Hey,

My car makes noises when it starts up. When it's cold, there's a brief rattle as the chain tensioners pump up. I've gotten used to that one. Various motors and pumps kick on in the dash, in the engine compartment, etc., and sometimes run a little while after shutdown. I've gotten used to that.

There's one noise that I have not gotten used to, that it only makes SOMEtimes with no discernable pattern, on startup: sometimes there is a BLUP BUP BLUP, or perhaps a POP POP POP, noise that comes from the right rear fenderwell. It stops right after I start to drive, or if it's let to idle a minute or so.

Now that I've changed my oil, I realize the oil tank is in that fender. I am postulating that there's some air bubbles in there sometimes (why? how?) in the tank and when the oil pump starts up, they get shaken loose and rise to the top of the tank and burble away in there.

Cause for concern? Anybody else's car do this? Just another idiosyncrasy about these cars in general or something unique, and uniquely concerning?

thanks in advance.

Thaddeus

 

I hear like 4 bubble sounds when I start the car each morning. It is only like 4-5 bubble sounds and I took it to be the oil. I am not sure what it is though. I am curious to read what others post.

 

Yep, it's the oil. You can hear it running through the pipes on the RH side.

 

every once in a great while when I start my car... from the FRONT engine bay area I hear a pop pop pop.... or click click click noise.... i think its my cruise control..... idk why though.

 

Makes sense. It's more pronounced in the 2 days since I changed the oil (Mobil-1 15w-50 SL rated)... I wonder, is there a way to 'bleed' the system? If it's just a bubble or 2 working their way out of the system, it's probably harmless, but the sound is kind of disconcerting.

I was hoping the rattle on start would stop with the new oil but hasn't... I guess I may have to replace that tensioner on the right side before the low temps come and snow flies again...

Exotic cars on a beer budget: never a dull moment.

 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang II starring Thaddeus.

I always imagined you resembled Dick Van Dyke.

 

Its just your Pride and Joy gargling on Mobil 1 on first start up ,a bit like mouth wash

 

I did not think there was any flow in the right side oil lines ( to the front heat exchanger) until the oil was hot enough to open the reservoir thermostat ... for the gurgling flow in these lines can be heard at idle when the oil is up to temp. Maybe there is a brief 'shock wave' of pressurized cold oil in the return line from the engine that lifts the T-stat valve briefly on start-up ???

 

Another possibility to think over. Is that thermostat in the tank itself, or next to it?

I've never had a car that has been able to throw me into 'red alert' status so easily, or so often. Sigh...

 

Come on guys - its a dry sump system. When the engine stops the oil drains into the sump - gravity will do this!
When you start the car the oil pump sucks up the oil in the sump and sends it to the header tank in the top right hand of the rear wing.
Then as you drive off the oil is pumped around the engine - keeping the sump dry and the header tank empty.
That's why you check the oil only when you have run the car for twenty minutes and check it with the engine running - the oil is pumped up to the tank at tickover speed - emptying the sump and filling the header tank.

 

There was something about this in the Tech Q&A section in one of the recent issues of Excellence. I think I recall they said it has something to do with one of the oil filters.
I heard it all winter and then changed my oil and haven't heard it since. Don't know if it went away because of a new oil filter or because the weather warmed up.

 

UPDATE: the noise is gone. I guess it just needed a couple of days to settle down.

 

Or you've run out of oil!

 

No, I checked it.

 

Mine gargles in the morning too - I posted on uk forum and consensus was that most do this at sometime or other and it was of no concern.