Ticking/Tapping Noise

[Jenni.Baby]

Hi everyone, hope you're having a lovely weekend

Last Saturday, I finally purchased my Peugeot 206CC (12 years in the making, I might add!) It's a 52 plate, 1.6 S petrol with manual gearbox. I have loved these for such a long time so I'm really happy to finally own one!

The car came with a full service history (including cam belt done 14k miles ago; last service at 62k miles) and had only 66k miles on the clock. I've looked at a few and this one seemed to have the best history, and the MOT history on it looked sound too. It also came with some warranty.

Fast forward a week and I'm experiencing a few problems. On Friday morning, I heard a ticking/tapping noise from the engine, then 2 alerts came up, an 'Anti Pollution Fault' then 'Catalytic Convertor Fault', and I think it was in that order. I didn't want to drive it in case there were major problems so called work and got a lift in. I phoned the garage and was told to come by after work and they would run it through a diagnostic. This they did and a few messages came up, including ignition fault, cylinder fault, and what I saw before. They said I would need a new coil pack and advised for me to come back today. My mechanic friend said that the faults found were probably linked and not to worry too much.

When I started the car this morning from cold, the ticking/tapping noise was back, and was worse when pressing the throttle (just like Friday). I took it to the garage, who installed the new coil pack. They moved the car after, and the noise was still there. To begin with, one mechanic told me it just needed to be used regularly and the boss said it was a tappet that needed adjusting... what do you think?

I got them to check the oil, which they topped up, and then the coolant - the mechanic said there wasn't any in there...

I'm starting to get a bit worried. I thought I had got myself a good deal with the low mileage and service history...

What do you think? Are the problems easy enough to sort?

Thank you so much for reading!

[Luditus]

Did your garage have the correct diagnostics? The boss's comments about adjusting tappets would have me straight out the door.
If you had no water in the system, then you would have disappeared into a huge plume of smoke before reaching the garage. Its likely the header reservoir was very low.
There can be many things attributable to the sounds you describe, some nasty, others not so. Best to get a second opinion from a Peugeot garage.

[IanL]

The ticking noise could be a tappet, but they are not adjustable, they are hydraulic and self-adjusting. What often happens is that, particularly if the car has been out of use, they suffer from gummy deposits. It is often possible to get rid of them by using fully-synthetic 5W-30 oil, and performing an Italian tune-up.

Italian tune-up: Drive the car or idle the engine until warm, then drive a good distance (say 5 miles) in a lower gear than normal, such that the rpm is around 3,500 to 4,500. Just put up with the increased noise. Hopefully, the ticking will then be at an end. It worked for me.

If that has not worked, you can add a hydraulic lifter oil additive, and repeat.

[Jenni.Baby]

Thanks, guys

As still under warranty, is there anything in particular you think I should ask them to look out for?

[IanL]

Anti pollution is a generic fault report, which can be caused by many different things. The cat converter fault may indicate a partially blocked cat, or, perhaps, a defective oxygen sensor. As it is under warranty, it is their job to diagnose and remedy whatever the fault is, and your job not to be fobbed off.

The mechanic's comment about the ticking could well be correct, so try an Italian tune-up, but the fault indication must be rectified. The best way to address that is with the Peugeot Planet 2000 diagnostic tool. If they do not have one, they should take the car to a Peugeot dealer.

[Jenni.Baby]

Absolutely. I just hope it will get sorted.

Do you think continuing to drive it will do it any harm? They said it shouldn't do, so I'm probably being over cautious.

[IanL]

I think it will be ok.

[Jenni.Baby]

Thank you

I'll post an update following my next visit to the garage

[Jenni.Baby]

Also... can I get hold of the software for myself? Is it worth it? Thank you

[IanL]

Also... can I get hold of the software for myself? Is it worth it? Thank you

It certainly is. You will need to buy the software with the hardware. Example here. It requires to run under 32-bit Windows. Many new laptops run 64-bit windows. If yours is one of those, you can install VMWare Player (free) and put a 32-bit copy of Windows XP on under that. Sounds very techy, but it's easy.

Alternatively, get an old WinXP laptop.

[Jenni.Baby]

Hi there,

Well, to cut a long story short, it seems my cylinder head gasket was on the way out which was causing the issues with the anti pollution and catalytic converter faults. I had an independent garage inspect it and they listed the faults with the car, which I took back to where I bought it. They skimmed the head gasket and did the necessary works and I then had the car reinspected and was told the faults etc were clear and they were happy.

Fast forward 2 weeks or so, and my ticking noise is back. I've posted in another thread which backed up the independent's view that it's hydraulic tappets... Edited to add: the ticking noise is most evident when the engine is cold and is much quieter as the car warms up. When it's cold, its much less responsive to the throttle and the noise comes at a higher tempo. My concern is that what if it isn't the tappets (what else could it be?) and will it cause issues if I don't replace them?

Thank you for your help and my apologies for the cross posting!

[Capncol]

When the head gasket was done, did they change the oil & filter?
If at the last service they used the wrong oil and a cheap filter, you can get the problem you describe. If the oil is too thick, it can cause the filter to collapse which restricts oil flow thus lower oil pressure. As the tappets require oil pressure to *pump* them up, thick oil and a collapsed filter can cause issues until the oil warms up and thins out.
Heres a pic I found by googling to show what I mean.

[Jenni.Baby]

Hi Col,

I'll be honest, I really don't know if they did. Would that be a good question to ask? I'm going to phone the place I bought the car from again today. My concern is what if it's something serious that's making the noise that's only going to get worse, what do you think? Is that possible?

I'm really worried I have got a lemon what would be your honest opinion with the head gasket having been done? It had a full service history and MOT history online looked like it had been looked after. My insurance is due next week so I'm not sure what to do...

I've just checked the service book and the car was serviced in February this year by an independent garage.

Thank you for all your help!

[Capncol]

Most independent garages use patterened parts rather than manufacturers parts and quite often they use the same oil in every car (not saying this is the case here, but is possible)
Your Peugeot requires a good quality oil, which according to your owners manual should ideally be a 5/30W or 10/40w fully synthetic oil (Peugeot recommend Esso or Total, but a good brand (Castrol/ Valvoline/ Mobile etc:) is just as good.
Use either a genuine filter or a good aftermarket brand (Mahle/ Mann/ Coopers etc:)