I noticed this noise the other day while messing with the LPG system, but i sort of dismissed it initially thinking i was just hearing the LPG injectors cycling.

However it was doing it again this morning when i took the wee man to nursery and i realised the LPG wasnt even online yet.

The noise appears to be coming from directly below the shifter assembly, and is a sort of strange rattley clickety noise which occurs in time with engine RPM's, raising the rpm raises the speed of the clacketing. It occurs in all gears and irrespective of engine load. Accellerating doesnt appear to make the noise change, other than it increasing in frequency with the engine rpms. Decelleration usually causes it to fade away, but then the engine drops right down to idle where its harder to hear so thats kinda expected. It also occurs in neutral and park. It is still audible at idle, but it becomes quieter and somewhat more randomised.

I made a video (excuse the wee one shouting in the back):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0a6zcf99p1zbkl3/2017-06-26%2012.12.08.mp4?dl=0

The video was made while stationary with the car in park. I also got out and had a listen under the bonnet, and TBH i couldnt hear the noise AT ALL from under the hood, despite it being blatant from within the car.

The strange part... I parked for an hour after making that video. When i got back in and drove off, it was silent. I drove several miles to macdonalds with not a peep from it. Got my food and left macdonalds still without a clackety noise anywhere to be heard. Then i gunned it off a roundabout and the noise reappeared and stayed there for the remainder of the journey home (about a mile), albeit less loud than it had been when i made the video.

Sure it isn't an exhaust blow? That would vary with engine revs rather than road speed. Would also come and go as things expand and contract.

Pretty sure its not an exhaust leak. It sounds very mechanical. Exhaust leaks tend to vary with load as well, this doesnt.

Checked the ATF level in the box, not a thing on the dipstick, despite it being topped up a few weeks ago.

Theres a nice oily patch on the gravel where it parks as well... Going to try and figure out whats leaking and pour some more ATF in and see if the noise goes away!

Also, i know it says check when cold, the engine wasnt hot when i looked, but wasnt stone cold either, its been sat for a few hours since i drove it home. Will that make a huge difference?

FFFFS

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2bijn7k4ckkpg5w/2017-06-26%2018.51.33.jpg?dl=0

Do i risk pulling the pan and hoping to get that to reseat properly, or do i try to find a replacement gasket. supposed to be leaving on wednesday :@

It may be permanently out of shape so will be a real bugger to get to reseat. Has it been changed recently or been like that for a while, that'll make a difference too. Dropping it off and putting it back with lots of RTV is probably your best hope if it insists on staying out of shape.

I don't think temperature makes too much difference in level, running through the gears certainly does though. On mine checking it before starting the engine, the level is about 4 inches above the full mark. I've also found that the difference between the bottom and top holes on the dipstick is under half a litre. Mine was on the minimum so I bunged a litre in and that took it way over the max. It was blowing the excess out of the breather (which finds it's way down the inner wheelarch liner until it drips off the nearside front mudflap) for weeks afterwards.

i fitted it about 2 weeks ago. Ofcourse it was a shitpart seal, should have known better.

Afterwards i properly topped it off using the cold idling and cyling gears method.

With the engine off earlier, the level was half way between the two pips, so well low on where it should be.

Hope i've not damaged the gearbox!

Should still be flexible then. With a bit of luck you should be able to use some RTV to stick it into place on the pan before offering it up to the box.

used to get the same noise by sticking a lolly stick on the spokes of my bike.

I'm thinking horrid thoughts, like flex plate.. that's a hard one to pin point, let us know if it's still there from start, or if it's after another lead foot issue.
You could pop the inspection cover off the gearbox while your under there and inspect the flex plate, or start it up and have a good listen.

This cars officially now being an arsehole!

Removed the sump, jigged it about and repositioned the seal, and clamped it back up. Looks better now. Who knows if it will actually seal, but at least it now looks as you would expect.

Put the drain plug in and tightened it, except it didnt tighten. Added a nice selection of swear words and wound it back out expecting stripped threads, but instead found the sump plug itself appears to have split, at the bottom of the counterbore for the magnet...

Going to nip to the factors at lunch, they almost certainly wont have the correct plug, but vauxhall and BMW use M12x1.5 drain plugs in their engine sumps and are common enough i can hopefully get one. Wont be magnetic, but it'll have to do for now!

a 2006 BMW 330d supplied a M12x1.5 sump plug, and i got a few dowty washers from Cromwell to save me having the ball ache of getting a copper washer to seal.

Plug went in fine, and tightened up ok.

Only had 3 Litres of ATF left, so poured that in, now i'm waiting on more coming, the missus is picking it up on the way home!

Well...

Put 4 litres of fluid in and started it, very mild clickyness immediately after startup, nothing on the dipstick when i looked, so put the fifth litre in and didnt hear any further noise.

Level appeared to be at the maximum pip, so i went for a drive. Some more slight clickyness initially and it faded away. Drove round the block a few times and went home and checked the level again. Nothing on dipstick again?!

Poured another litre into it, and again it was back up to the maximum pip.

Drove 5 miles to the LPG station, various roads from 30 to 70mph. No clicking. Filled with LPG and headed home again, still no clicking...

So is it fixed? Who knows. I'll check the level again in the morning with everything cold, and make some final adjustments to the level and see how it goes.

Book says that it takes 6 litres to fill after being drained so you are probably getting close now.

thats good to know