Having just bought my first Zed, I'm very happy with it.

 

(Except I've just wrecked two of my tyres from having been a tool and bouncing it into a kerb but that's another story. :sad: )

 

Anyway, I hadn't noticed it before, but at idle there seems to be a very feint tapping noise coming from behind the dash. My heart sunk as I immediately thought, 'bottom end', but I can't hear it from under the bonnet.

 

It is almost unnoticeable and I can't really hear it any better from under the car either.

 

Any of you guys got any idea what it might be?

 

(Please let it be something other than my engine!! :crying: )

Probably tappets. Give the car an oil change and see if it makes any difference. You 'could' try an engine flush as well.

Thanks, but I'm pretty sure it's not the tappets. Definitely can't hear it from listening under the bonnet.

 

The car had a flush and oil change about 9 months/3000 km ago.

Is it from above your head? There is a small fan up by the map lights that makes a few faint noises as it wears out

If it's a manual, push the clutch in. Does it go away?

If it's a manual, push the clutch in. Does it go away?

 

No, it's a Heather Millsomatic. Come to think of it, I don't recall hearing it while it's 'in gear'.

 

Must test this thoroughly, but it won't be till Tuesday morning as I'm off home for the weekend.

 

As I say, my first thought was that of doom, but I'm not so sure it is the bottom end. We'll see.

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

If it was bottom end you would hear it from under the bonnet, and the valve tappets. its probably nothing, maybe be a leaf flapping in the heater vents somewhere even

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

Had it up on the ramps this afternoon and other than a split steering rack boot and a saggy belly plate, all seems to be in order.

 

The front wheel alignment was out by a country mile so that's fixed and the car sat idling away to itself without leaking anything, ejecting smoke or making any undue noises so my concerns about the bottom end have abated.

 

I do have another question though.

 

The car has a 'cat' back' exhaust system fitted so the cats are still in place. My query is that, there are what appear to be two sensors bolted into the trailing end of the cats which, had I not had experience with other marques, I would have thought were lambda sensors.

 

I'm used to big engined Vauxhalls and the lambda sensors on them have been close to the downpipe/collectors ahead of the cats. (It's just dawned on me since writing this that as it's turbocharged then I guess it won't have collectors as such huh?!?!? :headvswal )

 

So are they lambda sensors or something else?

 

Also, the wires were chopped. Is this an issue? If they were lambdas, I would've expected some sort of warning to appear on the dash.

 

Many thanks in advance.

sounds like the o2 sensors, you wont get a fault on the dash if these are not working just signs like over fueling i believe. To find out if they are not working is to connect the car to a conzult machine., but yours clearly arent working as the wires have been cut. Get them wired up correctly, your car may run smoother

No, it's a Heather Millsomatic. Come to think of it, I don't recall hearing it while it's 'in gear'.

 

Must test this thoroughly, but it won't be till Tuesday morning as I'm off home for the weekend.

 

As I say, my first thought was that of doom, but I'm not so sure it is the bottom end. We'll see.

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

Problem is it could be almost anything. Even a loose screw that is rattling.

 

Peter

To find out if they are not working is to connect the car to a conzult machine., but yours clearly arent working as the wires have been cut. Get them wired up correctly, your car may run smoother

 

The car seems smooth enough TBH, but then I have little frame of reference. It does tend to idle a bit high, (circa 850k), sometimes compared with the V6 Frontera and my last MV6 Omega, (circa 600 with a/c turned off), but figured that was normal.

 

Conzult machine?!?!? Is that a particular typre of diag' tool or a software package I can run on my lappy?

 

Talk to me!! ;)

Problem is it could be almost anything. Even a loose screw that is rattling.

 

Peter

 

Yeah, I reckon it could be something like that. What was disturbing is that it seemed to be connected to engine speed.

 

As I say, (unless it's the torque converter working it's way loose!!), I'm not so worried about it any more.

If the sensors are under the car, they could be the cat overheat ones

Yeah, I reckon it could be something like that. What was disturbing is that it seemed to be connected to engine speed.

 

As I say, (unless it's the torque converter working it's way loose!!), I'm not so worried about it any more.

 

Could still be the problem, faster the engine speed is, the quicker the loose screw vibrates. had this before in my Supra and an old Calibra.

 

Peter

i had an intermitent knocking on mine . worth checking . the crankshaft pulley had came loose on its rubber mounting and under different loads it was moving and occasionally catching the block causing a terrible knocking sound . new pulley and problem solved . jeff at zedworld spotted the problem and quickly sorted it . have a chat with him .

The car has a 'cat' back' exhaust system fitted so the cats are still in place. My query is that, there are what appear to be two sensors bolted into the trailing end of the cats which, had I not had experience with other marques, I would have thought were lambda sensors.

 

This would be the "cat over-heat" sensor. Most people fit de-cat pipes and do away with the sensor. Do you have cats fitted? Or do you have de-cats fitted, either way, the sensor maybe deleted to stop interference from the ECU.

 

Al.

That makes sense given their position on the exhaust 'system'.

 

The cats are still there, (although I have no idea whether they still have anything inside them or not!).

 

I did think 'temperature' as they were on the trailing end of the cat, so figured they might not be of much use, but they do resemble lambda sensors.

 

The car's been to Jeff at Zedworld for a replacement gearbox fairly recently so figured that the 'snipping' of the cables was nothing to be overly concerned about considering the exhaust would have to come out/off to gain access.