FTO AUSTRALIA

My FTO makes a weird ticking noise as I accelerate, I don’t think its the tappets, it sounds like there is something touching a fan or something, the noise is like someone stuck a baseball card in bike spokes..

Any ideas? I tried putting some cleaning stuff through incase it WAS the tappets.. and I've had a bit of a look for things touching a fan... but I don’t really know what to look for.

(It's a 95, GPX).

--Heather

could be a heat shield (exhaust )

I have a twin sports exhaust.. Where would I look for a heat shield?

well, if it does it only when acceralating, you could get some one to rev the engine, and you yoursefl could have the bonnet open, and listen if you can hear the sound.... that's the only valuable input that i can think of.

Othereise get some one to sit with you in the passangers seat and help you listen

Yeah, my friend and I tried that, he couldn't hear the noise from outside the car.. It's mostly on the drivers side.

Small exhaust manifold leak on the rear bank?

Does it change in loudness when the engine has warmed up? Sometimes a tiny gap between the head and the exhaust headers can come or go depending on metal expansion...

- Rich

it's probably something very simple...

So is the noise related to the accelaration of the car? Or the speed of the car?
Does the nosie happen only when you press the gas?

Yup, it's directly related to when I push the accelerator. (Which is annoying, because who wants to have a reason not to accelerate?)

HEX093 wrote:My FTO makes a weird ticking noise as I accelerate, I don’t think its the tappets, it sounds like there is something touching a fan or something, the noise is like someone stuck a baseball card in bike spokes..

Any ideas? I tried putting some cleaning stuff through incase it WAS the tappets.. and I've had a bit of a look for things touching a fan... but I don’t really know what to look for.

(It's a 95, GPX).

--Heather

what octane petrol do you use?
If you use regular fuel, this might be explain as knocking (I think it is called knocking or detonation, one of those), which is really dangerous for your engine. Try adding a octane booster next time you fill up & use BP Ultima 98 octane petrol.

I use BP ultimate exclusively, but I have only had the car for a month or so, and used about 2 tanks. (I read all the stuff posted on Turolene the stuff in shell optimax).

I'll try an octane booster, and see if I can get someone to check out the exhaust.

I think the noise does get slightly less noticeable when the car has been going for a while.
Thanks for all the help!

--Heather

Hey,

does the noise become faster depending on the revs? from the info given, it sounds like something belt driven has given way or is on the way out.

i know you say it isnt the tappets, but it really sounds like them, fto tappets are a lot louder then normal car tappets

It sounds like a fan spooling up, with something gently touching it, so when I accelerate, the noise speeds up, and when I let go of the accelerator and just coast, it slows and then stops.

It sounds like it would be something directly in front of the drivers side, I thought it could be the air conditioner (or what should be the air conditioner but it only blows hot air ATM).. but it doesn’t make a difference if I turn the air off.

Does it sound serious enough to take it in for a service? If anyone has a recommendation for somewhere near the city (East Melbourne), that would be great, I don’t want my FTO be some guys experiment

all the radiator fans are not driven by the motor, they are electric and controlled by the ecu, so they are not sped up according to rpm, however on the drivers side is where all the belts are (cam, powersteering, alternator, aircon)
if one of those belts are freyed it could also make the sound your are experincing. Have a good look around the 2 belts you can get to.

i have the same sounds too and all my belts and spark plugs are new

Anyone think this noise could be caused by the fuel injectors?

fto617 wrote:i have the same sounds too and all my belts and spark plugs are new

Have you checked your spark plug leads? Hmm.

Does it only make this noise while the car is moving ?

and does not make it when standing still ?

check inside the wheel archs to see if there is anything coming into contact with the wheels or drive shafts.

do you have aftermarket wheels and bigger tyres on.

it makes the noise only when I accelerate..

yeah, I have it lowered with 17" wheels.. I don’t know about the tyres.

Sounds a very weird one and without hearing the noise very hard to say what it could be. If it is only evident when the car is actually moving, sounds like could be a bearing or like said before something to do with the wheels. If it is scrubbage or rubbing should be able to recreate the fault during normal driving by adding weight in the boot. This method may also work in recreating the noise if ya bearings are on the way out. If this dont work could help narrow it down to an engine noise that is only evident under load at least. (My guess is this sort of tapping would be more of a dead/dull tap)

Other than that, my only logical suggestion is that it again could be the tappets still. If a seal isn't quite keeping the pressure it is pos this could cause the tapping only to be noticeably under heavy load/work. Or is it pos you are getting a little bit of rattle being caused by resonense from the rear manifold? Either way My guess is this sort of tapping would be a higher pitch noise.

Have a listen and give us more clues wink: