, but frankly checking a hot engine after 5 minutes gave a pretty accurate reading. If the engine is hot always wipe the dipstick and reinsert for the reading so you're not confused by oil splashed on the dipstick.
Sounds to me like the oil level is dangerously low. When you brake it slops forward and away from the oil pickup, giving that short period of zero pressure. Once the car is stationary, the oil level recovers and is again enough to cover the pick up.
One problem of running the oil so low is that the oil left will be degraded as it will have been running hot as there's so little of it. I'd get an oil and filter change now, which will also allow a check of how much oil's actually in the engine. Degraded oil will have a low viscosity, which will also tend to reduce the oil pressure.
JS
|
Update: 4 litres of Magnatec and two Hail Mary's and everything's back to normal. Fingers crossed I haven't done any damage to the engine. One question remains though - is it normal for the car to use/lose 4 litres of oil over 7k miles like that?
Thanks everybody for your help and advice :)
|
|
There were a couple of trails about the problem of checking oil levels on recent Vauxhall engines
|
There were a couple of trails about the problem of checking oil levels on recent Vauxhall engines
That was the diesel engines. It's mentioned in HJ's CBCB.
|
|
|
|
The engine only holds 4.25 litres including filter!
Source: Haynes
Chris M
|
The engine only holds 4.25 litres including filter! Source: Haynes
I think you'll find it's actually 5 litres, including the filter. Same source, Haynes.
|
|
No, as I said earlier, 1000miles/litre of oil is classed as acceptable, even for relatively new cars, so 4.5 litres in 7000 miles does not indicate a problem.
|
No, as I said earlier, 1000miles/litre of oil is classed as acceptable, even for relatively new cars, so 4.5 litres in 7000 miles does not indicate a problem.
It would on any car I owned!
|
|
|
|
DD
My Haynes is the blue one that covers May 99 - May 02 petrol and diesel. Page 1A.2:
1.6 = 3.25 litres
1.8 = 4.25 litres
2.0 = 4.25 litres
2.2 = 5.00 litres
Difference between max and min = 1.0 litre
Whether it be 4.25 or 5.0 litres, I'd be worried about topping it up with 4 litres!
Chris M
|
Chris M,
that\'s interesting. Yet another Haynes anomaly. My data is from an electronic Haynes copy (although it only covers 1995 to 1997, so isn\'t as recent as yours.)
1.6 = 3.5 litres
1.8 = 4.5 litres
2.0 = 5.0 litres
2.2 = 5.0 litres (not in my list, but I have a 2.2 Vectra.)
2.5 = 4.5 litres
I don\'t have my old handbook to hand to cross refernce either. Have to agree though, putting 4 litres of oil in to get it back up to max is one heck of a lot of oil.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Are you sure you are checking on a flat surface?
--
Was mech1
|
|
|
|
Glad to hear the problem seems to be sorted.
"Degraded oil will have a low viscosity, which will also tend to reduce the oil pressure"
I thought this was the case through normal use.
When oil is overstretched like it is here, doesn't it tend to do the opposite?. With an engine running on less than 0.5ltr, the oil gets hotter than it is supposed to, so goes very very thin. Repeated bouts of this treatment breaks the oil down to the point where it turns to black sludge.
When my aunt told me to have a look at the car because "the oil light occasionally comes on" it turned out that it had little oil in too. When the first litre was added, the oil was decidedly less viscous than it was when I poured it in. It was also still pitch black. Yet another litre later and it was still quite black.
Im no mechanic so may be entirely wrong.
|
Umm... I'm sure I read a thread here where someone was getting the oil pressure light coming on yet had a full dipstick of oil.
However, if the oil pump is knackered or something's blocking the flow, the engine is still being starved of oil, and unpleasant things might occur.
PS - I change the oil in my Xsara 1.9TD every six months, and it goes jet black practically instantly. Should I be worried?
|
"PS - I change the oil in my Xsara 1.9TD every six months, and it goes jet black practically instantly. Should I be worried?"
NO - The majority of diesels do this. Its due to the large amount of sooty deposits that diesels generate and the relativly large amount of detergents in diesel formulated engine oils. The detergents in the clean oil will remove alot of these deposits as soon as its put in and these deposits will remain in suspention hense the oil seeming to go black as soon as its put in.
Hope this puts you at ease
|
|
|
|
|
