D24TIC Starting to be able to hear my tappets very recently

[Laney760]

How many hours labour should I expect to pay to have my valve clearances checked please? Also, I'm using semi-synth, would changing every 6 thousand be adequate? Many Thanks

[69dieselfreak]

dont you need to do a head gasket why even bother paying a shop to do that when you do a head gasket then you could do it at that time
id help you out if i didnt live so far away

[Laney760]

Originally Posted by 69dieselfreak

dont you need to do a head gasket why even bother paying a shop to do that when you do a head gasket then you could do it at that time
id help you out if i didnt live so far away

At the time of posting this couldn't afford hg, even at cheapest garage, so my plan of action, since these engines seem to plod on forever with leaky hgs, was to still continue other essential maintenance. For example, the cheap garage wanted £200 to do clearances but it came to over £600 for hg. However, since posting this, a highly recommended garage on here have given me a fantasic quote to do hg and am aiming to get all done at once, after a lot of saving. Yes, you are a hell of a long way away! If I didn't need the car for work I'd have a bash at all this myself, members on here have offered to lend what specialist tools I don't have and if it took me weeks I wouldn't mind, problem being neighbours, I am in Housing Association property, we are not allowed to work on cars, I can get away with doing small jobs but I don't know about something that would probably take me weeks and not days, lol..... Have to say I'm very impressed with the performance and reliability of my poorly D24Tic, don't think a 4 cylinder engine would cope with this problem...

[bvs]

Good luck Laney... hope the garage sorts your engine for you ok !!

cheers baz

[Peter Milnes]

Hi Ellie, have you checked the Vacuum Pump? It is driven from an eccentric about halfway along the camshaft and when it starts playing up it makes a din like all the engine bits are about to disintegrate. Sometimes you can help the situation by a thorough strip down of the pump and clean /reassemble. There are about 6-8 little one-way valves in the body which tend to suffer with carbon. You need a set of tappet shims and a tool to depress the tappet shim buckets with a special pair of pliers. They should be done every 20,000 miles.

All the best, Peter.

[Laney760]

Hi Peter

Thanks. Most definitely tappets I can hear, not the noise from the vacuum pump. I've been thinking that by the time I get the money together to get this whole lot done it'll be the Spring and I really should have a go at it myself, the whole damm lot. The cam belt change sounds the most daunting from what I've read on here but I've got my D24tic manuals and I know that you, Jor, Craig, 69dieselfreak, etc.. are here so there would probably be someone to talk me through stuff if I got into trouble. I could pick up an old banger to run around in whilst I do it all and thinking about my neighbour situation, if I worked in a clean and tidy manner and had everything up and running within a couple of weeks it would hardly give my Housing Association any time other than to give me a ticking off letter. If worst came to worst and I had bitten off more than I could chew I could always get a tow to the garage to finish it off. Or buy another 940 diesel with the money I had been going to pay the garage... She's still running like a dream for such a sick engine, very impressed with these engines.... Thanks Peter

[Mister T]

Peter,
Your first post you ask about valve adjustment , then headgaskit was meantioned, ?, so whats wrong , ? , all the years I was around this engine I never heard tappet noise , they always needed loosening , tight valves caused rough idle during warm up , I would get the vacuum pump checked .
Mister T.

[Laney760]

Hi Mr T, Try and keep it brief. Hg gone. Have been unable to raise the money yet to get it done. No deterioration of condition over 6000 mile, fortunately hg gone between water jacket and cylinder so no oil in water or reverse, burning coolant out through exhaust, have read of these engines soldiering on like this for ages. Found a garage that will do the hg, both belts and valve clearances for a good price, saving up now. Wondering whether to have a bash at it myself in the spring, I'm female, have only ever done small jobs myself but I've never failed at anything I've tried even if it's taken me a long time. Reference new very very quiet noise lately definitely not vacuum pump, hear that separately, I do have the head which has to have v clearances done every 20 thou. I've heard tappets in cars plenty of times before, sure it's this, its a hydraulic kind of noise if you know what I mean..