POLL: Whose AU has an engine rattle??

[rayner22]

Since a lot of people lately haver been admitting to suffering the annoying uncurable engine rattle that the AU sixes suffer from..
How many people actually have it??
You can try all sorts of oil combinations but u can only make it quieter for a while but never go away...

[ClassicAU]

what do you mean by rattle? I didn't realise this was a problem with our cars? The only thing i can hear from my motor at the moment is a noisy belt and a ticking noise which i think is my injectors.

[smoo]

At what rpm? I have a rattle at about 1000rpm, but not idling, its so quiet I have to listen out for it tho.
It reminds me of the piston slap of the old LS1s, just no where near as brutal.

First time I've heard of this as a common issue, what causes it?

[SVR73]

Never noticed a rattle with the XR or my forte which did 130,000 kms and alot of 24 hours straight (only 2 fuel stops) trips to queensland

[The Dok]

Ummmm yes, as much as it pains me to say it. Mine is best heard when travelling up a small narrow laneway behind my local shopping strip, the rattle @1000-1500 sounds like hydraulic gear, however it's not so obvious since I had the big exhaust system fitted, the resonator tends to hide it. Having said that though, my EF has the same noise + the occasional "sticky lifter sound". If it really bothers owners, try using some "Moreys engine oil additive". Even so, it's not even close to the noise made by the wonderful Gen 111 engine in my mates VTSS, those engines have more rattles than a newborn baby :

[rayner22]

Its like a tinny rattle noise sort of tap tap tap in sequence, gets louder with revs around 1000-2000, and especially noticeable after you lift the throttle.
Ive had so many reasons given to me oil slappage\windage in the sump, like Dok said hydraulic loosening etc.
Even got told by an unnamed dodgy mechanic it was a blown head gasket and shaky cam. Funny how theres no water leaks around the head etc....

[congo3sr]

I havent noticed any unusual rattling,the car has done 133k .Guess its something else I will be paranoid about....lol

[rayner22]

Originally Posted by hotwelder

I havent noticed any unusual rattling,the car has done 133k .Guess its something else I will be paranoid about....lol

umm well I won't tell u that mine STARTED doing it roughly around 120000 lol

[GK]

Originally Posted by rayner22

Its like a tinny rattle noise sort of tap tap tap in sequence, gets louder with revs around 1000-2000, and especially noticeable after you lift the throttle.
Ive had so many reasons given to me oil slappage\windage in the sump, like Dok said hydraulic loosening etc.
Even got told by an unnamed dodgy mechanic it was a blown head gasket and shaky cam. Funny how theres no water leaks around the head etc....

Yep I have it, a ticketicketicketick noise (which is very fast), when lifting off the throttle during low speeds, say 20-40 kmph. Have heard some tappet noise at the lights from time to time but nothing much.

Sort of used to it now! LOL!

Pretty sure both AUs do it, the wagon has 155k the sedan 90k. It's harder to hear in the sedan, as it's a series 2 with better sound deadening firewall and underbonnet padding!

GK

[HLC]

mine makes a funny sound in the exhaust which my mums I6 doesnt hahah sounds lame as bouncing off the concrete barriers getting on motorways or in carparks. in the mid rev range tooo. interesting haha

[scuwp]

Yep, mine does it too, at around 1500 - 2500 rpm and coasting or decelerating, and going past buildings or trees you can hear it echo back. At the latest service the tossers put in some high tech lightweight oil (5w - something)...cost a bloody fortune and made the 'clacking' noise worse. The "head" mechanic said that it was a known problem with the gudgon pins in the back 1 - 2 pistons that flop around a bit when not under any load, and reckons my headers would make it sound worse. Reckons that the problem was so rampant in the first AU's that ford produced a video explaining it to customers (yeah right!...I never seen one). Said it "just how it is" and to live with it....so thats what I am doing.

[nitroman]

Shame on you all. You should have got v8's and avoided these nasty noises!

[The Dok]

Originally Posted by nitroman

Shame on you all. You should have got v8's and avoided these nasty noises!

Don't get me wrong, I love my V8s too but http://www.fordforums.com.au/forumdi...sprune=30&f=11 they aren't with out their little issues. The Windsors won't suffer from the 6 cyl problems we're referring to here though because they still use pushrods don't they?? :

[plext]

Originally Posted by The Dok

The Windsors won't suffer from the 6 cyl problems we're referring to here though because they still use pushrods don't they?? :

Oh dear, this will get ugly.

[ebxr8240]

Its engine noise.. Its not a turbine engine....

[au2sw]

no noise yet (nearly 94,000 in my wagon) well not now that i have fixed my front left hub! its soooooo quiet.....ahhh the sweet serenity of an unchanged au. damn i wish i had some money for mods!!!!!!!

[ClassicAU]

I think i might have to listen out for this one to see if mine has it. I think the reason i haven't notices anything so far is because the good old first gear whine drowns it out most other noises at low speed!

[needfordspeed]

Yes, my mums AU2 does it at low revs while in car parks etc

[HLC]

update: i have the rattle! : makes me laugh.

[ClassicAU]

I think i heard it too. Henri, can i ask, how did you test to see if you have it? I could only hear something when i drove past parked cars at small throttle so it was accelerating at about 1500 odd rpm. I just figured that how the motor sounded.

[HLC]

Originally Posted by ClassicAU

I think i heard it too. Henri, can i ask, how did you test to see if you have it? I could only hear something when i drove past parked cars at small throttle so it was accelerating at about 1500 odd rpm. I just figured that how the motor sounded.

i absolutely floored (from idle/rolling) it getting onto the motorway with the windows down :

the noise bounced off the wall, and as i watched the tacho go past 1000/1500 i heard the rattle :P

[rayner22]

Well Ive tried:-
- Castrol Edge (10w30)
-Castrol Formula R 5w40 did work but now unavailable and Edge isn't up to par
- numerous oil additives etc etc
Haven't tried Morey's tho so am going to give that a go.
Too bad that don't make "Oil Booster" anymore, Repco can't even get it anymore :(

[clontarf_x]

I get noise in startup but I think that's mroe to do with my oil

Otherwise, I'm sat on 155k (mostly country k's) and my baby hasn't skipped a beat except for a bearing...

[ClassicAU]

Originally Posted by HLC

i absolutely floored (from idle/rolling) it getting onto the motorway with the windows down :

the noise bounced off the wall, and as i watched the tacho go past 1000/1500 i heard the rattle :P

I tryed that, but flooring it only got me a combination of first gear and induction noises! Can this rattle only be heard at full throttle?

[AU2PWR]

its not a rattle , its the tiny midgets in the engine , feed them more cheerios and they will quiet down

[HLC]

Originally Posted by ClassicAU

I tryed that, but flooring it only got me a combination of first gear and induction noises! Can this rattle only be heard at full throttle?

well its only brief. and the exhaust amplifies the sound a little bit

[paddle]

yep mine has it,almost sound like an old magna at 1500rpm,could it be a guide snapped? drives me bloody insane.

[blackers10]

are we talking about tappet noise (sort of a tack tack tack tack) that only happens at 1-2k rpm usually heard when backing off the accelerator?
if so mine has it