Please help, when my car is idle it is ticking loudly as though there is something loose in the engine but when driving its sweet as a nut.
I have no idea what it is.

 

Open the hood (bonnet).
Is the noise coming from inside the engine, like inside a valve cover?
Or is it coming from the outside of the engine, like a belt on a pulley?

When the engine is idling:
Is the sound a clear crisp "tick", is it a slightly muffled "tut", or a softened quiet "thud"?
Is the sound a "knock" like you rapped on a door, or is it a "ping" like a hammer striking an anvil?

If you were to rev the engine, does the sound change? Does it happen more frequently? Does it increase in pitch?

The more information you provide, the better we can understand the problem.

 

Hi. The sound is coming from the engine ( I think ) It sounds like rattling when idling.
If I increase the revs the sound goes away.
Car still drives wonderfully but when stopped in traffic it sounds like a bag of spanners. :-(

 

blue moon I hace moved your post over here for the time being.

Please post year, model and engine for more precise information.

 

Year 2004
Model X Type
Engine 2ltr diesel

 

Bluemoon, what I want you to do is to get yourself a metal or wood rod about 18"/45cm in length. Now, what you are going to do is to put one end of the rod against various parts of the engine and the other end just behind your ear on the hard boney part of your skull. This will allow you to hear the sound much better in a very isolated area. Now, what you are going to do is to position the rod in a bunch of different places around the engine (make sure not to get the end of the rod near anything moving). Keep moving the rod around until you think you have the rod at the loudest spot that you can hear the ticking. From there, as best you can, describe where the rod was. If you can, take a picture and post it here. Once we get that, we can more adequately help you locate the noise and provide a possible solution.

 

Thank you for your help Thermo, I will do that and get back to you.

 

Hi. I have been told that the noise is coming from Timing Chain Guides. The mechanic has told me that the engine has to come out to change the timing Chain.
Not sure if this is true as it seems a lot of work. Can anyone cast some light on this for me.