Why does my engine make a tapping sound? It goes away once the engine is warm. I just did oil & filter change.

Question

Why does my engine make a tapping sound? It goes away once the engine is warm. I just did oil & filter change.

Answer 1

tappets mate, fiestas are a pain for this,

however, if you want a quick and easy solution for this,

get a hammer, preferably one with a big head, and smash the **** out of the head of the engine where its tapping.

might quiten it down failing that, buy it some tap shoes.

good luck

Answer 2

Give Ralfcoder 10 points! He just said everything that I was going to recommend.

I have slight tapping noise on my truck at startup (condition worse during winter). Same noise, 3rd year now and 195k on motor. I just run a little heavier oil and the friggin thing keeps running.

Answer 3

Probably worn valve tappets and lifters.  If it's an older car, it's a sign that the engine is wearing.  Open the hood, and listen carefully when someone starts the car.  If the noise sounds like it's coming from the area of the valve covers, then this is the likely cause.  You may still get 50,000 miles out of it, though, if you do a couple of simple things.

First - valve noise can be caused by low oil.  Park the car on a level spot, and check the oil level.  If it's not full, top it off.  Be careful not to overfill it, though.

Second - if the car has high miles, consider changing to a thicker oil.  If you're using 5-W30 or 10-W30, switch to 5-W40 or 10-W40.  If you're using straight 30W, maybe go to 40W.  A thicker oil will help fill the increased space caused by wear.

Finally - check your oil religiously every time you get gas.  A worn engine can still run for many miles as long as it has plenty of oil.  But if you run it low, it will wear a whole lot faster, and you'll burn up the motor quickly.

Answer 4

If its an overhead valve engine, then it need the tappets adjusting [valves]

Answer 5

have u checked you plugs and points?...this can make ur engine taps...depending on the tapping it could be the big ends on the way out which unfortunetly means a new engine...maybe take it 2 a garage for a health check..lol..

may just be a valve or summin simple, good luck

Answer 6

if it goes when warm then probably a sticking hydraulic lifter in the head,

either try an engine flush(fraid you have to change the oil and filter again)

or have a compression test done,this will tell which lifter is stickingso that it can be replaced

Answer 7

It most likely is your valves, but as another patron here stated the valve may be still be able to be adjusted.  If you have been running the car this way for a while, the worn valve may have to be resurfaced.  I would definitely have it checked though, start getting second and third opinions and estimates, because what your hearing is the sound of damage.  The more you run the engine that way, the more the damage.  Still cheaper than buying a new car, you'll have to weigh what you want to do.

Answer 8

Flats on bottom of hydraulic lifters or cam lobes worn

Answer 9

Most likely valve clearances - they'll be manually adjustable, or hydraulic depending on the car.

Answer 10

this is caused by worn valves its an expensive repair best just to live with it