car sounds like a ford!! (tappets)

[Stanley]

recently ive found that after booting it, my car ticks fom the middle left piston.

by putting the flat blade of a screwdriver against the cam cover and the handle against your ear, you can hear it tapping better.

everyone seems to think its the tappets but i dont know what they are so i nod and look agreeing.

whats the case here folks??

cheers

[DrivingSpanner]

Tappets are the thing that control the valve clearance (or gap between the cam and valve when fully closed).

check your oil level to start with, all nova engines (except the 1 L) have hydraulic tapets, if your oil level is low these may not be full of oil and they get worse with higher revs

[Stanley]

that is another point, when i go fast round a corner the oil light comes on,

YES IVE CHECKED THE OIL and its above max, as it always has been.

should i stick some more in??

if so, what grade, etc

[DrivingSpanner]

NO, dont ever run over the MAX it will screw your engine up, can do more damage than running just below the MIN level!!!

As for the oil light comming on that is because the oil is surging to one side of the engine while you are cornering and it isnt picking any oil up.

This is probably the cause of the tappets going, i suspect that you will find that they have run with out enough oil and have worn, only thing i can surgest is that they are changed for a new set... and dont go so fast round the corners if the oil light is coming on, your engine wont last long if you keep doing this,

What size engine is it???

[robb]

Yeah the rockers have definately worn.

It's a 1.2 right? I don't know why but for some reason my mate had an average mileage 1.2 and the rockers weren't even useful!

I have had many other bigger motors and had no problems with badly worn rockers. Must just be 1.2 power I suppose that is buggering them!

[Aragorn]

you may also find youve got a sticky pressure release valve or maybe blocked pickup gauze on the sump pickup