C3 (1.4 8V) ENGINE CLICKING SOUND

bigbri12345 · Unread post by **bigbri12345** » 23 Mar 2010, 10:15

Can anyone help me ?

My Wife's 03 reg C3 (1.4 8V) (63k on clock ) is making a strange "ticking sound" when idling and reving it (ticking gets faster as you rev faster). Seems to get worse when engine is warmer. Thought it might be the hydralic tappets. So filled the engine oil with Hydraulic Tappet lifting oil. Hoever, this has made no difference. The Injectors were changed in 2005 under warrently and the car was serviced about 2000 miles ago.

Could it be the Timing Belt needing changed? Was told 100,000 miles for a belt change. (personally, this seems a little high to me. Car is 7 years old with 63,000)

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Brian

wheeler · Unread post by **wheeler** » 23 Mar 2010, 10:27

Is this a diesel by any chance ? If so my moneys on leaking injector fire washers. Can you smell exhaust fumes under the bonnet when the engine is running ? does the engine run normally ?

bigbri12345 · Unread post by **bigbri12345** » 23 Mar 2010, 10:43

Hi,

Thanks for your quick reply,

It's a petrol actually (should have mentioned that !)

Thought it might be a dodgy water pump or cam belt tensioner etc etc, hence why i wondered what the cam belt change interval was.....

No change in car's performance at all. Very wierd !

wheeler · Unread post by **wheeler** » 23 Mar 2010, 10:47

bigbri12345 wrote:
It's a petrol actually (should have mentioned that !)

Well that rules out the hydralic tappets then as it doesent have them

Have the valve clearances been checked ?
Timing belt should be 75/80k miles depending on what servive intervals its on.

bigbri12345 · Unread post by **bigbri12345** » 23 Mar 2010, 11:00

It doesn't have Hydralic tappets!!??! HA HA !!! Don't I like like a ****.

Oh Well !!.

No, the valve clearences haven't been done. I've done that on a motorbike and it's a difficult job. That would be a nightmare on a car I recon ! (and costly !!!!). Is it part of the service schedule?

May have to just stick it in the garage for a check. It's done 65k so may just get the timing belt / valve clearences checkes while its there.

Brian

zilly · Unread post by **zilly** » 23 Mar 2010, 13:38

8v engine, lots of room under the bonnet.........checking clearances shouldn't be as bad as a bike and you probably don't need to remove the cams to adjust them.

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 23 Mar 2010, 22:05

Could be a belt tensioner breaking up.

Ive not heard of problems with the 1.4 8v PSA unit, i had thought they were pretty good engines.

Pleiades · Unread post by **Pleiades** » 23 Mar 2010, 22:14

Check the crankshaft pulley.

These little boogers have an outer and inner with a rubber damper in between, when the rubber starts to break up the outer part can move causing a ticking noise.

The last one that I had in like it was on a C5 and the ticking was so bad it sounded like a terminal engine problem.

To check it, draw a line from the center to the outer edge with chalk or tippex, then run the engine for a minute or so, then turn off and check your line. Is it still straight or have parts of the line moved? If they have then the pulley needs changing.

This is not just a Citroen trait, lots of cars are suffering from this problem now.

Regards
Martin.