Noisy Tappets

[rmcg_2011]

Hi all,

Am new to this so bear with me !

I love my FTO (95ww GPX TIP) but the part that really gets to me is the Tappet noise. Its the one thing that takes the enjoyment out of the driving for me.

Can you offer any advice to someone who is VERY FAR from being a mechanic for helping to dampen the noise at all ? i know you can get new ones but unfortunately the budget does not stretch that far at the moment and i also saw a post about taking them out and apart to clean them. i would not have much faith in myself doing this without making a mess of it!!!

any help you can give me on this would be appreciated.

Cheers

RMCG

[goz_83]

If the sound is constant, replacing is really the only way to go. The only other advice I would give, if the budget is that tight, is to follow the cleaning advice and use a good thick oil after. Apparently, it's much better if you get the tappets from Mitsubishi, rather than camskill, or anywhere else, because the quality are not the same.

[rmcg_2011]

Thanks for that Goz. I have a guy organised to come and have a look at it and will let me know what route he thinks is best to go down.

do you have any idea of a service guide for them ? might get my head under the bonnet and start to clear up a few bits and pieces myself. A minor once over and she will be as good as new i reckon.

[CJ]

GPX tappets are adjustable. Its a DIY job if you're a spanner monkey, otherwise I'd leave the job to a good mechanic. Paul Nolan adjusted the tappets on my old GPX a number of years ago (addressing a cam seal oil leak at the time) which sorted out the clatter, I suggest you speak to him if its something you're struggling to live with. Some people recommend particular grades of oils to quieten down the problem but its not an effective workaround in my experience.

[rmcg_2011]

Cheers CJ - Just realised that I said I had the GPX - Unfortunately i dont !! Its a GR i have so this means that they arent adjustable - am i right in saying that ?

do you have a general guide to servicing an FTO by any chance ? what should be looked at, what would usually need changing etc.....

usually get a mechanic to look after it but fancy doing some of it myself before handing over the reins. enjoy giving different things a go myself.

[Chris_Heilong]

yes, only the GPX tappets are adjustable all other models(GP,GR,GX) need to be replaced. There is an unofficial service manual floating about somewhere, If I were you I would print it off and give it to what ever mechanic you are using.

[StewyD32]

Is that the one where one of the items is a crow-bar to lift one of the engine parts to get at the tappets.... Couldn't believe your man did that and said everything was perfect after it.
To be honest I'd get a qualified mechanic to do it as well no matter how handy you are.

[goz_83]

I would agree with Stewy there unless you're confident you can carry out the job yourself. I stick with the replacement suggestion though. If you were selling the car, then I would say clean them using the guide. Tappet noise would drive me mental.

My advice for servicing (if you want to keep the car in top shape) is every 10k on the button, you should change the engine oil with a quality oil. I use Motul 8100 5/40w fully synthetic from opie oils on my gpx. This is good for the gr too. (Approx 4 litres will be needed). I would personally change the oil filter every time too, but this can be done every second service. If you have a standard airbox filter, change this every time. If you have a reusable induction filter, clean it well and dry fully. This is everything you can and should do every 10k even if you have very little mechanical knowledge. I will be servicing my GPX this weekend and might just do the idiots guide for it.

Timing belt and alt belt should be done at 100k klm as far as I know, but I would say every 80k to be safe. It's best to get the water pump done at the same time. I am sure your gr has over 100k on the clock, so just add 80k to that number to change the belts and w/pump, but have a mechanic do this. I am not 100% sure on the frequency of gearbox oil changes, but I got mine changed when all the belts were getting done. A wil guess would be every 50k, but I bet there are many ftos that have the same oil in there. You need approx 2 litres of gear box oil. Spark plugs are usually good for atleast 30k, so every 3rd service. I would guess that you have circa 180k on your clock. That would be a full service for me, belts and all. It pays off and prevents expensive and avoidable problems down the line. The car is 17 years old after all.

Some might think it's a bit much, but I make sure everything is done properly on any car I own. Tyres need to be good. All lubricants and filters changed. It's a great feeling when you don't have to worry about your timing belt flying off and ripping up your wiring looms, while destroying your engine. This happened to my wifes uncle last week when he purchased a car for a friend and the timing belt snapped on the way back to his garage. He knew it needed to be replaced, but how unlucky do you need to be for that to happen? 5 valves later and it wasn't cheap for parts.

[rmcg_2011]

Cheers Lads,

Im very impressed with all the detailed help on here. great site for any enthusiast. Should have joined up alot earlier !

To be honest, im still up in the air as to whether i will be keeping my FTO though as i really need something bigger. think that the fact that i would need to replace the tappets might tip me over the edge as i dont think the missus will let me throw that sort of money at it when i will prob be just keeping it as a weekend car !! i reckon i would have to sleep in it aswell if i even suggested it !!

I will see what i can do over the next couple days but it might be time to wave goodbye ( au revoir really, i will be back ! )

will weigh up my options over the next couple days.

RMCG

[Sebastian]

what oil do you use ?

[rmcg_2011]

Not 100% what oil was being used Sebastian - Friend of mine ( mechanic ) looked after it mostly - Semi Synthetic - not sure the type though.

[Chris_Heilong]

I remember it being said if you use a grade 3 synthetic oil like 10w40 it should reduce the noise greatly.

[rmcg_2011]

Thanks for that Chris - Would give it a go but unfortunately it is time for me to place a post in teh "For Sale" Forum now. The War Office at home has spoken and im not allowed any toys for the moment !!!

[goz_83]

I'd hate to be whipped like that. What goz wants, goz gets hahahaha. Unless I'm smashed. It might cause a bit of hassle, but I figure that if I don't smoke, drink very very little and don't gamble (much) then I don't want hassle over the car I drive.

[Sebastian]

Not 100% what oil was being used Sebastian - Friend of mine ( mechanic ) looked after it mostly - Semi Synthetic - not sure the type though.

I hope not that guy that inspected the car when you bought it , he looked like he hadn't a clue what he's doing

[rmcg_2011]

No, different bloke now Sebastian. Although the other lad is a decent mechanic but has now moved onto train engines so been off the car scene for a while now !