Advice on engine knocking

[Grant_hewitt]

I bought my first scirocco 4 days ago, its an 09 TDI at 80,000 miles. The guy told me to come about half 12 to view it as he wouldn't be home till then. However i ended up getting their early about 11:45 due to train timings and having no other option. When i got there they guy was already in and looked as though he was about to start the car.

I then started the car up and instantly noticed an unusually loud knocking sound coming from the engine. The seller told me that its not a problem and it happens when the car is cold. Im guessing this is why he wanted me to come slightly later so he could warm the engine up first.

Luckily i was with someone who thought the noise was coming from the flywheel when we enquired about the price of this with a garage we were quoted at £600 so i managed to get this price knocked off the value of the car. He must of knew the car had this problem or he wouldn't of dropped the price so easily. Im now going to take the car to a garage to make sure the Knocking is from the flywheel as i haven't really heard it since. However also planing a remap soon and I've heard that can put a lot of pressure on the clutch. should i have anything upgraded while they're at it or should i get it replaced with standard parts?. Thanks.

Also while Im typing, what milage would you recommend a cam belt change?

[Cuprabob]

VW UK recommend that the cambelt be changed at 5 years old for cars registered after Sep 2009. 4 years for cars registered prior.

Mileage limit as per the service book is 120K miles.

[dimexi]

WOW!! have you bought the car?!?! If you have, Ignore me...


If you haven't - RUN A MILE!!!!

This is probably not what you wanna hear, especially if your mind is set. But if something like the flywheel is giving over, then there might be other things that would follow. Personally I would look elsewhere

[Grant_hewitt]

WOW!! have you bought the car?!?! If you have, Ignore me...


If you haven't - RUN A MILE!!!!

This is probably not what you wanna hear, especially if your mind is set. But if something like the flywheel is giving over, then there might be other things that would follow. Personally I would look elsewhere

Yeah I bought the car haha but for a good enough price I think to take the risk. Is there anything in particular I should watch out for? Thanks for the reply.

[dimexi]

Fair enough! Cuprabob will probably have good advice, as he's quite knowledgeable on these cars.
I'd advice having a look at this thread, to see what the common problems are with your motor.
Are you going to change the flywheel AND the clutch?! IF you are considering a remap, you should just replace with a high performance clutch I think, as opposed to OEM

[Grant_hewitt]

Fair enough! Cuprabob will probably have good advice, as he's quite knowledgeable on these cars.
I'd advice having a look at this thread, to see what the common problems are with your motor.
Are you going to change the flywheel AND the clutch?! IF you are considering a remap, you should just replace with a high performance clutch I think, as opposed to OEM

Yeah getting the flywheel and clutch replaced asap. And I've been doing a bit of research on the higher grade clutches and I've heard they're a bit rubbish for everyday driving. Do you know much else about them as i don't know much mechanically. thanks!

[dimexi]

I dont know much about high performance clutches... My knowledge just goes as far as how they actually work mechanically. In that respect, I am not sure how a clutch could be "rubbish" for everyday driving, except if the springs are tight, and this could give a very heavy feel to the pedal.
People also talk about dual and single mass flywheels, when it comes to changing clutches. Have a look in the mods section of the forum, there is some pretty good advice there.

All in all, it depends on what stage map you are going to: I am a stage 1 (bluefin), which increases power by about 44bhp, and torque by 73Nm... I have stayed on the OEM set up, because I think OEM should be able to handle that, and so did superchips (when I spoke to them)... My car is at 55k miles (I think), but more importantly, my clutch is a year old and at 10k miles (I got it changed due to a common fault they seem to develop). So I expect to still see a good life out of this at stage 1 remap

[CleanDiesel]

Yes definitely upgrade the clutch if you're changing it anyway, not to a proper top quality clutch though as you say they're crap for the road and you could never drive in traffic as they're either off or on and no in between. Alright once you're moving but no good for traffic jams, town centres, car parks etc.

I'd also get a lightened flywheel as that's being changed which will let you fly through the Rev range faster. I'd imagine less weight bolted in the end of the crankshaft will also let you get more power to the wheels.

[Grant_hewitt]

Yes definitely upgrade the clutch if you're changing it anyway, not to a proper top quality clutch though as you say they're crap for the road and you could never drive in traffic as they're either off or on and no in between. Alright once you're moving but no good for traffic jams, town centres, car parks etc.

I'd also get a lightened flywheel as that's being changed which will let you fly through the Rev range faster. I'd imagine less weight bolted in the end of the crankshaft will also let you get more power to the wheels.

What do you think of this? I know it's not an upgrade but for the price I think it would be strong enough to take me to stage one mapping?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/360755873125" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[CleanDiesel]

A brand new clutch will handle a stage one map quite easily. Just noticed you're on a 140/150bhp derv so no need to get an upgrade, just don't go cheap. Sachs is a great choice, off the top of my head I think that's what VW use anyway.