Chains Replaced But Engine Still Noisy

[enjoy]

Hello guys,

My car is Vectra 2.2 Elite Direct Auto, year 2006 with 50K miles.

I was having a slight rattle on cold start, the engine seemed a bit noisy on idle (seems fine when running) and rough gear changes, so after reading lots about it, everything pointed towards timing chain. So after lots of courage and not able to get hold of Benny, I eventually decided to get it done from Vauxhall. Just 2 days back, I got both the timing chain and balance shaft chain kits replaced by Vauxhall along with engine flush, new oil and filter.

But the problem now is that even after getting all this work done, the car still pretty much feels the same. Yes, the rattle on cold start seems to have gone and the car runs slightly smoother. But the engine is still noisy on idle (you can hear it sitting inside when stopped anywhere in traffic) and gear changes are still rough.

Having already spend a big amount on chains, not sure what else to do. So, need your help guys...

Thanks in advance.

 

[vx-chris]

Have you checked the egr valve? I could be totally wrong but it might be it just needs a simple clean which you could do yourself with some carb cleaner. Good luck and i hope it is just something simple

 

[IDI AMIN]

It could be the exhaust manifold that is noisy when idle.These manifolds are famous for cracking i know mine had a big crack on it just replaced it take off the big shield and check it out there has been others with similar problems thought it was the chain but the manifold was the prob.So thats one for your checklist and your rough gear changes could be down to lack of gear oil i cant say for certain but just pointing out possibilities to try and help out the vauxhall garage wont tell you this as you only had the car in to get chains done you would need to ask specifically to find fault and ultimately pay more so hope it helps out

 

[enjoy]

peng12 - I'll try to look at the EGR and clean it with carb cleaner. Although as the noise and slight vibration on idle is always consistent, I don't think it would be sticking EGR valve.

IDI AMIN - I hope this is not the case as sounds expensive! Can you tell how to check the exhaust manifold for cracks (any pics will help)? Is this fault common to 2.2 direct engines? Sorry but I am no expert on cars and this engine is even fairly new to me.

Agree that Vauxhall would want more money for everything but if while doing the chains they spotted something like a crack on the manifold, I would have expected them to point it out.

 

[IDI AMIN]

Its not too expensive.Got mine for 25 quid on ebay. At the back of the engine you will see a silver shield sitting on top of where the exhaust manifold meets the cylinder head i think a couple of 13mm bolts hold it on this will help to identify if this is your problem i do not have pics myself but do a search in the forums im sure i seen a pic recently you will get the idea whats needed there was even a vid from a guy with his noisy engine running and that was his problem a cracked manifold so check it out if you got the tools you could get it from a scrapyard even your egr valve if needed i got an egr valve a few months back for 20 - 25 quid

 

[IDI AMIN]

It is in the thread "2 problems needing help with " with link to pictures also

 

[enjoy]

Thanks for the response and pointing to the thread. I have read it and seen the videos / pics. I'll try to locate if my noise is coming from that exhaust manifold area and will also try to post a video of the engine running tomorrow.

 

[IDI AMIN]

No probs

 

[astra22bertoneauto]

Exhaust manifold does crack see red line on pic below, but only noticeable when engine is hot. Same applies to the flexi pipe (unless severely damage). Exhaust manifold heat shield can come loose and vibrate at any time hot or cold.

EGR valve can cause poor gear changes but you would notice a poor idle too. Have you tried cleaning your throttle body? 4x 10mm bolts to remove, turn it upside down and gasp in horror at the dirt! Clean then refit and gain a smile I cleaned my TB on my (almost) 50k coupe and was shocked how bad it cokes up with s**te. Afterwards the car idles much better and smoother acceleration. Its also a FREE easy job.

Hope that helps

 

[enjoy]

Thanks astra22 - very useful info.

Right guys, did had a closer look today at the noise and it seems to be coming more from the center of the engine or from the chain area. Tried listening closer to the manifold but not sure if it is that - I can be wrong!

Sitting inside the car at standstill you can feel the noise which I don't think should be the case. It sounds like a distinctive metal noise which is apart from actual engine sound and there is no slight vibration on idle. Have taken a video (though a bit in dark) which I'll post shortly so you can see what I mean by the idle noise.

I'll try getting the EGR and TB cleaned up first and take it from there. Is there any how to as to where the throttle body is located on my engine and how to clean it?

 

[enjoy]

Here is the video link of the engine noise:

There is a slight echo in the sound as the car was in a multi-story car park when the video was shot. Now hoping that someone says this is normal or not too bad!!!

 

[IDI AMIN]

Don't have a clue what it is .sounds a bit like something is loose it also sounds like a train sitting at the train station sometimes or even a drummer at one of the orange order marches when you turn the phone sideways whatever it is it doesn't sound good . You should send a pm to Vocky i think he's a mechanic he seems well clued up anyway .The thing is your car is an automatic and i think most peoples cars on here are manual but i'm sure someone will have a good idea what it is to me it sounds like the engine anyway you should stop in some local garage i'm sure a mechanic would tell you in 2 minutes what it is but not vauxhall you would have to book it in and pay them to diagnose the problem

 

[enjoy]

Been to Vauxhall again today and they have checked and said all seems to be fine and the engine noise is normal. So perhaps I'll stop worrying for now....

Will still look at the EGR and TB though...

 

[vocky]

the head sounds okay, but not sure whether the tapping sound is an echo or what

 

[enjoy]

Well I know its not perfect but think I am going to live with it for now. I am going to clean up the EGR and TB when I get some spare time and whether is not that bad.

Meanwhile I have noticed that it feels much worse when the engine is cold first thing in the morning or when started after say 12 our gap. When you put the car in Drive (its automatic transmission) and have your foot on brake pedal before going, the car vibrations are at peak and you can hear/feel them quite a bit from inside. On revving and moving, it gets alright but engine still feels a lot sluggish till hot. Any idea on this?

 

[Matt]

Does the 2006 model have a single or dual mass flywheel? Could the flywheel be at fault?

 

[MikeS]

alternator bearings ?
alt belt tensioner bearings ?

 

[rushy]

Does the 2006 model have a single or dual mass flywheel? Could the flywheel be at fault?

It had a DMF Matt, think only the 1.8 has a single.

Enjoy, your EGR on the Z22YH is water cooled so prepare for some coolant loss when you unbolt it, also the manifold mentioned before is also different to ours on the Vec C, our is a mannicat so can be very expensive to replace, but on the upside they dont tend to crack.

 

[enjoy]

I hope its not the flywheel - sounds expensive! Do they have DMF on auto transmission?

The alternator is also fairly new - just a few months old so won't be that.

 

[vocky]

autos tend to have a steel plate rather than a flywheel, but not really 100% on a later z22yh