Diagnose my Engine Trouble

Pumpkinstew

Pumpkinstew

Pumpkinstew

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I suspect I know the answer to this but hopefully someone with better knowledge of engines can tell me how serious the problem is. Google wasn't much help.

From a cold start the exhaust starts shaking hard enough to hammer against the bodywork and spits out more water than I'm happy seeing.
The problem eases if I rev the engine, and subsides after about five minutes of driving.
I have no trouble starting the engine so I've got my fingers crossed it's not the cylinder head gasket. Again :rolleyes:

It's a 94 Seat Cordoba :o and I'm planning on replacing it in the next 2-3 months anyway but if this fault is expensive/terminal that plan might get accelerated.

Thanks for any advice you have.
 
How much mechanical (read car parts) knowledge do you have and how are you stocked on tools?

The answers to the above will determine how much help I can be.
 
I broke the o/s rear silencer mounting on my BMW a while back, that displayed a similar symptom.

On start from cold, I'd get a nasty vibrating banging through the cars body, once it was warm, it went away completely.

Cost about £30 to fix whilst the car was being serviced (after some absurd £150+ quotes!)

I'd ask somebody like "Krap Fit" , ATS or the like to have a look if you don't know much, they won't charge you to at least have a look to see whats up.
 
This probably had something to do with it.

image006ks5.jpg


How I missed it before I don't know :o
I've refitted the end of the air hose and the excess water has gone from the exhaust emissions.
The heavy vibration is still present though. Will this ease with air hose replaced do you think?

Mickey D, I honestly don't know much about engines and my tools are limited to a spanner and screwdriver (no socket set yet :( )
 
Hmm, not sure that would make the noise, unless you were moving. That pipe is joining onto the heatshield on the maifold, from what i can see. You might have some crap in there now depending on how long it has been drifting about.
 
All that pipe is is a preheater for the intake.

Some problems that might recreate the issues you're having are dodgy plugs on thier way out, clogged air filter, clogged fuel filter, plugged up catalytic converter, O2 (lambda) sensor on its way out, among other things.

Those would be the ones to start with, though.
 
I had this with my Orion, the clicking/tapping was the fuel pump. It had worked it's way loose and rounded the bolts off half way. It gets quiter because the engine makes more noise and / or it isn't working as hard. Seriously check this as it will take a while to fix on your own.

I never fixed it because the gearbox generated a hole (diff) and so it was scrapped.
 
The noise is caused by the exhaust vibrating hard enough to tap against the bodywork.

As the pipe is a pre-heater that would explain the water being exhausted as fluid rather than a vapour from a cold start.

If I've sucked something up and it's preventing air getting into the engine would that cause the 'cough' that's vibrating the exhaust?
 
Sounds more like the exhaust is banging on the bottom of the car when you start it when it's cold. There are two things that spring to mind: 1. The engine isn't running properly when cold because it needs new plugs/leads/condensor/points, basically a tune up. 2. The engine mountsare knacked which is causing the engine to move about excessively, enough to allow the exhaust to make contact with the bodywork. I think it's a bit of both, but you can check the mounts by letting the clutch up quickly when you pull away which will make the engine rock a long way and should make the exhaust bang on something.
 
Pumpkinstew said:
The noise is caused by the exhaust vibrating hard enough to tap against the bodywork.

As the pipe is a pre-heater that would explain the water being exhausted as fluid rather than a vapour from a cold start.
Click to expand...

Not really, when you start the engine the exhaust manifold is cold as well, so it won't have any effect for probably 30 seconds or so.
 
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