Hi all - new here and after some insight from the wealth of knowledge you all seem to have & sorry for the long first post !
I have a relatively new VF Commodore 6.0 litre - it's the L77 motor.
Soon after purchase (New) i noticed a tapping noise from the motor when cold & under light load (ie. NOT while idling in neutral).
This noise mostly goes away when warming up in under 5 minutes but i can still hear it sometimes up to 10 minutes after cold start.
It is worse in winter when it's colder outside.
So off to the dealer. It was diagnosed as "Cold Start Piston Noise" and i was told that it was NORMAL and they all do it !
Now before anyone suggest another cause - it is DEFINITELY mild piston slap. It is not as bad as some of the early LS1's but its there all the same.
I get the "Short Skirt" Piston design and the fact that they have Aluminium Pistons & Cast Cylinders and the fact that different metals expand differently and that Aluminium Blocks make noises more apparent ....... and all of that, but this is 2015 and you would think that this "Customer Annoyance" issue would have been sorted by now.
So in summary:
1. Not Lifters (it is engine load related only and lifter load doesn't change when in neutral or in drive i.e. doesn't "Clack" in neutral)
2. Not belts / pulleys accessories etc.
3. Oil level is fine - using Mobil 1 5W/30 Dexos 1
4. Oil Filter is AC Delco PF48E - OEM
5. Oil does not have Aeration Problems
6. Oil Pressure is fine.
7. It's not pinging !
8. Not leaking exhaust manifold
9. Temperature related - not a peep when fully warmed up.
From everything iv'e read the noise is nothing more than an annoyance & Holden's don't want to know about it but it annoys the hell out of me.
If i'd heard it before i bought it i probably wouldn't have bought it.
The best way to check for this without driving it is to start it cold (left overnight) with the radio off and heater fan off, let it idle down to 500 rpm, place left foot on the brake and put it in drive. Load the motor slightly to approx 600 to 800 rpm in drive and brakes on simulating light load.
Clack Clack Clack about 6 to 8 times per second is what i get and it's audible inside the car with windows up.
As I said, it goes away once fully warmed up but can take up to 10 minutes.
So my questions are - who's got it, how bad is it, how long does it last, has anyone had this issue fixed, can it be fixed and does it bother you ?
And please don't tell me to turn the radio up !
Thanks.
I have a relatively new VF Commodore 6.0 litre - it's the L77 motor.
Soon after purchase (New) i noticed a tapping noise from the motor when cold & under light load (ie. NOT while idling in neutral).
This noise mostly goes away when warming up in under 5 minutes but i can still hear it sometimes up to 10 minutes after cold start.
It is worse in winter when it's colder outside.
So off to the dealer. It was diagnosed as "Cold Start Piston Noise" and i was told that it was NORMAL and they all do it !
Now before anyone suggest another cause - it is DEFINITELY mild piston slap. It is not as bad as some of the early LS1's but its there all the same.
I get the "Short Skirt" Piston design and the fact that they have Aluminium Pistons & Cast Cylinders and the fact that different metals expand differently and that Aluminium Blocks make noises more apparent ....... and all of that, but this is 2015 and you would think that this "Customer Annoyance" issue would have been sorted by now.
So in summary:
1. Not Lifters (it is engine load related only and lifter load doesn't change when in neutral or in drive i.e. doesn't "Clack" in neutral)
2. Not belts / pulleys accessories etc.
3. Oil level is fine - using Mobil 1 5W/30 Dexos 1
4. Oil Filter is AC Delco PF48E - OEM
5. Oil does not have Aeration Problems
6. Oil Pressure is fine.
7. It's not pinging !
8. Not leaking exhaust manifold
9. Temperature related - not a peep when fully warmed up.
From everything iv'e read the noise is nothing more than an annoyance & Holden's don't want to know about it but it annoys the hell out of me.
If i'd heard it before i bought it i probably wouldn't have bought it.
The best way to check for this without driving it is to start it cold (left overnight) with the radio off and heater fan off, let it idle down to 500 rpm, place left foot on the brake and put it in drive. Load the motor slightly to approx 600 to 800 rpm in drive and brakes on simulating light load.
Clack Clack Clack about 6 to 8 times per second is what i get and it's audible inside the car with windows up.
As I said, it goes away once fully warmed up but can take up to 10 minutes.
So my questions are - who's got it, how bad is it, how long does it last, has anyone had this issue fixed, can it be fixed and does it bother you ?
And please don't tell me to turn the radio up !
Thanks.