simon swallow

Thank you for your replies. I think i can rule out the loose battery suggestion as the original was held in place tightly and so is the replacement (thanks to the post from Paul i now know how important that is!). The ambient temperature could make a difference to oil viscosity but i would have thought once the engine is up to temperature the oil would be more or less the same as summer running (particularly with our summers). The spark plugs are tight. The only thing i have changed is the battery. Taking the car out for a few more hard drives is maybe the only way to establish if the problem has really gone. Will keep you posted and thanks once again.

I know its been a while since i posted an update to this but the latest development is; due to what i thought was a completely unrelated problem i have replaced the battery. (The old one had stopped keeping its charge and was "38% and Unserviceable" according to Halfords) Since fitting the new battery the engine seems to run sweeter and the tappet like sound after bursts of high rev's has gone. Does this make any sense at all? Am i imagining it to be cured? Is the same problem still there ready to return... Thanks for your previous post, i would be interested in your thoughts on this one.

Thanks for the advice. I don't think there is a problem with the quality of the oil so maybe its the "foam" filter that is the problem. Is it easy enough to replace? Are there any other potential issues that could be preventing oil getting to the tappets when i thrash it? Thanks again for your help.

I have a 1.6 k series 133bhp and seem to have developed an intermittent ticking/tappet like sound after a burst of high rev's (overtaking, generally having fun etc). This quietens down after a few minutes of cruising behind the next queue of traffic. Occasionally it happens on start up but again quietens after a few minutes. Any thoughts on what this is? And what i should do about it? Thanks in advance.