Recent content by Flipper

Check out my post on this same topic from a few months ago. They fixed my ticking under warrantee. I think the repair they made may have been related to loose screws on the vtcs butterflies. Just doing a search on "engine ticking" or "engine knoocking", it seems every owner has this problem...

I got mine at a Pep Boys It has high ribs and an edge retainer so even melting snow and slush are not a problem. It's made of a decent grade of rubber and is not flimsy so it doesn't go anywhere. Plus, I drilled a hole in the bottom so it can hook over the tab on the floor (driver side). The...

Anybody seen an A3 yet? I think I rode in a 2 door version in Sweden last year on a business trip. Seems like a pretty sweet car - probably just a tad more solid than the P5. But we can claim driving the groundbreaker in this style (in North America at least). Better pics on the Audi...

My dealer solved my ticking under warrantee this week. It's nice to hear the normal engine sound and just the quiet clicks of the fuel injectors. They replaced the intake manifold and other parts that the guy was pretty vague about. The cause written on my record states, "internal failure...

I didn't feel any knock at the PCV, but I changed it anyway along with spark plugs (did not fix but they were really notched out!) and air filter (didn't think this was related, but I was surprised how foul it was - will change every 20k from now on). Anyway, the engine is still ticking away...

Thanks, 503. If that could be my problem, I better get it into the dealer pretty quickly beofre any more wear occurs. The noise did seem to appear "overnight" so a spun bearing matches something that could happen suddenly. How long was your bomb ticking before you took it in? Anybody else...

Does anybody have any new word of wisdom on engine ticking? My ticking just started in the last month It is similar to the stories described above. It almost sounds like loud fuel injectors. It comes from right near the top of the engine and is a rather loud tick at idle. It's loudest after...

After a trip to The Netherlands a couple weeks ago, here are a few comments about the 1.6 liter Opel Astra I rented. Opel is owned by GM, but designed and built in Germany. It was pretty stylish - model I had was similar to a 4 door Golf. It felt very solid - not as tight handling as the P5...

It's always good to start at a lower torque and work your way up to the final torque. Starting with the final torque could cock the wheel and it might not be set right in the end. I know this from tightening big pipe flanges, having worked in the chemical industry. Here I'm the guy who...

Inexpensive torque wrench I just got mine this weekend at Sear's Hardware for $19.99 minus 10% for Craftsman Club membership. It's a simple "beam" type torque wrench. Rather than click at the desired setting, it has a very simple indicator at the end of a rod that moves along a dial as the...

Thanks for the comments. I think I'll just be safe and get the torque wrench. Doing the rotations myself will pay for it in no time.

Bought myself some ramps, jackstands, etc. to do simple stuff like oil changes and tire rotations. Do those who rotate their own tires use a torque wrench to 65-87 ft-lbs (shop manual) or just a snug up tight with an X-wrench. I know its important to use a crossing pattern when tightening...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but hitting the gas pedal before you crank will not pump any fuel into the engine since we have fuel injection. The only thing connected to the accelerator cable is the throttle valve (air intake). Fuel injection is controled by the engine computer based on the...

My rear plate rattled after I picked up from the dealer for two reasons. 1) The screws attaching the plastic mount were too long as mentioned above. This caused the bottom of the mount to stick out and hit the car as the hatch was shut. I used a hack saw to shorten the screws. 2) The mount...

"I'm a little confused....the P5's I see running around town have really nice looking roof racks - kind of streamlined...But the one offered on my dealership's website looks kind of blocky...Maybe the P5s I see with roof racks are older P5's." Since you do not have a factory rack, I think your...