Petrol VW Golf sounds like a diesel on startup

IrishRover

My father has a 2004 VW Golf with the Petrol 1.6 FSI engine. Sometimes when the engine is started, there's a loud rattly noise from the engine bay, a bit like an old-school clanger of a diesel engine. I say engine bay because I can't be sure it's from the actual engine. After anything between 2 and 10 seconds the noise goes and it sounds like a petrol engine again.

It doesn't happen all the time, and can happen if the engine is hot or cold.

First of all, the VW garage (won't name them for now) said they'd never heard of anything like this before and took the car in to investigate and repair (but only after they said that "Germany" had agreed to fix it under warranty). After a few days when my father called asking for an update they said they had changed a belt cover and what I gather may have been a pulley, which they said made the problem worse. Therefore, they said the next thing they would do would be to replace a camshaft (yeah, it doesn't make much sense to me either but I'm going on second hand information).

After about a week he got the car back and they were very cagey about what they did to the car, but said that they had been waiting on an oil pump from "Germany" (seems like every part they need they have to order in specially from Germany). They wouldn't say why they know the problem is now fixed, but confirmed it was fixed. With any intermittent problem though, it's not easy to confirm when it's fixed.

So my father gets the car back, and it's not fixed. If anything, it seems to do it more often and louder now than ever. He calls them up and they say well one of the parts they replaced must have been faulty so and they will have to go through the same procedure they followed before and replace all the same parts again. No, it couldn't be something else they say, there is a defined procedure from Germany that they have to follow to resolve this particular problem.

So now it seems like they are saying this is a known issue, which is a turnaround from saying this is something that's never been heard of before. Still very little information forthcoming from them.

Well, I suppose I'm throwing it out there to see if this sounds familiar to any of you. Would very much like to know if this is a "known issue" or not.

Lex Luthor

I'm not familiar with the VW engines, but on the Alfa when that happens, its the variator. What mileage is on the car? They are usually changed with the timing belt. (sometimes called the "death rattle")

mike65

Some VW engines have rather noisy tappets on first start but only for a second or two.

Replacing the cam suggests the oilways are not doing the job or indeed the oil pump was'nt producing the required pressure the lub the cam parts quickly
enough on start up.

http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:l-OH7ufF4vwJ:www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/archive/index.php/t-89.html+VW+oil+pump+failure&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=opera

Mike.

IrishRover

Mileage is coming up on 30k I believe.

I can understand the rationale in replacing oil pump if it's not creating proper oil pressure, but they started from the premise that the noise was being caused by a belt hitting off a cover, and said that the noise was worse after they replaced the cover. So it doesn't seem to follow that you move on from there to the oil pump and cams.

I'm familiar with tappety sounds on other engines, but this is a very loud rattley sound. If they really are the tappets they must be really shaking about in there.

The fact that it's an intermittent problem is something that worries me.

There's never any warning lights by the way (like oil pressure light). I read that article Mike, sounds like the prob there is not relating to just when starting the car. Sounds like a famililar attitude there people are getting from VW garages though. I don't like VW, and it drives me mad that people think they make reliable cars. Yeah, I know my father's is just one instance, but I've been reading a fair few people complain about common faults with VWs (coil packs and excessive oil use that VW just say is "normal") and also the poor attitide they receive from VW when something does go wrong.

If the noise from the engine ceases once the oil light goes out then it is most likely the Main Bearings of the crankshaft.

IrishRover

The oil light goes out after a few secs (like other warning lights do such as abs etc do after diagnostic check) if you leave key in position where all electrics are on. So the oil light is off before you start the car, maybe it's just for oil level and not pressure.

Do you know of any issue with the main bearings on FSI or VW engines though? Anyone any other suggestions?

crosstownk

IrishRover wrote:

So the oil light is off before you start the car, maybe it's just for oil level and not pressure.

Do you know of any issue with the main bearings on FSI or VW engines though? Anyone any other suggestions?

On a VW, low oil level will show with a yellow light - low oil pressure is displayed with a red light.

I haven't heard of any issue with main bearings on any VW model - yet. It sounds like the VW dealer doesn't really know what the problem is. Has the oil pressure been checked - if so is it normal or low?

junkyard

Is it using oil? if it is it could well be piston slap, wear in the engine. VW's are well known for this problem, the only solution is a new block and pistons. I had a Bora in recently with the same problem your describing and off record its well known to VW dealers but they don't like to talk about it as it would shatter the fairy tail they have about reliability....they certainly don't make them like they used to.

junkyard

Is it using oil? if it is it could well be piston slap, wear in the engine. VW's are well known for this problem, the only solution is a new block and pistons. I had a Bora in recently with the same problem your describing and off record its well known to VW dealers but they don't like to talk about it as it would shatter the fairy tail they have about reliability....they certainly don't make them like they used to.

cyborg

When you start the car and it sounds like a diesel for a few seconds and then is OK ,if you switch it off and start again I'll bet it doesn't make any noise?

If this is the case it definately sounds like tappets issue,they will be noisy until they are filled with oil. When left standing the oil will drain from them and when you start the car it take a few seconds for the oil to pump them up again.

crosstownk

Cyborg's suggestion has some merit and is well worth checking.

@Junkyard, I've a 2000 Bora with horrid piston slap and it doesn't burn a drop of oil. It's had the piston slap problem for 3 years now. I'm getting it looked at in January as I'll never sell it with that racket going on under the bonnet!