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Oil Change = Engine Ticking

S

supershale

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Texas
I changed the oil out that came with the car, and put in some Castrol GTX 10-30. The weather just hit 70 here, so I figured it was appropriate. I've checked the oil level several times right after a fresh run, and the level is perfect. However, since changing the oil and the weather getting warmer, the engine is making a nice rhythmic ticking at idle. Sounds like valves. It's at 189k and it's just a beater 4cy.

Should I take it in for a valve job, or do it myself? I've only done OHC motors before...the Hanes makes this sound like a cakewalk. No feeler gauges, just simple adjustments.
 
Noise of that type at that mileage can be a few things; a lifter, a bit of piston slap, ?? Normally, most guys just live with it and keep an ear on it to see if it gets any worse. That is what I would suggest. It could be more of a "characteristic" than a problem. You could try a crankcase flush (additive in oil before changing oil) if the oil changes haven't been kept up with.......
 
same thing happened to me with my second xj. i changed the oil a couple days after buying it and all of a sudden i started hearing a bad ticking. then i found one of those oil change stickers on the floor that said the oil had recently been changed with a very high viscosity oil. i started to put the pieces together and realized the previous owner was trying to cover up the noise with thick oil, which worked well since it was winter time. i called the SOB but he didn't fess up. it's an old trick that's pretty hard to catch. hope that didn't happen to you!
 
As another user stated.. Marvel Mystery Oil, and drive it a day before you make any other decisions... I have seen it work wonders. It only takes a tiny piece of trash to prevent the check ball from seating in a lifter, and you Will knock some trash loose doing a Oil change. I run a lil MM oil in All my higher milage engines.. And Valvoline oil. If it works for you, I reccomend you do another oil change a bit sooner than normal, as it will clean alot of crap / varnish from inside the motor. ~Ace~
 
Suffering the same problem right now, I've done the 1/2 quart of ATF, and oil change with Rislone engine flush, and just this morning another with Marvel. It comes and goes, gets so bad I think I'm throwing a rod. Then I rev it and it's gone. May or may not start with it, may or may not come back when it warms up, may or may not go away for the trip. The Quaker 10-40 I had in it for less than 250 miles did come out black, so it's just not cleaned out enough yet.

One thing I have noticed is that lots of commute mileage never really warms the engine up, but we've got her car in the bodyshop right now and it's getting all the mileage, which seems to be helping.

I'll leave this oil in for 250 and change it again if necessary, it's got to come out clean eventually.
 
I have the same tick tick when my xj is sitting warming up at idle, if I get in and give it a quick rev of the gas it stops ticking entirely
 
TiRod said:
I'll leave this oil in for 250 and change it again if necessary, it's got to come out clean eventually.
Click to expand...

If you change the oil after 250+ miles and its clean, theres a big problem in your engine. The oils other main function is the clean the engine internals, so if its coming out clean, its not doing its job, even after 250 miles.
 
BillBraski said:
If you change the oil after 250+ miles and its clean, theres a big problem in your engine. The oils other main function is the clean the engine internals, so if its coming out clean, its not doing its job, even after 250 miles.
Click to expand...

Normally, yes. But after 180,000, sludge does build up. Pennzoil is notorious for leaving so much paraffin you can read the valve cover script in the stuff between the rocker arms. Quaker is carbon base "Oklahoma" base crude and developes a hard coating of black. I understand true synthetics will clean out so much of it that the seals will leak.

Since I still using a natural petroleum grade product, I expect I'll live with some carbon buildup until synthetic is reasonably priced. In the meantime, a little MMO should act as a preventative, which it is doing. I can now go days without a rattle.
 
I developed a tick after the heep sat for couple years. (blown trans. + lack of knowledge)
I switched to Mobil1 Syn. High Milage 10-30 (175k) and it is getting better,
so what if it developes a couple leaks just helps to find seals that need to be replaced anyway.
MMO before an oil change. Next time going to try Sea Foam. Worked great in the gas, just did the intake for other reasons.
 
TiRod said:
Normally, yes. But after 180,000, sludge does build up. Pennzoil is notorious for leaving so much paraffin you can read the valve cover script in the stuff between the rocker arms. Quaker is carbon base "Oklahoma" base crude and developes a hard coating of black. I understand true synthetics will clean out so much of it that the seals will leak.

Since I still using a natural petroleum grade product, I expect I'll live with some carbon buildup until synthetic is reasonably priced. In the meantime, a little MMO should act as a preventative, which it is doing. I can now go days without a rattle.
Click to expand...

Glad I now know about the paraffin issue...My 302 Bronco only had a diet of Pennzoil 30 weight. At 120,000 miles I took the truck in for some engine work. When the mechanic pulled the passenger valve cover he asked me when the valves were redone as the head was clean and the springs cherry red. I told him the last time the covers were off was the factory. There was no sludge, no paraffin, no build up of any type. Wonder what happened?

I have to laugh, people do not do scheduled maintenance then they wonder why. To this day I still religiously do my oil changes every 3,000 miles. Overkill, maybe. But an oil change is easier and cheaper than an engine rebuild. I knew a guy who went 56k miles without an oil change. Just added oil when the level got low. His engine said good-bye at 56k miles.
 
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my jeep doesnt tick at idle, it does when i'm driving, it gets irratating. i thought it might me the lifters but a guy told me that my jeep has self adjusting lifters and does that when you drive it hard. but when i'm cruising down the road it does it. so i have no clue what it could be.
 
When mine starts to tick (warm-up) and blows 80* at the vent I stall the motor and tick goes away at least until next warm up but is still diminishing and happening less often.
 
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