Vmax 0 Posted September 11, 2003 No, before you say it, I didn't put diesel in my VR6 :shock: , it just sounds like someones transplanted the VR for a clattery old diesel engine. It's only become really noisy the past couple of days, at idle it sounds really clattery. The car is due to go into the garage to be getting checked over for a small oil leak, is it possible the two are related, maybe the oil pump packed up, hence the rough sounds (guessing wildly here)? Any suggestions gratefully received, car will be going into get checked out ASAP so any advice would be great. Cheers, Jamie '93 Aqua blue VR6 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_mat 0 Posted September 12, 2003 Oil pumps very rarely pack up. Almost never. You'd know about it if the oil pump packed up... You could have a *water* pump problem tho.. Or a loose spark plug. That happened to me once. Still, I'd get it checked ASAP. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stormseeker 0 Posted September 12, 2003 Oil pumps very rarely pack up. Almost never. You'd know about it if the oil pump packed up... ...unless you use 0w40 Mobil 1 exclusively in your VR6 from new - then around 50,000 to 75,000 miles the oil pump pressure relief valve gets stuck open... Over the years there've been at least 3 cases documented of VR6 engines dying that way :shock: As to the Diesel/Rattly sound - is not a tappety rattling? Or the timing chain tensioner given up? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted September 12, 2003 ...unless you use 0w40 Mobil 1 exclusively in your VR6 from new - then around 50,000 to 75,000 miles the oil pump pressure relief valve gets stuck open... Over the years there've been at least 3 cases documented of VR6 engines dying that way :shock: Hmmm. The PRV is more likely to jam open or shut through neglect and/or a lack of maintanence than through oil choice. 3 cases is simply too few a number to come to that conclusion. You can check the water pump by freeing off the alternator belt (long 13mm bolt screwed into the hole in the belt tensioner) and spinning the pump by hand, looking for excess lateral play and impeller smoothness. If the car has done over 100K, then it could be the dreaded timing chain tensioners. Kev Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vmax 0 Posted September 12, 2003 Bizarrely the car now sounds fine again :? The noise did sound very "tappety". It's still running the original chain AFAIK, although I did get the V belt changed last year. What's the deal with the chain tensioners, are they expensive/difficult to fit/all of the above? The mileage is just coming up for 95k. Got it checked in for the start of next week to get looked at. Thanks for the replies, Jamie '93 Aqua blue VR6 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted September 12, 2003 Replacing the chains and the tensioners is a quite a chore and it's the labour involved in dropping the gearbox (good time to include a clutch change) and removing the inlet manifold, rocker cover etc that adds up. The parts themselves aren't that expensive. I don't know how much the overall cost is but bargain on 5 hours labour + parts + VAT. The box has to be dropped because the flywheel has to come off to access the lower chain etc. Sounds like a daft strategy of VW's but it was the only way to make the VR6 engine compact enough to fit in the engine bay and a one off bill at 100K isn't THAT bad. Audi have used the same method (no cam belt) with the V8 so that it fits in the A4. Guess what owners of this car will need doing at 100K? Also, E30 BMW M3 owners face exactly the same problem at 100K also. But it'll cost them a £1000 :( So it's not just VW that have crazy ideas! If you're planning on keeping the car for a few years, it's worth doing. If not I wouldn't worry about it. They don't always go at 100K, that's just the general finding over years of the things going wrong! Kev Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
