Could anyone advise on what the clacking sound from my N/A BA I6 could be when the engine is cold. After starting, the engine is normal, but when it is taken to 1500rpm, it makes a clacking sound, and it gets louder when the accelerator is released and then quiets down. I mainly notice this when leaving an undercover car park and decelerate to turn a corner or stop, the clacking sound echoes and sound crap. The sound disappears when the engine is warm.

Any ideas, it has been like this since about 25k, now at 40k and sounding worse. It sounds like it is in the top of the engine (head), is it a valve, rocker, etc. Never thrashed or red-lined, but a long down hill every morning and up hill every night...factor???

Cheers JB

is it parked on a hill??

does it do it just when on hills or all the time (that u can notice)

if so it could be the end of the crank slapping in the oil ( mine does this on hills too)

Maybe timing chain rattle?

Never parked on a hill, always parked level.

I had a chat to a Ford service manager who was telling me that it could be a little slack with one of the gudgeon pins of one of the pistons and there was no real need for alarm. Should I be alarmed...I still have a warranty...should this be fixed? It sounds crap for the first couple of minutes after starting (like an 80's magna) with the clacking sound.

Anyone else have any rattling coming from their Barra 182?

What I want to know is why you've only had a chat to your dealer, leaving this problem exist for 15,000km.

Throw the car back at the dealer and get them to fix it.

I would think that any clanging or banging or knocking noises from an engine should be attended too pretty quickly.

I know I know...

its tappets!!!!

I got a mate with a BA XR6 T with the identical issue I swear its tappets, its a pretty rapid fire click click click noise right? it is pretty quiet until you get about 1500 rpm and then it starts up but from 1500 rpm up it does not get any louder ie builds up in noise until 1500 rpm then maintains that volume of click click clicks until the engine gets a bit of temp in it.. sound like a correct diagnosis?

solution is ...

you still have warranty take it to ford for a warranty repair, they will lift the rocker cover, the HLA's in BOTH sets of rocker gear will be replaced and clearances checked, cams will be inspected, Head will NOT be removed from the car as this is only an OHC setup issue. same issue as what the SOHC setup has/had just alot smaller HLA's and alot more of em so a more refined tappet noise is heard instead of the old tick tick tick tick of the SOHC engine its a click click click click twice as many HLA's to move plus they are alot smaller.
once the oil temp builds up and suffiently reaches the head that is when the clicking noise stops.

Spot on dc_todd, exactly the problem. Getting it fixed under warranty within the next couple of weeks. Service dept mentioned that they will fix the ONE causing the problem. Is this right...should ALL be changed?

Thank you for your help.

JB

once the engine is warm it'll go away. every thing should expand within operating temp.

Just wondering what the end result was? My partsners BA has started to do the exact same thing. I only noticed it when driving in a carpark next to a wall with the window down.
It does it when cold or warm though. It does it mostly at startup, then it settles down at idle but can be heard if you listen very carefully. If I rev it up slowly to 1500rpm I can maintain the constant clacking sound and it gets worse if I drop my foot off the accelerator.

I removed the rocker cover and the timing chain seemed a tiny bit slack but nothing to really worry about. I have changed the oil and added some oil stabiliser ( just to see if it made a difference ) and it has quietened it down a little.

Well I have added a very small amount of oil stabiliser just to see if any it would make any difference and it has definitely settled down somewhat.