Evening gents,

I'm looking for a bit of advice regarding our new Vogue SE... When we got it the seller told us that it was making a tappet noise. It is definitely making a tappet like ticking noise...

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What's got me confused though is that when the engine is cold started it, it is totally SILENT, there's not the faintest hint of a noise. Once the car has done a mile or two you can hear the tap start to develop into the noise in the video.

It sounds to slow and to high pitched to be bottom end to me... What does everyone else think? According to the last owner it's been doing it for 5 years and hasn't got any worse. It certainly doesn't feel down on power and it doesn't seem to affect the drive in anyway.

David.

Definitely sounds tappetty to me. I'd suspect a dodgy follower. It is working and pressurising when cold and the oil pressure is higher but once the oil thins down a bit it no longer works.

I am not that familiar with the petrol V8 as I have the diesel, but talking about engines generally it does sound to me like tappets or specifically just one tappet.
The sound also seems to disappear or quieten as you revved it or put it under load. Is that right?
Talking generally the sound could be piston slap, a little end bush or tappet. imho.
Piston slap? caused by worn bores after very high mileage. Unlikely, exhaust would be smoking, and engine a lot more rattley.
Little end gone? Unlikely. Not heard of a previous problem with these engines.
Hydraulic tappet? Most likely due to oil pressure when hot as Richard says.
I would give it an oil and filter change anyway as it is a new car. Maybe it has previously been filled with modern synthetic oil? This type of oil is thinner. Maybe the tappets don't pump up as well. Suggest you switch to a thicker conventional oil and measure oil pressure before and after.

Glad someone else agrees. Piston slap would be the other way round, worse when cold but less when hot as the pistons expand. Giving it an oil change is good advice as you've no idea what it has in it but if it has been doing it for the last 5 years it's more likely something worn.

Thanks guys, you've all confirmed what I was thinking.

If it's been like this for 5 years and there's maybe been a bit of abnormal load on the camshaft due to it, are the camshaft bearings likely to have been damaged? Anybody ever replaced these with the engines in situ? I've read online that they're likely to be a bit of a pig to replace with the engine in place.

David.

Highly unlikely it's damaged the bearings if it is a faulty follower, the only thing likely to be damaged is the follower itself. It will be putting less stress on the cam or bearings rather than more.

I agree - also from our messages when you mentioned it to me - that it's top end.

Also agree - worth an oil and filter change and see what it's like.

Camshaft - can be done with the engine in-situ. Apparently with the radiator out, and the AC condenser loosened off, there's just enough space for the camshaft to come out of the front of the engine.

If you do the camshaft, I'd also treat it to a new water pump if it hasn't been done recently - just one of those 'matter of course' things!