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Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 SE - Intermittent Knocking Noise from Engine Idling - hatman

I've noticed what seems like an occasional misfire on my 2013 Corsa 1.4 SE Automatic. A few months ago, I'd notice an occasional slight knock/bang and the revs would momentarily fall slightly and then go back to normal. Now the weather is a lot hotter, I've noticed when pulling away when the engine is hot the engine bangs quite a bit with the same slight drop in revs. Whilst waiting at a roundabout today for a few seconds there was a banging sensation that I felt throughout the car. Once on the move though, the car drives perfectly with plenty of smooth power. This banging/knocking only occurs when idling and just recently when pulling away.

I've read about quite a few problems with this 1.4 Ecotec engine - I'll get it looked at by a mechanic but I just wondered what is the most likely cause?

It will be a tricky noise to show the mechanic as it's not as though it does it all the time.

The car was recently serviced with 5 W 30 oil (as used from new) - I'm sure I read somewhere that using thicker oil could help but is this likely to be of help in my case?

Many thanks in advance

Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 SE - Intermittent Knocking Noise from Engine Idling - edlithgow

Might be pre-ignition. I had something similar-sounding on a (much less sophisticated) 1986 car which went away after a water decoke procedure.

A 2013 car might have a knock sensor and might record such events so they could be read by an OBDII reader, but I have no use for, or experience with, one of those.

Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 SE - Intermittent Knocking Noise from Engine Idling - craig-pd130

Do you get a 'check engine' light at all, either when the misfire happens or all the time?

The Corsa 1.4 engine is well-known for the ignition coil packs failing, which can cause the symptoms you describe. If the check engine light blinks when the stumble occurs, it's almost guaranteed to be the coil pack. My son's Corsa 1.4 had a similar intermittent misfire.

Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 SE - Intermittent Knocking Noise from Engine Idling - catsdad

Coil packs are a regular fault in Corsas. There is a design fault where water sits in the plug recesses that accommodate the pack. The coils then corrode and break down.They are a simple job to change.
I am not sure however if their failure causes knocking. Mine just gave a misfire when they broke down and a replacement pack solved it.
A pack costs about £60-£100 so you might want to take the existing one out first and check it for water damage and corrosion before you buy a new one.

Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 SE - Intermittent Knocking Noise from Engine Idling - hatman

Many thanks for the replies. I've done some more research and the coil pack seems a very common fault but having looked at YouTube, the coil pack problem seems to cause a 'clicking' type noise whereas mine is more of a vibration, the engine moves slightly when the knock occurs. The knock hasn't ever caused the engine light to come on.

I've made a YouTube video which hopefully shows the knock - the misfire happens at roughly 10/18/22/31/34/43/50/57 seconds and 1min 06 seconds on the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDtl6ZeVGog

Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 SE - Intermittent Knocking Noise from Engine Idling - edlithgow

Misfire events MAY be logged on a per-cylinder basis and can be read with a scanner, though I don't know if that is true for your car.

Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 SE - Intermittent Knocking Noise from Engine Idling - Big John

mine is more of a vibration, the engine moves slightly when the knock occurs.

Still could be an ignition coil - dropping a cylinder will cause vibration/engine to move

Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 SE - Intermittent Knocking Noise from Engine Idling - oldrocker

Does it have air con? Could be the compressor kicking in.