Big ends ?

 

Big ends knock heavily

 

Hi there thanks for reply. Yeah I know big ends can knock but from my experience big ends knock over time not instantly

 

A good visual needed first.
Then remove the drive belt and see if the noise is coming from the alternator.
Failing that or anything obvious id go for the diesel pump .
I wouldnt try starting it until youve eliminated stuff that could cause more damage. Get the lift pump off the back of the pump and check the drive is intact.

 

It’s a 54 plate vivaro. Do you know if it’s a timing belt or chain.
I went out this morning and the van didn’t start. It turned over just like normal but just wouldn’t fire up leading me to a fuel problem.
Do you know if a diesel pump would knock or tick loud and fast to engine speed if it was to run out of diesel. I’ve never had before but I don’t know.

 

timing belt......not normally any noise when you run out of fuel.

 

Thanks for that. I didn’t think so

 

do you have a priming bulb near the fuel filter?

 

Yes there is 1 there. I primed it to make sure there was fuel there.

 

in that case like i said earlier the lift pump , which drags fuel up to the diesel pump from the tank is piggy backed onto your fuel pump. its not unknown for the drive to fail.
can you get someone to turn the engine over while you try to pinpoint the clicking noise?

 

Thanks for the advice. Yeah but trouble is the noise has gone lol on turn over it just won’t fire up

 

I found problem I think to the loud clicking noise. The auxiliary belt is starting to break up and I think it was slapping against things on rotation. Well I hope anyway.

I still can’t get to fire up. I’ve put fuel in and changed filter but still just won’t fire. I’ve got fuel to injectors and I definitely have voltage to diesel pump as I can hear the solenoid working.
I got it to fire with easy start so that’s telling me it’s a fuel problem???
Any idea anybody?
Is there a fuse for injectors? As can’t find know where.
How can I test there voltage at the injectors

I hate problems lok

 

I know it's been mensioned before but are you sure there's no timing belt issue? If the auxiliary belt has started to come apart then some may have been pulled into the timing belt/around the crank shaft pulley etc as happened on my partner's Laguna

 

I’ve checked timing belt and it seems fine. I don’t think it’s jumped or nothing. If it had surely it wouldn’t even fire with easy start?

 

Timing belt jumping one or two teeth when the auxiliary belt starts to shred is a bit of a theme on here, and usually takes some time to convince them to actually go back to the basics and check!
Hopefully no damage done so far but if it has just clipped the valves, keep spinning it over won't do it any good.

 

The timing belt will look fine, you have to actually check that all the timing marks line up.
It will fire with easy start as it's called easy start for a reason, it only needs compression to ignite it, removing the need for accurate diesel injection or to some degree accurate valve timing!

 

Not only the timing . Make sure you get the camshaft sprocket off.
The keyway in the sprocket breaks easily and if theres been internal contact all will look ok and lined up but its not.
This was why i suggested at the begining that you dont turn it over on the key

 

I’ve checked timing belt and it seems fine. I don’t think it’s jumped or nothing. If it had surely it wouldn’t even fire with easy start?

If the timing is out but you still have some sort of compression on a cylinder it will give the impression that its firing with a squirt

 

Hi again all
I believe there is a bolt to take out near the crank shaft to put in a 8mm locking pin. Can any body give me a heads up where it is as I can’t find at all

 

Standing at the front, on the right hand side where the engine joins the gearbox, in between the breather/filler tube and the bell housing flange.
It is not a locking pin it is an alignment pin, do not use it to lock the engine.

 

Why not use it?
Any way I’ve got the crank pulls off. Next question is. On the cam shaft spocket is white paint and on the head is white paint. So I’m assuming these white marks line up. Right on crankshaft sprocket is white paint but no white paint on block. What is used as the crankshaft timing line

 

Why not use it?

Two basic reasons,
1, if you use an 8mm bolt it may bend and you wont get it out very easily or at all if it bends too far.
2, if you use an 8mm drill it may bend or break and you would have to remove the sump to get the broken pieces out.
There is a special tool to lock the ring gear which fits on the rear under the starter or you can wedge a big screwdriver in
The cam shaft sprocket timing mark on TDC is straight up/vertical, there may be a mark on the inner cover.
The crankshaft is a little more difficult, at TDC the groove for the woodruff key should be at roughly 1230 with it between two ribs on the casing, the timing mark should be roughly at 0630, it would be exactly one tooth offset from straight down (0600), which is exactly where the alignment pin puts it?
Hope that all made sense

 

Thanks for reply.
I get exactly what you mean and I’ve done as follows.
I’ve lined up the mark on crankshaft sprocket in between the 2 ribs on engine block. I’ve inserted a 8mm drill bit to confirm tdc
I’m going with the white mark on camshaft sprocket and to my amazement it’s way out. It’s atleast 40 degree out.
In all the years I was a rover technician I had never come across a peice of debris or Broken up belt being able to jump a belt. I never would have believed it so thanks for everybody’s advise.
I’m gutted.

 

Don't forget to check the cam sprocket key-way hasn't sheared off?
You could try resetting it and see if your lucky it does happen sometimes

 

Next question
We all know the problems with vivaro. Are the newer vivaro better. What I mean is did Vauxhall sort vivaros problems out on newer models. If so what sort of year from is the better model

 

No they suffer from a whole host of different problems.

If you havent taken the cam sprocket off to check the status of the woodruff key then you may well be wasting your time.

Also if i was you id get the rocker cover off and check the valve clearances in case theres been valve to piston contact.

 

Also forget the white paint marks as theyre from previous belt changes and could be anything.
Theres a dot on the cam sprocket which lines up with a hole / window in the timing cover

 

Yeah your right there but if it’s atleast 40 degree out it’s most likely done damage not only that I can feel the cam shaft jam when turning manually. I know there would be resistance from compression but this feels like it’s jamming.
10 years ago I would have took it to pieces but now it’s finding the time and enthusiasm. I will double check the timing mark on cam shaft but I think it’s buggered
I’ve repaired a few cars over the years and some I’ve got away with after a cambelt snap but I think my luck has ran out

The noises I heard when all this happened I thought was the auxiliary belt slapping about on rotation when it broke up but it’s making sense now it was the valve and pistons having a fight

Time for new van me thinks. Can’t grumble though I’ve had 4 years out of it and only spent £400 on it on gearbox. Apart from that it’s done me good. I do like the look of the vivaro just was hoping on a new model Vauxhall’s would have sorted the normal issues out

 

the newer 2 litres suffer gearbox , steering pump , top mounts , ball joints, siezed injectors, oil pump drive. rear calipers. usual vivaro stuff and some.

what sort of revs was the engine doing when it stopped??
if you were on low revs theres a good chance you may have got away with it.
like i said earlier if your valve clearances are good and the woodruff key in the cam sprocket is broken i would certainly persevere .

my 1.9 is very reliable too and has paid for itself 10 times over. I also prefer the look of the old vivaro to anything except the new transit sport.
unfortunately when the newer 2.0 goes wrong it can end up making it more than its worth to repair. which is why im holding on to my 1.9 for as long as possible

 

Had similar problem with my van under the noise of the engine I could hear a tick tick tick that would speed up with acceleration and then when I slowed down the ticking noise would to , cam belt had been slipping then it stopped never ran again