My engine is very noisy, i have been informed that this is just an old Skoda thing, i would like to believe different.

 

It sounds like a tin can full of ball bearings !

 

it runs perfect, is great on fuel for its age, starts first time every time and has plenty of power.

 

it does have a habit of overheating quick if i'm stuck in traffic but is easy to remedy by just opening the window and turning the heater on.

 

A few people have said it could be the water pump, others have said it could be a stretched cam chain.

 

i have been advised to remove the aux drive belt to rule out the water pump but have no clue how to remove it or know if that is likely to cause any damage.

 

i would of thought if it was a chain issue that it would affect my timing, yet it runs like a dream.

 

any suggestions or links to similar fixes would be appreciated 

 

Its a 1998 1.3 GLI

Edited 9 October, 201312 yr by MoTrax

It will probably be the timing chain, they are known to rattle a bit. But if it isn't causing any real running problems, then why worry about it? If it ain't broke; don't fix it!. I would advise checking your cooling system over though. When was the last time the coolant was changed and the system flushed? Are you running the right mixture of water/coolant and perhaps a new thermostat wouldn't go a miss?

There are many things that could rattle in the engine bay and your mission is to find out what is REALLY rattling without guessing. The easiest method is to listen in various points with a stethoscope for mechanics. The even cheaper solution is a very long screwdriver held like in the photo below. Keep away your hair, hands, sleeves, hanging jewelry, tie, etc from moving parts.

 

Now I will try to list all the points where you should listen for rattles. I will assume there are no body parts unbolted according to specs.

- the gearbox cover for 5th gear (loud irregular noise when it is colder outside; the noise stops when pressing the clutch and diminishes when the engine/gearbox gets warm)

- the timing chain cover

- the alternator cover

- the water pump body

- the cylinder head cover

 

A mechanic did a quick listen using a screw driver (i thought he had gone mad  )

 

that was the one that informed me it was the water pump

Edited 10 October, 201312 yr by MoTrax

Take the above advice for the noise, bearing in mind that it will always rattle a bit due to the design and timing chain.

 

As for overheating, you need to use the PINK ORGANIC anti freeze, not the blue stuff - and dont mix the two together; also make sure your rad fan is cutting in, the thermostat is a known weak link.

As for overheating, you need to use the PINK ORGANIC anti freeze, not the blue stuff - and dont mix the two together;

 

Mine is full of the blue stuff and i have just bought a load more of the blue stuff to do a full change this weekend

It will be fine so long as you don't mix them, I would point straight to the timing chain too, even low mileage ones too.

There is coolant fluid for steel blocks and for aluminum blocks. You need the latter in 40/60 proportion (coolant/distilled water).

Or just normal water.

Perhaps you could make a video of the noise you're experiencing?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

i wasn't aware i could post video's to here

i wasn't aware i could post video's to here

You can't post a video 'in here'. But you can upload it on any video sharing website then you post a THE LINK to it. 

I have a photobucket account, can i do videos on there

Yeah.

If you decide to make a video, show us a full view of the engine, then get closer with camera on each area I mentioned earlier. We'll know where is the tin can full of ball bearings. 

I will do the video on saturday and upload it it in the afternoon

Well there is an unusual thing i hadnt noticed before,

 

the noise stops at 2500 revs

That usually happens when there is a foreign body inside a rotating cavity, or when there's a big play between two rotating parts, bearings included. If you can pinpoint the area in question, we'll tell you what is all about. You may have the surprise to hear more accurately where the noise is coming from the moment you'll playback the video on your PC. The microphone of the camera coming closer to the source of noise may pick useful information. On the other hand, the noise 'disappearance' may be just a case of being masked by the normal sound of the revved engine.

Edited 11 October, 201312 yr by adurer

no the noise certainly goes at 2500 and comes back again when it falls below, just waiting for the rain to stop before i go out and record it

Loose nut/bolt/bracket then I reckon......timing chain will also get less noisy at speed.

the noise only goes at 2500 revs whilst driving, as i found out when i just video'ed it earlier,

 

just waiting for the vid to upload to photo bucket

will upload this vid, but i think i need to do one while he engine is warmer as it didnt seem to make the noise as much with a cold engine

Good video. I hope other people will use this method to ask for help.
The noise is worse than I thought. I guess you had your share of annoyed glances at redlights.
Given the fact there are 3 possible sources of noise in that area (coolant pump bearing, timing chain, alternator bearing(s)) we have to correlate all information given by you. The mechanic listened with a long screwdriver and said it's the water pump, then when the engine gets hot the noise is louder, then the noise dampens at around 2500 rpm. That indicates a play getting bigger from heat, while dampening is the result of centrifugal force. I forgot to ask how many miles made each of those 3 possible culprits, because that may be a good indication too. But anyways, I tend to trust the mechanic that had a first hand experience. That doesn't necessarily exclude the alternator and the timing chain. It may be more than one cause. An overtightened belt could easily ruin both pump and alternator bearings. So I would make a simple, short test. Remove the belt. Start the engine. If the noise is still there, it's the timing chain. If not, I would take oft the alternator and have a closer look at bearings. Being the most labour involved, I'd change the coolant pump (timing chain too if it's over 50K) as the last resort. Keep us posted.
 

 

 

Edited 12 October, 201312 yr by adurer

the belt does feel very tight but i though that was the norm' to prevent them squealing in the wet