2006 vectra 2.2 sri - rattling bad in the morning - viper8

got a 2006 vectra 2.2 sri direct .29000 miles .just brought it 2 weeks ago .noticed there was mayo on the oil filler cap ,and upon investigating further, in the breather pipe to the cam / engine cover .cleaned these out .now no problem .( apparantly the guy who had the car before me from new ,did not go very far in it )
anyway
this morning i started the car and it sounded like a diesel .rattling from top of engine like mad .drove off still rattling .took a good 5 mins to go silent ..could the tappets have the mayo in aswell ,thus blocking the oil when cold ??
car has had full service history ..

2006 vectra 2.2 sri - rattling bad in the morning - Victorbox

Well assuming the head gasket isn't blown the first question is when did it last have an oil and oil filter change? Was the correct 5W/30 fully synthetic oil used? http://tinyurl.com/3d6c82m I'd get the car serviced or at least the oil and filter changed and possibly use some Forte Top End Treatment for the hydraulic tappets: http://www.motorspeed.com/store_main.asp?int_product_id=3984

Edited by Victorbox on 09/04/2011 at 09:36

2006 vectra 2.2 sri - rattling bad in the morning - viper8

it was serviced in jan this year by VX .oil,filters changed ( hopefully )

dont know what oil is in it .but i was told to use 5w40 semi synthetic ?

will the forte top end treatment cure the mayo problem ( everywhere )

i appriciate any information

2006 vectra 2.2 sri - rattling bad in the morning - doofer

Surprised it has so much mayo since it was serviced in January.

Are you sure the rattle is from the top, could it be the timing chain/tensioner?

2006 vectra 2.2 sri - rattling bad in the morning - viper8

yes so am i

would the rattle not be all the time if it was the timing chain /tensioner ?

it went silent about 5 mins down the road

2006 vectra 2.2 sri - rattling bad in the morning - doofer

A failing tensioner can stick and take a few minutes to come up to pressure. Some of the guys on z22se.co.uk fit the spring tensioners from (IIRC) the z20net instead of the original which needs oil pressure.

Could be other things too, of course, such as low oil pressure, wrong grade/type of oil, sticky valve lifter etc., but I'd suggest you check the tensioner.

2006 vectra 2.2 sri - rattling bad in the morning - mickyh7
These engines are renowned for snapping timing chains,lack of oil changes block up the lubrication to the chain.
Retro is a bigger hole in the oil spray nozzle IIRC
Might be worth getting it checked asap ?
Good Luck.
2006 vectra 2.2 sri - rattling bad in the morning - Collos25

The reason they rattle is because it has never had reguler oil changes the oil ways to the cylinderhead running gear are to small and until the oil is pumped through the tappits rattle .If the mileage is genuine then I suggest you have the oil changed(using the correct oil) and flushing oil is used first .Mayo forming in such a short time seems to me that it was never serviced no matter what the book says or you have other underlying problems.

Unless you know for sure the mileage is geniune I would treat it with some scepidation.

Edited by Andy Bairsto on 10/04/2011 at 13:40

2006 vectra 2.2 sri - rattling bad in the morning - galileo

Andy, scepidation is an invention of genius - neatly combining scepticism and trepidation - exactly appropriate!

2006 vectra 2.2 sri - rattling bad in the morning - piston power

After the oil change how does it run for the first few starts?

Take it for a good long blast up the motorway through the gears taking the revs up high if this is quiter when you turn the key.

2006 vectra 2.2 sri - rattling bad in the morning - Dynamic Dave
These engines are renowned for snapping timing chains,lack of oil changes block up the lubrication to the chain. .

No they're not. It was the previous Vectra-B 2.2 that had the lubrication nozzle issues, sorted out by replacing it for the modified one.

As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, its more than likely the tensioner which is partially hydraulically controlled, and infrequent oil changes can make it stick and doesn't tension the chain anymore.

There is a Field Remedy (can't remember the number) which basically states if the original tensioner fails to replace it with the sprung loaded tensioner that's fitted to the 2.0 petrol turbo engines.

Happened to mine last year, and Vauxhall contributed 70% of the repair bill for a new chain and tensioner.

2006 vectra 2.2 sri - rattling bad in the morning - mickyh7
These engines are renowned for snapping timing chains,lack of oil changes block up the lubrication to the chain. .

No they're not. It was the previous Vectra-B 2.2 that had the lubrication nozzle issues, sorted out by replacing it for the modified one.

As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, its more than likely the tensioner which is partially hydraulically controlled, and infrequent oil changes can make it stick and doesn't tension the chain anymore.

There is a Field Remedy (can't remember the number) which basically states if the original tensioner fails to replace it with the sprung loaded tensioner that's fitted to the 2.0 petrol turbo engines.

Happened to mine last year, and Vauxhall contributed 70% of the repair bill for a new chain and tensioner.

Oops sorry my mistake.I read that a little too fast.

2006 vectra 2.2 sri - rattling bad in the morning - Victorbox

"dont know what oil is in it .but i was told to use 5w40 semi synthetic?"

I've not known a Vauxhall dealer to use anything but 5W/30 fully synthetic oil (GM longlife spec) in years.