how can i fix noisy tappets my wife has been driving our ford escort estate 1998 1.6 zetech petrol car with a leaking rocker cover gasket i put oil in on tuesday and by thursday it was empty i have changed the gasket and filled oil level but on excelleration it sounds noisy on tappets and then stops until you excellerate again what do i need to do? or what could be the problem. would setting the tappets work i have been told that you can buy a "oil" of sorts that will work but also have been told that it does not. please help

Anthony p59, October 2009

Hi,
Sounds like you have sludge in the oilways to the hydraulic tappets. They rely on a constant supply of oil to keep them quiet. In the old days, flushing oil was sued to clean out the system. If you can get this (possibly Halfords or a good motor factors) drain the oil, run the engine with the flushing oil in, then drain this out and refill with fresh oil. If you can't get flushing oil, you can get a can of engine cleaner (again from Halfords...costs around £10). Put this in the engine with the oil you have in there, run the engine for around 15 mins, then drain and refill with fresh oil and new filter. This should do the trick.
Best of luck!!

Denis Langley (Autocure Mobile Repair), November 2009