Hey everyone,

A few months back I noticed this weird ticking/rattling noise. The noise seems to be coming from the bottom front area of the car. Anyhow, I took it in to my local AM dealer and they said everything sounded normal to them.

Today, I noticed the same noise and, whatever the dealer says, I don't think this is normal. So, I decided to check the oil level.

My local AM tech instructed me to wait until the engine is cold. Then, start it up and run it for a few seconds. He said that the oil level should be between the min. and max. marks., exactly halfway between both. So, that's what I've been doing.

I just read through the owner's manual, however, and came across somewhat different instructions. The manuals says that when the engine is cold, to start it up and run it at about 2K RPMs for 20 seconds. Then, check the oil level and make sure that it is at the max. mark. So, it appears that the owner's manual wants us to keep the oil level at the max mark when the engine is cold.

According to my Aston tech, that's wrong. He said that if I fill it up to the max. when cold, once the oil warms up it will expand beyond the max. mark and that will be bad for my engine. That was enought to scare me so I've followed his advice and just kept the oil level right between the min. and max. marks when cold.

Just wondering what the rest of you guys think. I was curious whether this rattling/ticking noise I'm hearing could be attributable to low oil evels....which is why I am considering filling up to the max. mark when cold.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

I have always used the manual procedure and topped it to around 2/3 of the way up.
They do use oil when reved out.
I used nearly 2 litres in 4k miles around europe last year in my last Vantage.
My S has used around a litre in 1.6k miles.

 

Agree ^^^ - if anything goes wrong, you can't be faulted if you followed the official, printed manufacturer instructions!

BTW how is your clutch? Is the rattle still there when you depress the clutch pedal?

 

You might be hearing the oil pump scavage on first start up when cold. It was a common problem on the earlier V8's. There is nothing wrong with it. If you keep the oil level max, there is not much expansion of oil when it gets hot. Not like to matters anyway because of the dry sump, the crank is not having to spin in any extra oil.

 

Hi Spinecho,

I'll double check, but I don't believe depressing the clutch pedal made any difference last time I noticed the rattle.

I'm thinking that maybe my dealership used a different oil viscosity, since I first started to hear the ticking noise after having the 3-year service done....and I've read about instances where some dealerships are out of the 10W-60 stuff and instead use something generally available like 5W-30.

 

Thanks for chiming in AMFixer. When I first sent an audio file to my AM dealer, the service rep. said the ticking noise sounded like lifters. But when I took the car in, they said the noise I was hearing was normal, etc.

I don't know much about engines, but I am guessing that if lifters were the issue, then the noise should be most audible from the top of the top of engine. Is that right? All I hear when I pop the hood are the fule injectors going. The ticking noise I hear seems to be coming from the bottom front of the car somewhere. I hear it most noticeably when I put my ear by the front tires. And the noise only comes up when the engine has been warmed up. It's perfectly quiet when the engine is cold.

 

Mine also has that ticking sound on first start up when cold. I've checked with dealership and confirmed which is normal as AMFixer stated. The noise goes away after it's warmed up. No issues.

 

Mine is actually quiet at start up....I only get the ticking noise after the engine has been warmed up or after long drives. From the research I've done, it seems that noises which go away after the car is warm seem to be normal...but noises that start after the car is warm might signal an issue.

 

Any way to post the audio file so we can have a listen? Have not seen V8's with lower end issues. Weird when its cold it is not there, but when its warmed up its louder. Wonder by chance it might be the exhaust manifold popping or ticking?

 

Audio file seems to have been deleted when I reformatted my phone. I went to the garage intent on doing another recording. However, before that, I decided to top off my oil as per the owner's manual...ended up needing about 1 quart. Then, I took the car out for a quick drive on the highway. And suddenly it appears that the noise has subsided quite a bit.

People always tell me to drive my car more often. I take it out as much as I can, but it usually ends up sitting for at least 2-3 weeks straight before I can take it out for an hour or so. Maybe I just need to treat this car like a new born and make time for it no matter what

Out of curiousity, if it is the exhaust manifold, is this something that wait to be addressed until it's time for the 4 year service, about 6 months from now? Or, should it get checked out ASAP? I do have the AM extended warranty for the next 2 years, so I'd rather wait if it's nothing detrimental...really hate not having my AM dealer close by.

 

I dont think there is anything wrong with the exhaust manifold, just sometimes they make noise from expansion and cooling down. It can sound like a ticking noise. Maybe once the oil is changed it might quiet down. We will see.