Thanks again Steve for your feedback. There has been some major changes since I e-mailed you last and that's an understatement! I took the car back to where I originally bought it from and as you're aware my own mechanic, who installed the cam, was 100% sure it was the gearbox making the noise. NO it wasn't. It was a loose engine mounting bolt that he didn't tighten back up after he dealt with the cam!!!!!!! That could have cost me some serious money but as it was it took 10 minutes and cost me nothing...but it doesn't end there. He also installed a power fuel regulator so when the mechanic at the garage I bought it from sorted out the engine bolt there was another deep growling sound which reverberated through the chassis...the pressure on the regulator was way to high! This has now damaged the fuel pump. Luckily it has all turned out a lot better than it could have but the moral is be careful who you trust even if you think you know them!
Steve Says
Wow! Jim, I'm so glad that is was something easy! Low oil pressure problems are not cheap fixes so I'm glad that you found someone who found the real problem. I have never seen a loose engine mount cause this type of noise, but it makes sense that it could. Getting a second opinion on this type of noise saved you a lot of money. I hope my other readers who see this will take your story to heart and have another technician give them a second opinion when there are major costs involved. I guess you have found out who to take your car to when you have problems. It is so important to have a skilled, honest mechanic to repair your vehicles, it makes the car repair process so much less stressful.
Thanks again for the update and I hope you have a lot of trouble free driving days after this big mess!
Jan 15, 2009 Rating
Thanks! by: Jim
Thanks Steve, for your reply to my question about the rattling, it's much appreciated! I've now noticed the noise there even when its cold but when I keep the RPM at 2000 or higher it's fine. I have a feeling that I should've changed the followers when the cam was done but was assured they wouldn't need to be changed by mechanic as they're hydraulic, even though the manufacturers installation instructions said their own followers/lifters MUST be used when changing to a high profile cam?! What do you reckon? It's actually a twin cam engine so both were done and new timing sets were installed for both. The first thing I'll do next week is check oil pressure and oil pump. Do you think an engine flush would help?
Steve Says,
Thanks for the update! Since the noise is there only at low RPM's this makes me lean toward a low oil pressure problem. It is possible that it is a piston slap problem but that is much less likely.
The cam followers should not cause much of a problem as far as the oil pressure is concerned, BUT since the company that made your camshaft says that they must be changed I would have changed them. It is a good practice to replace the followers anytime you replace the camshaft anyway.
As far as an engine flush, I generally don't recommend them. They are usually a waste of money. However sometimes this is a needed service. If you have a high mileage engine or one that is driven hard and don't do proper vehicle maintenance then it might be a good idea, but if you take care of your car you should not need to do this.
