My car is making the dreaded lifter tick noise. The dealerhip is telling me that my lifters need to be replaced at a cost of $1200. I have been letting my car warm up for about 15 minutes before driving because I cannot stand that noise. I am living near Charlotte, NC and would like to know if there is a cheaper fix for my problem.
How can you be so sure that is what the noise is? I wouldn’t trust the dealership with this, and I’d get a second opinion, especially on a $1,200 job.
What weight oil are you using in the engine?
Tester
And how many miles does it have?
A light, temporary lifter tick is annoying but is most likely harmless. Too heavy a tick for too long a time at too high an engine speed can damage your camshaft. I have an old Buick shop manual that says to not judge hydraulic valve lifter noise until the engine is thoroughly warmed up to bring all engine parts to a normal state of expansion.
Also, I have had good success with an additive, CD2 with the black label, not the red label. I am convinced that most oil or fuel additives are useless but this one has been an exception for me. If a full can works to quiet your valve train noise, you could back off to a half can to see if that is still effective to save a little money.
How long since your last oil change, I would try a full synthetic first. If it is a 6 cyl it could be engine sludge. I heard of a local guy having good success with trans fluid, do not recall the mix or ratio or frequency of changes, I’d be glad to give him a call if desired.