To state what seems to be obvious…you agree that, since the sound is intermittent, I need to drive it there while I’m out and the noise is present?
It sounds like this noise is not present all the time.
Does the noise appear more when you first start the engine from it sitting over night. Then the noise subsides. If so it is probably a sticky lifter.
Yosemite
I’m almost positive that I’ve heard the noise over the past several months but it just wasn’t loud enough or sustained enough to grab attention. When it occurred, the engine was cold starting in the a.m. and not lasting to when I drive out the driveway. Friday was the first time the noise started when starting in the morning and stayed at the level that I could hear it while driving ~8 miles to the mechanic. The noise was less driving from the mechanic to the gym and almost absent from the gym to home. The noise could have beeen present Saturday/Sunday if I had stuck my head under the hood but you couldn’t hear anything driving either a.m. or p.m.
Mark
@markg2, yes B-12 is a fuel system cleaner but it can be added to engine oil to help clear up a sticky lifter issue; especially if it’s due to sludged or coked engine oil.
B-12 can also be added to automatic transmissions to help clear up shifting issues.
Keep in mind that B-12, like all other additives, is not a miracle, fix everything in a can product but it can help with certain problems. Plus it’s cheap and easy.
yeah man, your engine might just be really really dirty and not getting good oil flow until it warms up.
it might still be ok if you save it quick!
was it really cold outside on the day it was really bad?
Deleted.
Maybe they should call themselves Ja$per
I drove ~70 miles yesterday, ~2/3’s interstate and 1/3 city and maybe 6 stops. I opened the hood after first starting in the morning and did so a couple of times during the day. No sound. I added SeaFoam to the oil toward the end of the day.
To whoever said a rod would not produce an intermittent noise I think yesterday’s driving at least goes to that point.
I now remember the first time I really heard the clicking/ticking sound was the morning of a cold day about a month or so ago. I started the truck to let it warm up while I wheeled the trash down to the street.
Although last Friday wasn’t near as cold as the first time, it was probably about 35-40 early a.m. We’ve had some unusually warm weather this past week or two.
Would a cracked flexplate display this kind of on and off clicking/ticking sound that is tied to RPM’s in frequency?
The auto part shop recommended that after the SeaFoam I add Motor Medic Motor Flush when I’m next at Grease Monkey for an oil change–add, let the engine idle for 10 minutes then don’t drive it until after the oil change?
Mark
“The auto part shop recommended that after the SeaFoam I add Motor Medic Motor Flush when I’m next at Grease Monkey for an oil change–add, let the engine idle for 10 minutes then don’t drive it until after the oil change?”
I wouldn’t. Let the Sea-Foam do its work. Give it a chance. If it was a sticking lifter then perhaps that’s all that’s needed.
CSA
I called the engine shop and now see why they’re so highly regarded on the internet. I explained the situation. He said don’t bother coming by–given the sound and periodicity (and as you all said) the problem is lifters not rods. Further, he knew the truck well and given the mileage said he wouldn’t take my money to do lifters only. It would be $4-5k for a new engine (didn’t ask if it was rebuilt or what) which he also said didn’t make sense given the truck’s age. He recommended after the SeaFoam does it work to stay with the 5 w30 but add MOA at each oil change. If going the lighter route doesn’t help a lot then go heavy and use 10 w30 + something like Lucas at each oil change. He said I could probably get lots more mileage out of the truck. I then called Grease Monkey and Larry agreed saying there’s tons of cars driving around with noisy lifters and he personally got 100k out of his GM with additives.
Agreed?
How long do you think it’ll take the SeaFoam to do it’s work?
Mark
Has anyone listened closely to the timing chain?
No
A real shop diagnoses doesn’t do diagnosis over the phone, as this “highly recommended” shop does
You could use the search feature here to see if anyone else has Jasper’d that same engine. The search box is right under that big red box upper right that says “New Discussion”. At least you could see what others who’ve had their car engines replaced paid. What I recall, to replace an engine on an econobox runs $3000 to $6000, so for a ballpark a big engine like that I’d guess more like $5000 to 8000.
Roughly how long after adding SeaFoam to the oil can you add MOA?
Sorry, maybe I missed it . . . what’s MOA? Rocketman
BG MOA is an oil additive.
I’m due for an oil change so I’ll add the MOA right after and see if it makes a difference.
“BG MOA® is the number one engine oil supplement! In a recent survey, dealers chose BG MOA® 6 to 1 over the next aftermarket supplier. Modern engines run at increasingly higher temperatures. This, combined with the increasing regularity of stop-and-go driving, cause rapid depletion of critical oil additives.”
@markg2
"I’m due for an oil change so I’ll add the MOA right after and see if it makes a difference."
“This, combined with the increasing regularity of stop-and-go driving, cause rapid depletion of critical oil additives.”
From The Department Of Redundancy Department:
When you change your oil you are replenishing the critical oil additives before they can be depleted. I don’t see why you need to change to oil with fresh additives and then add additives.
CSA
I’m due for the oil change and I’m not adding the MOA until after the oil change. The only additive I’ve added is the SeaFoam. Per my understanding, it’s good to do an oil change not long after so as to remove whatever is floating around in the oil as a result of the SeaFoam.