Hi,

My magna has been loyal to me since i bought it about 9 months ago, but within the last 6 weeks or so has been acting up.

Problem 1 - The car was stalling at low revs (it's an auto) I couldn't have the Air con option on because it makes the revs drop from around 600 to 200/stall.

Problem 2 - A strange ticking noise just to the right of the engine that a fellow magna driver guessed was the timing belt, but i'm not to sure. (the thing sounds like a 2 stroke mower)

Problem 3 - The Boot release has stopped working altogether (and although this isn't a huge problem it's annoying)

Problem 4 - SOMEONE HIT ME! in a carpark no less, while i was shopping.
came out to find a massive dent in my back left door (with scrapes that go back from midway through the door to near the back bumper.
Also the arch over the wheel guard was reshaped.

If anyone could help me with any of the problems (diagnosing and cost of repairs) it would be greatly appreciated.

Problem number 2....

I had the same ticking noise in my old magna. it was the lifters one was stuck, but the problem is you have to replace all of them cause you cant pinpoint which one it is. there is a few also.


good luck

prob 1: could be isc or ecu caps that have corroded, but the isc is much more likely.

prob 2: nfi, could be tappets are completely stuffed.

prob 3: is it electric release for boot or cable.

prob 4: only a pannel beater can tell you this.

prob 1 - the ISC seems to be an easy fix as well, thanks for that.

prob 2 - Tappets?

prob 3 - The boot latch is cable i think and after reading a few threads i think i should be alright with that.

Prob 4 - A mate of mine thats a panel beater apprentice was pretty sure they would need to cut and replace the entire back quarter section (from top window to boot) but said the whole thing would probably cost me well over $800

Wouldn't believe it.
The ticking noise was such a simple fix. driving along ticking as usual and the oil light comes on.
Stopped at a servo grabbed a litre and hey presto, no ticking.
If it was that bad i wonder why it took until then for the light to appear?

Wouldn't believe it.
The ticking noise was such a simple fix. driving along ticking as usual and the oil light comes on.
Stopped at a servo grabbed a litre and hey presto, no ticking.
If it was that bad i wonder why it took until then for the light to appear?

See problem 2, re tappets. There would have still been enough oil to maintain pressure, just not enough to properly circulate and ensure full lubrication of your engine, hence the rattle. This is why routine maintenance exists! Check your oil regularly (every couple of weeks is a good idea), and replace it every 6 months at most (or 10,000km, whichever comes first).

DO NOT ever rely on the oil light to tell you when to check your oil!!! :rant: lol

I'm guessing you might not have checked other things either, such as brakes, water, gearbox etc, so it is a good idea for you to do these also, to make sure nothing else is too worn or low. If you're not confident, or lack the knowledge, book it in for a full service. It might cost you a few hundred, but that's cheaper than blowing your engine through lack of maintenance.

Wouldn't believe it.
The ticking noise was such a simple fix. driving along ticking as usual and the oil light comes on.
Stopped at a servo grabbed a litre and hey presto, no ticking.
If it was that bad i wonder why it took until then for the light to appear?

Didn't you check the level of the oil?!

It sounds like you need an oil change, and flush all that crap out of it. People on here may say use kerosene and go through that long process, but that uses more oil and is a lot more hassle. Just buy a good engine flush such as the 'Nulon Engine Oil Flush', follow the instructions then replace your oil.
http://www.nulon.com.au/products.php?productId=eof

Since you have a TS Magna, Penrite HPR10 would be the best choice for performance in relation to cost for a replacement oil.

I suggest you then add Nulon 'Lifter-free and tune-up'.
http://www.nulon.com.au/products.php?productId=lftu
This:
Quietens noisy hydraulic lifters / cam followers
Removes sludge and soft carbon
Cleans oil galleys in hydraulic lifters
Frees-up sticky lifters
Will not affect oil viscosity

So hopefully your problem is sticky lifters as opposed to the whole thing being completely worn...

I also recommend adding 'Nulon Worn Engine Treatment' to the oil.
http://www.nulon.com.au/products.php?productId=e10

Adding the lifter free and worn engine treatment together is fine, hopefully it will resolve your problems in regards to the engine noise anyway! But ONLY add these two things after an oil flush and the addition of a good oil such as the HPR10, otherwise they'll be wasted. The lifter free only has to be added once, the Worn engine treatment should be added on each oil change :)

Using a too thick of an oil can lead to noise as it may not circulate the engine properly. A thick oil should only be used if your engine is clapped out (chronically blowing smoke) and you don't want to replace the worn components.

You should use Nulon Engine stop leak instead:
http://www.nulon.com.au/products.php?productId=esl

I'm guessing you do check your oil, so if you lost that much oil for the problem to occur then Engine Stop Leak is a must!!! That is, after your oil change etc.

Yes you can add all three things to the oil after your oil change. This Engine Stop Leak is NOT an oil thickener like most engine stop leaks or stop smokes etc.

I recommend the Nulon brand not only because its Australian, but quite frankly it is the best additives. They can all be bought from places like Supercheap auto .

The additives and oil change will help your car run smoother too, may help very extremely slightly with that idle problem of yours. The main problem with that is just an adjustment, there's the fast idle screw which increases the engine revs when the engine is cold, and the normaly idle screw which is just a screw in a plate that adjusts the base position for the throttle (actually holds the throttle in a certain position when your foot is not on the accelerator).

Sometimes the fast idler can be screwed, this is more common on first gen engines as the fast idle system is different. The fast idle on the first gens is a very bad design, and not worth fixing because they usually only last a couple of years. Even with the second gens system if there's a problem it may not be worth fixing depending on the cost. If you have the normal idle slightly high at say 800rpm then it should slightly compensate for a crook fast idle.

When you turn the A/C on, the computer should compensate for the drop in revs slightly. Yes it does it on even the first gens. This can be proven if you take the belt off the A/C (mine cracked that bad in one spot I cut it off so it didn't break and get stuck in the engine) and pressing the A/C switch then only had the result of increasing the revs slightly because the compressor was not being driven.

I think the A/C compensation is tied in with the computer, I don't think its adjustable on these cars and newer anyway, but correct me if I'm wrong!