celtsean

iTrader: (1)

2000 TA 101xxx miles,mostly stock aside from suspension mods and a catback. I have been dealing with this noise for awhile now. It's gotten quite a bit louder lately. I post here because I am a novice working on my car. I have learned quite a bit in the last two years. If this post is better suited for another section please tell me. This noise is a scrape/tick sound . I've changed pushrods , a few seemed bent. Actually about half were slightly bent . Anyway this noise is all the time, it's rpm dependent, but doesn't really get louder just quicker. Disappears at 1800-2000 rpm. Wide open throttle no problem. Oil consumption isn't much more than it always has been, about 1-1&1/4 quarts every 3000 miles. I need to know what direction to go with this. I went back to 0w40 castrol after 5w30 and the noise got louder. Tomorrow I'm going to run it with the valve covers off and see what I can narrow down. I will do whatever I have to do within reason. If a teardown is in my future can I do it myself without any physical assistance? Sorry about video quality but its the sound that matters.

celtsean

iTrader: (1)

Sorry about the somewhat poorly written post. I was a bit tired last night. I just need a little help in which direction to go. Oil pressure is fine, about 35psi totally hot. I was told the noise is likely lifters, but it doesn't sound like that to me. The scrape part of the sound throws me off.

RockinWs6

Sounds like lifter noise from here, try putting 8 ozs of Dexron iv 6 automatic transmission fluid in the engine oil. Drive it easy for 100 miles then change the oil and filter. The auto trans fluid will clean the gunk out of the lifters.

celtsean

iTrader: (1)

I'll give it a try, thanks. I did a flush, and it made no difference. But I'll give the trans fluid a shot before I get into the undertaking of refreshing the engine, or any of the number of other options .

RockinWs6

You never mentioned using a flush, explain more before using the ATF.

celtsean

iTrader: (1)

Yeah sorry. I used a 5 min oil flush. Pour it in, run for five minutes, poured it out , filled it with 5qts of cheap crap oil. Ran it a few then poured it all out and put new oil and filter. Not sure of the brand it was like gunk I think. I put the extra step of the cheap oil to make sure I got all the flush out. I did this about 5000 miles ago.

RockinWs6

Ok and how many oil changes ago? You don't want to mix too many different things together in the oil. If it were mine I wuld buy a transmission product called TransX at walmart for 5 bucks. Put 3ozs of that with 4 ozs of ATF Dex 6 iv and run it easy for a few 100 miles. You should notice a difference in the lifter noise quickly. What happens is the small oil passages in the lifters get dirty and you end up with air trapped in the lifters because of poor oil flow through them. Try this test, start the car and let it idle until its warm. Shut the car off for 5 mins then restart it. This should quiet the lifter noise quite a bit because the oil above the lifters in the push rods will leak back down into the lifters filling them completely.

The TransX and ATF Dex 6 will slowly work at the carbon deposits and gently clean them. The TransX will also swell the pickup tube oring back into shape which can cause all this noise too.

When I had lifter noise like this it took a good 500 miles using the TRansX and ATf to quiet it down. But DO NOT beat on the engine just drive it normal while using the ATF in there. I've actually used it over 10k miles to clean up the lifters but only 4-8 ozs per oil change. Some run a whole quart at a time then dump after a 100 miles.

I personally never heard of anyone having a problem using ATF in the engine oil but DO NOT BEAT ON IT while its in there.

celtsean

iTrader: (1)

Ok. So I do that test before I add the dex and trans x? I will do that. I've noticed even on warm starts it has lifer noise for a few seconds the quiets again. And when I put it in I will definitely not beat on it. That was two oil changes ago when I did the flush. Thanks a bunch. This isn't the first time you've helped me out!!

RockinWs6

You'll be fine to put it in. The test I told you about will just prove there is air getting trapped in the lifters.

RockinWs6

By the way I always add 8 ozs of atf to all my vehicles a few 100 miles before I change the oil. It keeps them quiet.

ghardester

I had a similar noise earlier this summer and was sure it was a top of the engine noise. Increased with engine RPMs.

Replaced the push rods too. Some slightly bent is normal wear and tear. Took it to my local car shop guy who also said, "mmm?"

Put it up on the rack and then the really obvious top end noise turned out to be the exhaust. It was breaking away near the CAT. Fixed that and no more noise or problems.

And it sounded a lot like your youtube clip. I would check the exhaust.

celtsean

iTrader: (1)

Thanks. I was going to do that awhile back. Mainly to eliminate that possibility. But stuff came up and I never did. So I went to my muffler guy who does anything exhaust related for me , and made an appointment for tomorrow. I have heard,and read so many situations where noises sounding nothing like exhaust leaks , turned out to be exactly that. I have some lifer noise mixed in for sure but the scrape like part of the sound throws me. So, we'll see. I'll always post back with the update and eventual fix. Thanks again!

celtsean

iTrader: (1)

Took it to my muffler guy. Put it on the rack and the noise in question is definitely not exhaust noise. It appears to come right from between the bell housing and oil pan. A scraping tick like sound. I thought something was off on the clutch I had installed over a year ago. Six months ago I took it to the shop that put in my clutch. They said they aren't sure. But driving it on the lift they smelled clutch. So they warranted me out a new one. Noise unchanged. I so wish I put the clutch in myself. I still smell clutch when pulling on my ramps. They don't want to shim it correctly I think. Anyway could lifter noise emanate from this area? The muffler guy said to have my tranny checked.

celtsean

iTrader: (1)

I know noises can travel and come from different areas than they originate. So I'm driving gently (which is hard as hell for me) with the 7or so ounces of dex6 in there. I swear it has quieted a little. I'm not positive, but at 130or so miles with it in there this morning and afternoon it really seemed to have toned down. We'll see , with fingers crossed after a few hundred miles how it does.

celtsean

iTrader: (1)

I thought another video outside the garage with less echo might help. This is with about 250miles of the dex6 in the oil. The noise is relatively unchanged. Any ideas anyone? Thanks so much for anyone's help!!

RockinWs6

Only thing I hear is lifter noise, personally I don't think it sounds that bad from here. The lifters are a little noisy in these engines. I'd drive some more with the ATF in there and maybe add a few more ozs. It took a good 500+ miles for mine to really quiet down. But I had terrible lifter tap at cold start, It would tap badly and hot it wasn't much better. Since the ATF treatment and using TransX is sounds normal, little noise at start up and quiet warmed up.

celtsean

iTrader: (1)

Yeah , my cold startup noise is horrible. It's been lasting longer and longer as well. I took the atf out at about 350 miles in. It was so hard for me to drive that conservatively with it in the oil. The noise is totally unchanged.I'll try it again before the next oil change. It's the shoock choock shoock noise that gets me. It's really loud at about 1200-1300 rpm. Sounds like sand paper scraping metal.Loudest under load in between 1000-1500 rpm at deceleration or cruising. Maybe it's all lifter I'm not sure.
I'm tearing the valve covers off tomorrow to make sure none of the rockers are loose contributing to the tapping part of the noise.(I only made one pass when tightening after I changed pushrods)
It's also my first time using the castrol 0w40. I think it's quite a bit thicker than Mobil one 0w40. And I think this has added to the noise as well.

RockinWs6

If it were mine i'd dose it with 3 ozs of Transx then 100 miles later put 8 ozs of ATF in and leave it in till the next oil change. It takes time to clean the carbon off the lifters. If you heard mine before I did this you would have shut it off, It knocked and tapped that badly.

Also I noticed every time I dosed it with ATF I'd get a slight improvement so I knew I was on to something. Its been over 10k miles since I started doing this and it sounds normal now. Typical cold start ticking that stops after 2 mins, this is after sitting overnight. Warm start even after 6 hrs its quiet, you have no idea how happy it makes me. Now I need to figure out why I have suspension noise in the back as low speeds. Just annoying more than anything. Dam knocking and clunking in the suspension. I looked at it closely but unless you have the car moving under power is silent. Cars can be extremely frustrating at times.


Don't give up on the ATF, I seen it work many many many times.

Slickgoat05

had the same noise on my cammed goat...happened to be a bad rod bearing. I thought it was a lifter but nope.

celtsean

iTrader: (1)

Ok I'll try the atf again.My frustration knows no bounds. Lol. I feel you on the chasing of noises. I've got a number of things that need addressing. I've got a pinion angle thing going on .I need various suspension parts due to lowering. I need new rims .I have a bent wheel and I can't just buy an old tt2. So I need to get a whole new set. Which holds up the process of eliminating vibrations because it is the cause of most of them. And then one day maybe I can upgrade my rear end. Right now I have 3.23 gears in my m6. Oh well it's the price I pay to have a f-body I love.