Citroen Xsara Picasso 2002 - Awful rattley engine noise

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Fri 8 Jun 2012 14:33
Citroen Xsara Picasso 2002 - Awful rattley engine noise - mattie_uk
Hi all

I suspect this is a query which is general to most rather than specific to my car, but I'd be interested to hear of resolutions.

The car is being used a bit more but only has sub 80k miles on clock. Over last few years it has developed a bit of a rattle as it got close to its annual service, which said annual service generally got rid of.

The recent service did not fix the rattle, which reappeared about 3 months before we took it in.

I'm concerned both that the rattle appears in first instance, and that it was not 'cured' during service. I'd appreciate advice or thoughts (particularly known weaknesses of this model) on underlying causes, and what we might do to fix.

To try to articulate, it sounds very 'tappety' and not far from the noise you might expect from a diesel - although not as intense. Engine response seems fine, no warning lights (one was reset during service) and no loss of power or excessive fuel consumption (it's the not the most economical in any case!) I appreciate it might sound like I'm worrying over nothing, but it is quite intrusive and I worry it's signifies something that needs treating.

The car is a Citroen Xsara Picasso, Exclusive 1.8 petrol, 2002 with 79k-ish on the clock. Serviced every year at time of MOT.

Any advice on likely causes and resolutions much appreciated. To reiterate, the garage do not see anything fundamentally wrong with it, although this is the first time they have returned it post-service with the noise still evident.

Ta

Matt

eta: Gah, sorry - on GSM connection so page doesn't always fully load, didn't notice this was in wrong section.

Edited by mattie_uk on 08/06/2012 at 14:42

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Fri 8 Jun 2012 14:45
Citroen Xsara Picasso 2002 - Awful rattley engine noise - unthrottled

Sounds like it could simply be a noisy valvetrain. Sometimes an oil change can quieten it down for a while. It isn't usually serious-unless the problem is lack of lubrication. It's when noisy valvetrains go very quiet that you need to start worrying!

If the new garage used a different oil then it might not quieten the valvetrain down as much. This is certainly the case with my car which is very tappety. From cold the engine is quiet, but as it warms up the valvetrain gets noisier and noiser as the oil thins out.

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Fri 8 Jun 2012 17:43
Citroen Xsara Picasso 2002 - Awful rattley engine noise - mattie_uk
Ta mate, puts my mind at rest!

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Sat 9 Jun 2012 00:26
Citroen Xsara Picasso 2002 - Awful rattley engine noise - Avant

Moved to Technical.

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