Major Work
 

I recently did a major service:
Valley pan
Valve cover gaskets
Spark plugs
Water Pump
Thermostat

Now my engine rattles like a diesel on start up and when i drive but is fine when it idles

Im hoping its not the Vanos, it wasnt making that noise prior to me tearing the car apart. Could I have the belt on too tight, after replacing the water pump. I adjusted the belts tension back to the same points, which felt pretty tight.:dunno:

Rattle on startup could be the Vanos or timing chain guides. Take a video and post it.

heres the link for the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYGtyWqgksQ

I think i may open up the valve covers again to check

I checked the belts and its not that

any help with input on the sound

Hi,
Remove the filter canister and have a look if your filter has any aluminum shavings,if it doesn't,then order an new chain tensioner.

If you did the work yourself then spend the money and have your vehicle
inspected to determine the cause. DIY is fine but sometime it's more cost
effective to let a professional have a look. If you want to fix it after that
then have at it,

I open the valve cover again and didnt see any play in the chains or any broken pieces so im gonna replace the tensioner first before i take it in

So i replaced the tensioner and it is still making that sound. I also took off the intake manifold to check if for anything...everything seems fine a little oil in the manifold but dont seem like anything major. next step would be to take the oil pan off and see if there is any broken pieces

Check your spark plugs. It could be that oil has leaked onto one or more of them (i.e. the small spark plug gaskets are installed incorrectly or leaking for some other reason). It could also be that that one or more of the spark plugs is/are "out of spec." (i.e. not gapped/gauged properly). It could even be something more simple like a coil pack that is not installed correctly.

Let us know how you get on. Good luck!