tapping and ticking noises ?

[djlee]

Yes i know everyone probably hates posts that talk about noise because its so hard to understand, but i'll do my best to explain and hopefully someone can shed some light

For reference, i have a vectra 1.9 cdti (120) facelift model (2007) and has done just over 100k miles.

So when i first start the car in the morning, i get like a tapping noise which is loud enough to be heard in the car. The car also "rumbles" a little bit. When i pull off, the rumbling can sometimes get a little more prominent and the tapping rate increases. After a few minutes of driving, the rumbling has gone and the tapping noise is still there, but it doesn't sound so loud (this could ofcourse just be a placebo effect from the rumbling having died down).

When im sitting at lights. If i hold the cluth down, i get a ticking noise too (more like a tick rather than the tapping noise i mentioned earlier). But if i take my foot off the clutch, the noise disappears. At first i thought it was the flywheel, but since the car doesnt rumble all the time and i cant feel vibrations on the clutch pedal im not sure (not noticed anything, and ive been told if it was the flywheel, you'd definitely know it)

But heres a strange one i noticed the other day, waiting at lights to come off the slip road, i'd got the clutch in and the noise started as i expected. I can't remember if i let the car roll forward by releasing the handbrake a tad then securing it again, or i let off the brake pedal for a second. But that small rock forward seemed to make the noise disappear even though i still had the clutch in. I've tried to replicate this several times, and most of the time i can't, but on the odd occasion it does stop the noise.


Now im guessing the rumbling when first started is not related to anything else. Im also assuming the tapping which seems slightly louder when cold but is always there is not related to the tapping/ticking noise i get when the clutch is depressed waiting at lights.

Not sure if this is of any relevance but when the car struggles (i.e. say ive slowed down to a tad below 20mph and i use 3rd gear to pick speed up again), i get a sort of clattering noise for a few seconds as it picks up a little speed, then it disappears. Not sure what this is, and if it is unrelated to the issues above id love to know what it is as my old car was the same too (a 1.2 fiesta).


Things ive done so far in regards to servicing:

• changed cam belt (used a kit from vx which included othe rbits that were also fitted by the garage).
• changed the engine oil and filter
• changed brakes and discs
• cleaned EGR and boost sensor

Ive got the other filters (air, pollen, fuel) to do and the glow plugs. None of the stuff ive done so far has contributed to making the problems nor has it helped to solve them (or lessen them).


Any info on this would be appreciated.

Thankyou

P.S: apologies for the long post (just posted and realised how much id typed) but being a noise related issue, i figure the more info the better.

[Critch]

Sounds like sticky tappets