recently my car has developed a sort of rubbing rattling(heavy) sound. Sounded a lot worse today, stuck my head under the bonnet and it appears the noise is coming from under the engine or centre of the engine. It is most noticable from underneath the car.

It isn't a tappety noise more heavy, not piston slap noise. If you listen for a while it changes. Only way to describe is like lumps of metal being stirred round in a bowl full of oil

No diffence clutch up or down.

Thing is it's not smoking/using oil, increase revs above 1500-2000rpm and it is not there, the car runs fine makes boost and is driving fine.

Really don't trust any garages round here to give me straight advice

[Edited by jameswrx - 5/21/2003 7:29:54 PM]

 

Hi,

ermm to coin a phrase imho


sound rather like big ends!!

the swishy bits may be the bearing shells floting free

but who knows!!!! why dont you drop the sump ang have a look see


Mart

 

damn!

why the hell i didn't keep my gti-r i'll never know

Any ideas if I should drive it?, is it likely to let go?

might try barretts motorsport...better re-mortgage my house

 

can't see what would cause big end faliure on this car?

cars been looked after, 80,000miles, oil every 3-4k, warmed up and down sympathetically, don't drive it silly, etc.

It's the quitest car i've owned, not even tappet noise from start up.. now this

finding it hard to believe big end faliure.

do oil pumps ever make a dodgy noise?

any big end faliure i've experienced before has started with the loose rattly feeling of the big end knocking when revving to 2,500rpm and backing off slightly. My car doesn't do this just the noise on idle.

 

you can take the sump off (it's bonded on aswell as the bolts) to check out the big ends. If one is gone it should move quite readily.

One questoin about your car, does your engine check light ever light up? I know you've not been able to get any error codes out of it and just wondered if it actually works at all?

duuh, just read the clutch comment so edited gearbox it...

Some sort of stethoscope would be useful so you can pinpoint the source of the noise and the exact sound it makes, whether its in time with crank or cam rotations etc.

Is it time with a big end do you think?

How did you manage to get such an unreliable Impreza? You do seem to be having awful luck.

Paul

[Edited by Pavlo - 5/21/2003 10:46:56 PM]

 

cel physically works (if you plug connectors it flashes normal)

noise doesn't seem consistantly in time with any rotation, of the two though it's more likely to be in time with crank rotation.

thing is it's been doing it a while, over a week, only noticed the rubbing sound and hoped it was related to power steering bad feelin give been having. just thought i'd have a good listen today, went under the car and the knocking noise was there. Bearing in mind the time it's been doing it and the fact I've done lots of miles like this (including circa 350 miles to castle coombe) and reading old big end faliure threads I can't believe it hasn't have thrown a rod

[Edited by jameswrx - 5/21/2003 10:58:33 PM]

 

Yes when the oil pumps are on the way out they can produce the sound you are describing, and probably much more likely to be the problem, you should get it looked at before you do the big end bearings, because you will break a conrod and end up replacing the whole block

[Edited by submannz - 5/22/2003 3:09:33 AM]

 

Have a listen to the water pump bearings as well, mine made a grumbling sound that was slower in repetition than the crank speed. Its driven off the cambelt, located between the crank and r/h cams as you look into the bonnet from the front.

justin

 

I'm back and It's sorted!... phew

It was the water pump.

Took it to Barretts Motorsport this morning and asked them to cast an ear over it. It sounded really bad this morning. They suggested taking the belts off the front of the engine to see if it stopped. Thing is it really didn't sound like any water pump faliure i've ever heard and they agreed that it did sound a bit terminal. I almost took it back home and was considering selling it with engine replacement needed.
At the last minute I decided to leave it with them to try..

Got a phone call from Phill in the afternoon saying it was the water pump and also that one of the cambelt rollers/tensioners was knackered too. I've never felt so releaved

He said it wasn't common at all, I'm sure he said he'd never seen/heard one that bad.

Anyway, it's sorted, Phill rang me about an hour ago to say they'd finished it

BIG thanks to the guys at Barretts Motorsport, I only dropped in there this morning to have them listen to it, wasn't even booked in (and they are busy men), and they diagnosed it, sourced some parts for me and fitted them all with no notice top service.

 

I was going to mention that, but didn't think it would make the sound you describe. They usualy rumlbe and whine.

anyway, very glad you got it sorted.

If it makes you feel better, I have been told that you need to remove engine and box to do a GTI-R water pump!

Paul

 

Cheers Paul, I know what you mean, it wasn't a very water pump like noise. As I said 2 of the guys there (and me) were pretty much agreed it sounded bottom endy.

Paranoia, reading old 'big end' threads, and my incredible bad luck all told me it was going to be expensive.

The way I'm going someones going to get a scooby with lots of new parts when I sell it