the knocking is in time with the engine. all cylinders. if you listen to normal sound of the engine, it is the same just much louder and clunkier. when i start the car and keep my foot on accelerator slightly to raise the speed of the tickover so to speak, there is no knocking. if i hold engine at say 1100 revs for just a couple of minutes and then take my foot off pedal and let the engine idle on it's own, the noise has pretty much gone. then let it idle for a few more minutes and the noise has completely stopped and engine sounds/runs normally.

thanks for your wise words, do you mean the fuel pump is over advancing? i'm a complete novice when it comes to cars. i will have to find a manual for it. i have looked for one before but there isn't one for my year (1998). will the one that covers mondeos up to 1996 be of any use to me? i have disconnected what looks to me like the water temperature sensor(the temp guage on the dash has dropped) so i guess that's it. will leave the car overnight now to see if it makes a difference in the morning. will let you know tomorrow. thanks again for advice.

i finally got round to leaving the car overnight at a garage. turns out the guy reckoned it was a little end knock aswell. i asked him how long would the engine hold out for and he said it could carry on as it is for a couple of years, or it could pack up next week. couldn't say for sure but advised me to give it a fresh oil and filter change.

my question is. would giving it an oil change be like flogging a dead horse? what do you guys think? also, if it is the little end/s, will the noise continue further through the rev range the closer the engine gets to its demise( giving me a bit of warning ) or will it just suddenly pack up on me driving to work one day? will be getting new car as soon as possible, but hoping it can wait until nearer the end of the year.

AGree with Andy.

Change the oil and filter. - possibly use a slightly "heavier" oil which will reduce the sound. When Cold . a bit.. eg if using 5/30 go to 10/30. (You want a higher number when cold - so the first number should be higher) but a maximum of 10 I would suggest or winter cold starting will be impaired..)

Dont think its anything to do with little ends, my old cab which i sold to another cabbie started to have exactly the same symptoms, turned out to be worn injectors. He whined like a broken vacuum cleaner about having to buy new ones but now it runs like it did when bought it at 9k, it now has 240k have a leak back test