Engine Knocking / Brakes Grinding / Accelerator Problem

[RichCliff]

Hi,

I have a 2004 (04) 1.8i LX and the clock says 59,854 miles. I've had it since 2011 (6th owner!).

About 6 months ago, i started to hear a faint knock from the engine when idling (previous to this, it was so quiet sometimes i forgot the engine was on). Now, it's become very apparent, quite a loud knocking noise when either at Idle or 1st / 2nd gear. When up to speed you can't generally hear it... (if it's there, then the revs are drowning it out).

Before i take it in for a full service (Halfords offer free checks too if things need replacing or fixing).... i'd like some other owners opinions on what it might be?

I've had the bonnet open and tried to listen exactly where the knocking is coming from but can't pin it down. It's the same noise/loudness when listening to the engine itself or near to where the cambelt is and alternator etc. I'm hoping it's not from under the main engine cover.

 

Secondly,

I have very loud grinding brakes, especially on the front. It's not a high pitched squeek or noise, it's a low grind. Yet, each MOT says my brakes are fine. The noise is more apparent for the first 30mins or so....

 

 

Thirdly,

 

Within the last 6 weeks or so... when cold starting, i start the engine, put it into gear and move off.... but the rev counter needle stays high (as does the engine revs) and it's then obviously difficult to change into 2nd. Until i wait a few seconds for the engine revs to come back to normal and then change gear. It happens also in 2nd changing to 3rd.

I counter this by idling and revving the engine when parked for about 2-3 minutes. It then works fine and away i go.

The accelerator pedal moves fine, it doesn't get stuck forward. So is this a problem where the cable is attached to the carb?

 

Sorry for the amount of problems/questions, i'd rather get an opinion first before being done over by a garage (possibly).

[paul.h]

Knocking noise:

- I would lift off the engine cover and see if it is still there or easier to find.

- Our C4 had a knocking which seemed to be down the back of the engine but turned out to be a common problem of the engine air intake pipe being a loose fit in the front ducting - the fix was a tie wrap to grip it tighter together.

- Some cars have a rubber insert in the crank pulley which can fail.

 

Brakes:

- maybe there is a bit of rust on the discs from the wet weather that takes a few miles to rub off.

- check the back of the rear discs since these can be prone to rusting if the back brakes and caliper/suspension arm joints are not serviced. If the joint corrosion gets bad it pushes the calipers out and they can contact the wheels.

- check the pads have not worn down to bare metal.

- the pads may not be standard Citroen ones - if aftermarket high speed performance ones these could be noisy.

 

High revs until warmed up:

- sounds almost like a choke being too far out. So it could be a temperature sensor (air inlet or engine coolant) is reading too low so more fuel than needed is injected. A code reader with live data would check this by letting you see the indicated temperatures against actual outside ones.

[RichCliff]

Many thanks for the reply

I shall take it to the doctors and see what they see regarding the accelerator and also the knocking. 

I still cannot pin the knocking down.... very frustrating.

Also, now, it's as if the car is giving up completely, everything is going wrong at once.

 

The digital readout has now packed up, showing all different things after the ignition has been turned on for a few minutes. It starts fine, readout shows fine then it starts to fade over about a minute and then suddenly shows a load of crap (different numbers etc or half numbers).

 

I had issues with the speedometer when i bought it, instead of buying a new whole dash, i just took it out and put the needle to 0 mph... (it had fallen down vertical and was showing 20-30mph slower than i was actually going).

It's now done it again, so i shall take it out and sort that if i can. If not, a replacement is in order.

 

This car is starting to cost me a fortune, more so than what i paid for it. But i can't afford to get another motor for the moment.

 

Couple more questions....

 

1. There is a clicking noise behind the central dash unit (i think). It started to come on sporadically but now its very common to have a clicking start (and stop) then start again, then stop. Sometimes it goes with when i put my foot down or take it off....sometimes it just comes when im cruising along. Then it might stop for an hour. Very strange.

2. I have a single line information panel. Does the 2001-2004 Mk1 (04 plate) have the necessary electrics/connectors behind to upgrade to a dual line information panel? The dual line shows MPG, etc where as the single line shows basically just a clock and temp.

It would be nice how many MPG i am doing and if it is does have the correct wires/connectors behind and sensor, then i might upgrade to a dual line.

[paul.h]

For the speedo, put a bit of glue in the needle socket when you fit it again - I had to do this when the needle dropped down a bit and found a slight split in the needle. I used some wood glue since it was all I had that was runny enough to go into the needle socket that fits over the shaft. I fit the needle back with the speedo plugged in and the engine running so it was at 0 mph.

 

The digital readout bit may need replacing - somebody else may confirm this.

 

1. Clicking - if you had climate control air con it could be a flap motor but I suspect you have manual air con. Possibly it could be something in the cabin fan or air inlet. Maybe you could remove the pollen filter and see if it is full of leaves and also try to vac out where it is located.

 

2. The information panel - I am sure I have read on here that you can fit the dual line one and it will work. Coastline taxis is our expert on this so you could try a message to him.

[RichCliff]

Great help once again, very much appreciated.

[RichCliff]

Well, i'm back (again)......

Back with the engine knocking thing after all the issues i've had with the brakes and wheel bearing over the last few months.

 

Engine hasn't been knocking too much lately until this week where it has come back with a vengeance.

 

I had the bonnet up and narrowed it down i think to under the cylinder head cover.... perhaps.

 

If i put my hand on the left hand side near where to the oil filler cap is located, down on the side of the cover the knocking is very much pronounced and I can feel it a lot here. If i place my hand on the top where the filler cap is, it's a little less pronounced.

 

It's an odd one. As sometimes it's not there, sometimes it is very bad, sometimes it is there but not very noticeable. It's less noticeable when the car has been running for a bit and hot. 

 

In the pic below, the red arrow points down to the left side of the engine on the actual side. It's very much here i can feel it. Not so much but still noticeable on the green area.

 

[RichCliff]

After more than a year of engine knocking it has finally been fixed and i can now describe what it was.

 

Last year when i had a proper listen to where the knocking was coming from, it was indeed coming from near the described area above in the pic.

I just had my cambelt/water pump and pulley/tensioner replaced. Whilst apart in the garage they phoned me up and said there is a big problem with the auxiliary belt pulley/tensioner. It was bent/out of alignment and this was making the knocking noise.

 

So, having forked out £302 for the initial work to be done and quoted there and then for a new aux belt, new pulleys/tensioners and labour for £176 i decided it was a good idea to have everything done at the same time.

 

When i got back in the car to drive home, the knocking was gone and it was sounding so smooth and completely back to normal, sound wise.

 

Sadly, whilst still in the garage though, when they fitted the water pump it cracked so they had to order another (metal this time) and fit again. In all it was in 12hrs with 8hrs of labour for it all. (Apparently it was a nightmare).

 

But there you go, if you do have an engine knocking noise especially from a cold start (and it seems to disappear a little when hot but can still just hear it) then check the Aux belt/drive/tensioner/pulley. I initially thought (see another thread) that it was the cambelt pulley/tensioner which was the problem. But seeing as my cambelt needed changing anyway, i'm glad this issue was found at the same time.