Engine Knocking

[matty205xs 1 1 Cars]

Hi all, iv got a knocking sound coming from the drivers side of the rocker cover, it's fairly loud and is mainly noticeable when idling. It stands out amongst the sound of the tappets which have been done fairly recently.

I think it's been there for a while but iv only really noticed it recently.

I'm hoping its got nothing to do with the camshaft, does anybody know what it could be?

Thanks.

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

I'd be tempted to pop the valve cover off just to see if there's anything visibly wrong. I once got a crack in the oil splash guard that sits under the valve cover, and it shifted just enough so the rockers were tapping it on the way up. Might be worth just double-checking the tappets whilst your there.

 

Check the exhaust manifold for cracks, that can sometimes sound like a clicking/tapping noise.

 

I'd also pull the plugs and see what they're looking like, just in case it's running lean on one cylinder or something.

 

And then I'd pop suitable bolts/drill bits in the timing hole in the crank and the cam pulley just to make sure it's not slipped a tooth, but to be honest, you probably would've notice a big drop in power and poor running if that was the case.

[matty205xs 1 1 Cars]

Hi, thanks for the reply. I don't think it is the exhaust manifold as you can pin point the knocking by putting your ear up to the rocker cover so I will probably have to remove the cover to have look like you said. Once I remove the cover what things other that the tappets and oil splash guard should I check and what should I look out for?

Last time I checked all plug were actually running rich but I will double check.

As for the timing how would I check if it's slipped a tooth? It seems to still rev nicely and smoothly.

Thanks Matt.