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(Home) Ticking noise

Just a little update on my townie and a question.
I have had my townie for a couple of months now ( 1990
2lt 4wd diesel )and have made a few trips. I made one trip to Yaroslavl,
Russia and back ( 400 miles ) a trip around the golden
ring cities of Russia with 8 people and luggage ( 1000
miles ) and just returned today from a 800 mile trip.
The temp gauge never rises above half. I did notice about
half way through this trip a ta..ta..ta..ta..
( best way I can explain it )noise when accelerating on
take off. Any ideas?????

I also had the starter problem.....only starting half the
time. I fixed that the red neck way by mounting a small
button on the side of plastic box that covers the gear sfift
with a direct cable to the starter.....starts everytime.

I also fixed the clicking noise I was having on the left
hand fromt of the van by welding two pieces of metal
that were scraping.

If you have any input on the new nosie, please post.

Thanks,
Mervin

- (#5146) mervin, 15 Aug 02

My townace has the same noise when setting away (noticable more with the window down and cold), I think its a blown exhaust manifold gasket ,as there is a bit of soot blown up around the rocker cover.
Hav'nt fixed it yet ,but can't hear it any more as half the exhaust has since dropped off!!
Mark

- (#5170) mark j, 20 Aug 02

Mark,
That is what I suspected also. I just returned from my mechanic and he said that it is
, I will explain this the best way I can since I am a native english speaker and my mechanic
speaks only Russian. He said the noise is from one of the valves in the motor and it is from
bad diesel. He said it is nothing to worry and even though the noise might increase
it will not do any damage to the motor. He said the valves ( that's the russian word he was using ) cost $60
a piece, but since the noise will not damage the engine there
is no reason to change them right now.

Even though he said this, I still have the idea of a blown manifold gasket
in the back of my mind. The noise is the loudest when the engine is cold and only
noticable when accelerating.

- (#5171) Mervin, 20 Aug 02

can anyone help ?,
i bought a 1991 townace super extra 2ltr td auto 3 days ago all has been fine until last night it started to make a ticking noise that seems to come from the left hand side of the car.The noise sounds like a fan clipping something but when put into reverse the noise gets louder and faster when revs are applied and goes back to a idle clipping sound in park and drive.the noise seems to be most noticable when the engine is cold does anyone have any ideas.is it serious ???

- (#7446) chris, 3 Mar 03

Chris
What might help is to identify exactly where you think its coming from.
Get the passenger seat up and with the help of someone ( handbrake well on, foot on the brake ! ) engage reverse and listen for where its coming from. Put a long handled screwdriver against the engine in various locations and then put your ear against the end of it ( bit like a stethascope? ) That might help you ID the location. Look for crankshaft pulley wobble while you there.

- (#7447) stephen judge, 3 Mar 03

i think i may have the answer to your problem if you have not found it already.

firstly was your car a bit dusty (black dust) inside when you purchased the car?

only asked as this is what my interior was like when i recieved my townie.

ticking noise starts a couple of minutes after start up. increases with engine revs and after the vehicle engine has warmed up warm eventually disappears?

if this is so, i can possibly direct you to the fault. not being that mechanically minded i can't tell you whether it is serious or not but i can assure you that if you leave it for a while you'll eventually find out the problem.

the problem lies in possibly your starter motor, its sticking. as some townies are used in very dusty areas they get a great deal of dust ingress into everything and the starter motor is no exception. if you don't rectify it and go for a car wash with and underside clean you'll find you townie will probably fail to start and all you will get it a click when you try starting it. you'll also find that the ticking sound will eventually go on for longer the longer you leave it.

the starter motor is located on the passenger side and can be accessed from just underneath the sliding door area. its a real pain to remove first time and some choice words will probably be said and the chance of skin being removed from knuckles is very high. however keep at it and it will be removed. it also worth mentioning that you disconnect the battery before attempting this. the starter motor is held on with two bolts and there is also an earthing bolt. the earthing bolt and the bottom bolt are easy to remove but the one located at the top it the pan as there is very little room. if you have air powered tools it would probably be a piece of cake but if your a humble mechanic like me a socket set is all you possess.

upon removal make sure you have some space to take the thing apart. you'll know if the thing is sticking as the main cog will be difficult to pull out and also to turn.

it comes apart by undoing the 2 screws on the cap. unfortuanely you will have to take it apart completely to clean it unless someone lese knows how it can be done otherways. once apart you can start the cleaning process by using the good ole wd40 and some lint or kitchen roll. some emery cloth on the bushes shouldn't hurt and also some grease for the bearings inside. putting the thing back together is pretty straight forward but fiddly as you have to reseat the bushes. once done just follow the instructions in reverse to re-install. also apply some grease to the earthing bolt.

thats what the ticking sound was on mine and it has since disappeared since this operation.

hth

- (#8065) Russell Hounsome, 11 Apr 03 13:30