Noisy Felicia 1.3 engine

[andy 12]

Ive recently joined and im hoping someone can offer some advice,we have an immaculate 1998 skoda felicia with only 43,000 miles on the clock,one thing spoils this car its clattery,rattling engine,the garage it was mot'd at said they had heard nothing like it before(thanks guys!) talking to mechanics they have said its the timing chain,they said to replace it it would cost over

[fordfan]

First of all get a workshop manual. The timing chain kit is cheap, the two gears and the chain used to be £17 + VAT. It's really a case of removing the timing chain cover and I think the sump, you would also need a cover and a sump gasket, also a crankshaft pulley oil seal.

[DGW]

Haynes have a workshop manual for the Felicia which covers the removal and fitting of the timing cover, chain and sprockets of a 1.3 engine. It rates the job as fairly difficult, ie suitable for a competent DIY mechanic.

[poorly_felicia]

might be worth checking valve clearances

mine sound rattly even when correctly set

[mancity]

I thought mine was really rattly too, and doing a bit of a search it seems everyone has a rattly Felicia/Favorit etc.

Yours maybe really rattly clattery, and may need sorting, but it would seem that they are all a bit like that, perhaps a combination of both having a timing chain rather than a timing belt, and non hydraulic tappets (don't know what I'm talking about here really, but this is what i've read!!!)

cheers

p.s. what temp does your fan kick in at??? see my thread above, or below now

[cjcrumly]

Am I correct in saying that there is no timing belt tensioner fitted on these engines?

If not....then I would have thought it would always only be a matter of time before the 'clatter' returns - even if a new chain was fitted. I suppose it depends on how long this time is as to whether it's worth the expense/ work of replacing the chain.

Are there any replacement kits available with some form of tensioner?

[flatfourburble]

Mine was rather noisy, but it was fine to drive had nearly 73k on the clock.

Might be worth seeing if a member near by has a felicia and seeing if it sounds alike. (it might put your mind at rest)

[poorly_felicia]

even with vales correctly set, my mate commented that my engine soundedlike a 100yr old diesel tractor with a bad camshaft! i thought his comment OTT but it is WAY rattly. drives fine though!

[paulus69]

I own a similar felicia, and had the same issue, a really clattery noisy engine, and I was also told it would be pricey. Although my garage let me buy the timing chain kit (it ws

[mancity]

It seems as though if you want a quieter engine, and it really bothers you then you can try getting the tappets adjusted, and then change the timing chain, and that should help matters, but from what I gather, the timing chain is fairly sturdy, and although noisy, will last a long time.

So if you don't mind the noise, it's generally okay.

As most Felicias now are only worth peanuts, then

[cjcrumly]

If the car is immaculate then I think it's worth doing......If it was a timing belt then it would have to be changed!

[mancity]

If it was a timing belt then it would have to be changed!

is that actually true??? Don't they start to get noisy, i.e. loose, many thousands of miles before they actually really need changing?? (I think I read somewhere that they start to get noisy about 30,000, and need changing at 60,000? Maybe that's not true either!!!

Blimey the internet is a game of chinese whispers isn't it?

Hey, and if you're proud of your Skoda, let people know you're coming!!!!

[cjcrumly]

Sorry...I just meant that, in general terms, if the car is fitted with a timing belt the manufacturers recommend replacement to avoid engine damage whereas a noisy/ worn timing chain can usually be safely left.

The point I had in mind was that if the 1.6 was purchased there may well be the cost of belt replacement anyway so, if justification is needed, why not look on the cost of replacing the chain on the 1.3 in a similar light.

I bet you wish I hadn't expanded my reply now!

I'm not a proud Skoda owner but I just believe that if any car is immaculate then it's worth trying to keep it that way :-)

[cjcrumly]

Having said that....I once unashameably owned a Chrysler Horizon with a similar clattery engine, but was happy to leave that alone knowing that they were all like that and were otherwise strong engines.....Just a few body/ structural issues!!

[mancity]

I missed that you said 'timing belt' and not timing chain, my mistake, you were spot on

[WoodieGuthrie]

LOL! good to hear that other felicia 1.3i owners have "rattly" engines..Ours has oul and tappet services every 5000 miles, but never gets below tractor levels of noise.

is there no way you can retrofit a tensioner to the chain? I know my dad's bmw 535i (m30 engine) has an oil filled tensioner....

[cjcrumly]

I would have thought that a tensioner is the answer to the eliminating the 'clatter', however there may be space issues in being able to fit one in. It seems that the two drive sprockets are very close, i.e. a short chain, due to the OHV nature of the engine.

Perhaps this is why a tensioner isn't fitted?...I don't know.

[WoodieGuthrie]

I would have thought that a tensioner is the answer to the eliminating the 'clatter'' date=' however there may be space issues in being able to fit one in. It seems that the two drive sprockets are very close, i.e. a short chain, due to the OHV nature of the engine.

Perhaps this is why a tensioner isn't fitted?...I don't know.[/quote']

good point... it is fairly short, esp compared to the bmw 6pots i'm used to, suppose i'll add it to the list of "things for neil to investigate"

[Quetz VRS]

hmmm, I have to say that though mine has a little rattle on it it is still resonably quiet at 53,000 miles, even more quiet now i have a new mid and rear sections to my exhaust system

However my parents Felicia 1.3GLi is abit noisey, so this information is useful, but their approach to car care is 'When it blows up then we will fix it' which is very backwards of them..... but there we go.

Ohh yeah, my car was resonabally noisey, sort of diesel sounding, but with the exhaust system sorted it is much quieter, may pay to have the exhaust looked at. The rear silencer is approx

[SIMONIZE]

Hello all

Hey I have a 1.3Glxi mpi version it

[saboteur]

It's not a big issue, the chain gets loose and hits the front chain cover on one side.

[pinkskud]

1.3 = chain

1.6 = belt

if you find a 1.6 (i just got one in good nick with only 34000m hehehe) for gods sake do the belts. if thay go your talking alot of cash.

[WoodieGuthrie]

It's not a big issue, the chain gets loose and hits the front chain cover on one side.

funnily enough that wasnt the issue with ours...

25mins, a cold engine and tappets set nicely to 0.020/0.025mm and voila, she's revvin like a goodun!

got rid of a "flatspot" aabout 4000rpm too.

think i'll do them every 3 months as she gets some abuse, my bro drives so fast he actually has been known to be in two places at the one time

[harryhill]

To be honest they all rattle to my experience after around 55-60k and the reason for this is the lack of tensioner on the chain, although i have heard that the felicia is worse in comparison to previous versions of the engine. However, have you seen the chain? it is a doubled up affair that would take some stretching to get it to jump or snap to be honest as it is a very short sturdy looking chain.

I have the same problem with mine and the noise does get on my nerves but correct tappet adjustment should lessen the noise somewhat if you suspect they are out also.

The items you need for this job are:

Sump gasket

oil pump gasket

Timing chain kit with sprockets

timing cover gasket

oil

oil filter

a mate who can stamp on the brakes whilst you undo crankshaft/camshaft bolts

You will need to remove the sump as the timing cover bolts extend underneath, and remove the alternator to gain access. There is a removeable underneath the drivers side wing to gain access to the cover and pulleys. I bet though that the screws are rusted solid so drill them out and sort it later!

If you want a garage to to this i would have thought it would cost anywhere between 160- 250 squid so try and cut a deal upfront with a garage that has done one before.

If you want to do it yourself get a haynes manual and access to a dry garage with plenty of space and be prepared to get dirty!

I am debating whether to have a go myself on my 98 model and to be honest i reckon that i will just fire it in a garage as i don't really have the time.

[cjcrumly]

To be honest they all rattle to my experience after around 55-60k and the reason for this is the lack of tensioner on the chain, although i have heard that the felicia is worse in comparison to previous versions of the engine. However, have you seen the chain? it is a doubled up affair that would take some stretching to get it to jump or snap to be honest as it is a very short sturdy looking chain

Perhaps at this mileage the link pins have worn to a point where the chain is a bit more flexible and starts to clatter. If this is the case, good oil servicing should hold this back as long as possible.