Q: Engine rattles when I I turn on my engine for the first time in the morning. It seems like it only does it when it's cold

asked by on November 14, 2016

My car engine rattles when I turn on the engine for the first time in the morning. It only rattless for a while for about 5 seconds after that the car doesn't do it all day. It only does it when the car has been off for more then 8 hours. I was wondering if it's maybe the timing belt as I've read other comments about this problem and also maybe the engine oil?

Here's the link of the video of how the engine sounds when I turn it on for the first time. https://youtu.be/1nsmncAMRJQ

My car has 90000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Hello. Most likely, the noise you describe is coming from one or both of the camshaft phasers on your engine. These devices which are operated by engine oil pressure, vary camshaft timing (relative to the crankshaft), enhancing engine performance and fuel economy. Since these devices are operated by engine oil pressure, when the engine is off overnight, engine oil drains out of them, and it take the first few seconds of engine operation to refill them when you first start the engine each day. For those few seconds, a metallic rattle can be heard as you have experienced. While not immediately threatening, they should be replaced when the timing chain service is done on your engine.

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