Tappy gti

[Niall]

Right went to do my cambelt today. Locked off the bottom pulley. Went to lock off the cams but could only lock the inlet. The exhaust was about 1mm out from getting the timing pin in. Not too much of a problem as I know most petrol engines will run happily out slightly......then I remembered how bloody close the gti valves are!

I still did the belt and timed it up correctly but on start up I now have a louder tap (not chronic like a lot of the videos I've seen).
The car always tapped ever so slightly and disappeared slightly when warm but now it's definitely louder. I didn't get a chance to drive it to get it up to twmp as it was still up on stands for various other things but I think I have bought/caused a tapper. It's definitely all timed up correctly and still runs as sweet as ever.

I'm going to go to pig on Wednesday and buy some oil and a filter and do that as I have read that the wrong oil can cause a tap but I think I know in the back of my mind that this is belt troubles.

After that long winded story, my simple question is, how long can a tapper happily live on? Is it something that needs repairing in 100 miles or can I leave it for a bit because ive pretty much resigned my self to the fact I'm going to buy and refurb a new head for it.

[Midnightclub]

Has it been stood for a while? Mine tapped a bit because over time the oil drains out to the bottom of the engine and it sounds a bit tappy until it's warm but now I've been using mine everyday there's no tapping at all

[Niall]

Has it been stood for a while? Mine tapped a bit because over time the oil drains out to the bottom of the engine and it sounds a bit tappy until it's warm but now I've been using mine everyday there's no tapping at all

It stood for a couple of weeks with the trader but it's been driven every day since I bought it 10 days ago. I did think it could be a dry tappet as I had it jacked up high on one side only but surely it wouldn't drain and become lazy over the space of 3 hours?!
Will take it for a thrash tomorrow and see. Could just be me being paranoid!

[Midnightclub]

Tbh mate, when I first got in the 6' every little noise worried me! Think alot of it is just being paranoid lol

[Niall]

Tbh mate, when I first got in the 6' every little noise worried me! Think alot of it is just being paranoid lol

Haha hope so!

[Midnightclub]

Worst case as you say it'd be a refurbished head, that's not too bad price wise and at least you'd know it's 100% then

[Ed Doe]

Seriously though, hope it's not a tapper buddy! IF the valves haven't bent too much, it SHOULD be ok for a while. It's if its a fair touch that's caused a valve(s) to bend a fair bit, they'll keep bending on the piston or opposite valve, and straightening against the edge of the port until they snap...Also if it/they are fairly bent it/they wont seal properly, causing running issues...

Give me a buzz about it sometime tomorrow buddy. Or if you're in the area drop in; I've a genuine Hypochondriac ear for tapping

[Toms306]

I'd agree with Danny........when it's been driven it'll be fine! You know my awful knocking noise that only occured after standing the golf for a while......it completely went after a drive and hasn't come back, must have just been dry bearings or something.

[Niall]

Haha ed the first thing I thought of when I started it was you pulling that face!
I think it will be ok tbh but it's something I want to get sorted. I'm just shocked at how weak the valves seem to be on these engines from reading around on the gti forums. I know though that I didn't let any valves touch. Did have a bit of a shit fit though when I realised that the cam I couldn't lock (and thus not locked) was supposed to be locked on the rock. Slightest twitch with it and it would of been game ove valves!

[lewisdmz]

You could try using a screwdriver as a stethoscope to narrow down where the noise is coming from. Injectors can be pretty loud on these...mind you if you said it has got worse since the belt change.

[Niall]

Not a bad idea. Will try that tomorrow.

[4WayDiablo]

*cough* should have kept the 1.8.... *cough*

[Ruan]

Are you sure that when you locked off the crank pulley, the pulley wasn't f*cked and had slipped at all..

If that happens, it can cause the valve timing to be out when you release the verniers, when you retime it - the crank is still out, but you obviously retime the cams to the crank being out of time, it causes you to bend the valves...

From what you've said about it not timing up 100% right with the old belt, that sounds like that's exactly what's happened.

[Niall]

I did have a good look at it when I removed it to take the lower cover off and it looked fine!

[Ruan]

Remember, theoretically as long as only one cam slips, it's acutally quite difficult to bend the valves as in valve>valve contact rather than valve>piston contact, since the crank pulley locks off at MDC so the pistons are all in the middle of the bores, and at that point in the stroke, the valves will be pretty much either mid duration or closed, not half way through, so even if one slips you'd probably find it hasn't touched valve>valve...

I'd suspect what's happened is that the bottom pulley has slipped, and it's bent them VERY slightly..

[Niall]

But as I said, surely if the bottom pulley had slipped, when I lock that off, neither of the cam pulleys would lock?
Inlet was perfect but exhaust was out by a tiny amount.

[Ed Doe]

*cough* should have kept the 1.8.... *cough*

Can't hear you over the sound of that coal-induced cough you've developed there Phil

[Matt]

It's f*cked. Sell it

[Ed Doe]

Oh maan this looks mint! Soo tempted to go see this now!




/Matt

[Matt]

Ooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwww cambelts!



/ed doe

[Poodle]

Pot and kettle much, Matt?

[Matt]

Yeah but this is the first time I'm doing mine and not just changing for lols

[Niall]

Panic over.....ish. It disappears after the car heats up and I've located it to the exhaust side on cylinder 3. I have a feeling it's a lazy tappet as how could a bent valve disappear after it warms up? Either way, it still runs spot on so I'm not fussed now.

[darrenjlobb]

Drash on

[Niall]

Right video time!
Took this after taking it for a long drive....unfortunately in the wet! Got it up to normal temps, pulled over and took this. Sound badly tappy? It's been like it since I bought it but I didn't pay much attention!

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll25 ... 60bb51.mp4

[Ruan]

To me that sounds normal - I can't hear any tap...

Make sure your exhaust mani isn't blowing...

[Niall]

To me that sounds normal - I can't hear any tap...

Make sure your exhaust mani isn't blowing...

Yeah as said, that's where it seems to settled to. When I first started it after the belt, it was terrible!
Exhaust is blowing big time at the bottom of the cat and is blowing back up into the bay ever so slightly