In frustrating of rejecting 4 sheds I hastily rushed into buying this N Reg Fiesta for £400.
I am learning so I am not driving the car much, I have driven 10 miles it since Wednesday but every time I start it in the morning its very rattly, the sound is in sync with the engine and increases as revs increase. After 1-2 mins of idling it quietens down but is still there.
I notice it most at the front passenger side of the car, over the engine block it doesn't sound that bad, just the usual pushrod fiesta tappety sound.
I've booked the car in for a service and the mechanic reckons its just the oil that needs changing badly (but he hasn't heared the car).
The engine drives fine and there is no knocking or thumping noises. Could this be the camshaft and if so is it a major job?
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PS Its a 1.1 'Kent' engine.
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Have the oil changed and the valve clearances checked and adjusted and it'll probably work wonders.
Cheers
DP
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Yeah, these engines tend to soldier on and on provided they get the most basic of maintainence, and I've heard them make the most horrendous clattery noises on a daily basis and yet they don't seem to suffer for it. Once it's had a basic service I'm sure it'll be fine.
Blue
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I'm sure it's fine. I owned one a few years ago and the do make quite a racket. I remember my mechanic telling me they were OK as long as they were noisey but he would be wary of a quiet one !!
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They should rattle a bit, always have, dont worry.
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The rattle is quite bad, its not the normal tappety sound you get on Fiestas. My mates got the same car and said my engine sounded unhealthy, but it drives fine and I hardly notice any noise when driving.
As long as this car lasts me till MOT time (June) then I am ok :)
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If the Fiesta really is that noisy then it's probably due to wear in the camshaft and/or cam followers. These engines are infamous for it.
However, as others have correctly said, they really do go on and on even being in this condition, just turn the radio up a bit louder so that you don't hear quite so much of the noise!
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My son's '95 1.1 Fiesta rattles and makes a racket, but it still runs OK and has now done 113k miles. I suspect the festering bodywork is going to give way first and we too are looking to the next MoT test in the summer.
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Yes, but do get the valve clearances adjusted. It's an easy job.
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The body work is in good condition, there was one bit of really bad flakey on the rear quarter panal but I have got rid of the most the rust and filled it with body filler, it still needs priming and respraying but it won't be an MOT issue.
The chassis is in good nick too, though a bit of rust is developing on a cross member which could be terminal although its not structural yet.
Getting the brakes checked out on Friday as they are not as sharp as they should be, I am praying new pads will cure this. There is no grinding or anything, in fact when the car runs its fine.
My mates call it a shed and can't believe I paid £400 for it, but its a motor than runs and has an MOT :).
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PS By repainting I just mean the tiny area where I removed the rust, the rest of the body work is mint.
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Rattle - The brakes on mine were terrible as well, they seemed to be spongy and felt like they had little bite, over time I grew accustomed to it and just lived with it, provided they lock the wheels on demand (mine did) that's all you can ask of them. I realised later that I was comparing them with the brakes on my dad's 3 series and that's why they felt bad, d'oh! :-)
Of course if they don't lock the wheels then there really is a serious issue!
Blue
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An oil and filter change will probably, at this age, change the tone of the rattle but not eliminate it entirely. I'd be wary if it was silent, as some ham fisted tappet tweaker had overdone the medicine a bit. Bear in mind though you are operating in bangeromic territory, so don't be sucked in to spending money on all those "little" jobs. Keep it safe and efficient and be prepared to throw it away come MOT time.
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Put 20w/50 in it in the summer;10w/30 in the winter.
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Hello.
Keep to ford oil reccomendations to be safe.
Brakes were designed spongy.
Body was designed soft (suspension)
Two oil changes a year keep my neighbours fiesta going it taps like my old singer sewing machine but runs very well.
--
(iam not a mechanic)
Martin Winters
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Put 20/50 in in summer by all means.
But dont put 10/30 if its as noisy/ratly as it sounds. 15/40 or 15/50 would be far better for it.
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