Lifter Tick After Oil Change???
Lifter Tick After Oil Change??? I changed the oil in my TA for the first time last night. I used a 5+ quart jug of 5w-30 pennzoil full synthetic and an AC Delco filter. I know the engine takes 5.5qts now but didn't earlier. I put in the 5.2 quarts and it was in the operating range so I started it. No I have a lifter ticking. WTF???
The engine was cold and I only let it idle for a few minutes. After I heard it ticking I was so pissed I shut it off and went to bed. It goes away as soon as I give it some throttle but slowly comes back at idle.
Did I do something wrong? Should I not use this oil? I think it had a very slight tick before but now it is very noticeable. HELP!!
The engine was cold and I only let it idle for a few minutes. After I heard it ticking I was so pissed I shut it off and went to bed. It goes away as soon as I give it some throttle but slowly comes back at idle.
Did I do something wrong? Should I not use this oil? I think it had a very slight tick before but now it is very noticeable. HELP!!
Last edited by maxpower_454; Feb 3, 2012 at 08:33 AM.
What oil was in it before? Did you just buy it?
Previous owner might have filled it full of something thick to mask the tick. The Pennzoil is good oil so there's nothing wrong there.
Previous owner might have filled it full of something thick to mask the tick. The Pennzoil is good oil so there's nothing wrong there.
I would let the car warm up completely before making any decisions. The top end might not be getting oil yet if you only let it idle a few minutes. Especially if you did a good oil change and got all the old stuff out.
Ok, I'll give that a shot. I let it drain for about 2 hrs so maybe that's the case....
If the car has been sitting a lot, the lifter might have just leaked off or be stuck. I put some used lifters from an old 350 Vortec in my car when I did heads/cam and one of them was noisy for a few minutes.
Get some Marvel Mystery Oil and dump it in. It's the product with the highest success rate I've heard of for unsticking and quietening lifters.
Or you can just keep running it and see if it clears up on it's own. You have to pull the head to get to the lifter so that's your last resort.
Get some Marvel Mystery Oil and dump it in. It's the product with the highest success rate I've heard of for unsticking and quietening lifters.
Or you can just keep running it and see if it clears up on it's own. You have to pull the head to get to the lifter so that's your last resort.
Regardless of what the guy said, how was the oil like that came out?
After a few minutes the top end will surely get oil, unless there is a blocked passage. So it's most likely not that the top end isn't getting enough oil yet and should let it idle more.
After a few minutes the top end will surely get oil, unless there is a blocked passage. So it's most likely not that the top end isn't getting enough oil yet and should let it idle more.
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The oil coming out looked fine. Flowed like a synthetic but there isn't really anthing else you can tell by the oil coming out unless it was analyzed. I'll top off the oil tonight and take it for a spin since the weather has been so good.
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As covered in another thread very recently, some oils will be quieter than others and it is NOT just a viscosity thing.
I would also jump to the conclusion it is a lifter, stock lifters are very reliable. I would sooner suspect a rocker is shedding needle bearings. Or an exhaust leak.
I would also jump to the conclusion it is a lifter, stock lifters are very reliable. I would sooner suspect a rocker is shedding needle bearings. Or an exhaust leak.
If it doesn't quit making noise after you run it again I agree with the poster above me, determine which side and pull the cover and look for a trashed rocker arm.
Been there done that, but I would suspect if you had a bad rocker you would have some needle bearings in the oil. Run a magnet through the oil you drained to be sure.
Been there done that, but I would suspect if you had a bad rocker you would have some needle bearings in the oil. Run a magnet through the oil you drained to be sure.
I was not suggesting oil pressure was the issue.
Here is one post from a current thread.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/15911862-post39.html
Switching oil brands not weight netted a 50%(obviously subjective) noise reduction. That still was not good enough for that poster but is a good example of what I am saying.
Within and oil weight there is a RANGE some will be thicker or thinner, additive packages vary, how much oils shear down or thicken as they are used would play into it as well.
The fact this began immediately upon oilchange leads me to think the particular oil chosen is just louder. But beyond that IF there is a mechanical problem I would suspect a rocker before a lifter.
I think sometime back in the 70s lifters were a genuine problem and ever since ever tick has been blindly blamed on them despite them rarely being the cause. Exhaust leaks are the most common cause on gen 1 and gen 3 motors. Sofar it seems to me the gen 3 stuff seals that up a lot better.
Here is one post from a current thread.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/15911862-post39.html
Switching oil brands not weight netted a 50%(obviously subjective) noise reduction. That still was not good enough for that poster but is a good example of what I am saying.
Within and oil weight there is a RANGE some will be thicker or thinner, additive packages vary, how much oils shear down or thicken as they are used would play into it as well.
The fact this began immediately upon oilchange leads me to think the particular oil chosen is just louder. But beyond that IF there is a mechanical problem I would suspect a rocker before a lifter.
I think sometime back in the 70s lifters were a genuine problem and ever since ever tick has been blindly blamed on them despite them rarely being the cause. Exhaust leaks are the most common cause on gen 1 and gen 3 motors. Sofar it seems to me the gen 3 stuff seals that up a lot better.
I was not suggesting oil pressure was the issue.
Here is one post from a current thread.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/15911862-post39.html
Switching oil brands not weight netted a 50%(obviously subjective) noise reduction. That still was not good enough for that poster but is a good example of what I am saying.
Within and oil weight there is a RANGE some will be thicker or thinner, additive packages vary, how much oils shear down or thicken as they are used would play into it as well.
The fact this began immediately upon oilchange leads me to think the particular oil chosen is just louder. But beyond that IF there is a mechanical problem I would suspect a rocker before a lifter.
I think sometime back in the 70s lifters were a genuine problem and ever since ever tick has been blindly blamed on them despite them rarely being the cause. Exhaust leaks are the most common cause on gen 1 and gen 3 motors. Sofar it seems to me the gen 3 stuff seals that up a lot better.
Here is one post from a current thread.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/15911862-post39.html
Switching oil brands not weight netted a 50%(obviously subjective) noise reduction. That still was not good enough for that poster but is a good example of what I am saying.
Within and oil weight there is a RANGE some will be thicker or thinner, additive packages vary, how much oils shear down or thicken as they are used would play into it as well.
The fact this began immediately upon oilchange leads me to think the particular oil chosen is just louder. But beyond that IF there is a mechanical problem I would suspect a rocker before a lifter.
I think sometime back in the 70s lifters were a genuine problem and ever since ever tick has been blindly blamed on them despite them rarely being the cause. Exhaust leaks are the most common cause on gen 1 and gen 3 motors. Sofar it seems to me the gen 3 stuff seals that up a lot better.
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 197
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From: scranton
Also keep in mind that lifter noise is common and normal in ls1 engines. Now I'm not sure how bad your tick is but from the sounds of it, you are just having normal valve train sound. And synthetic oils tend to be a little thinner in comparison to regular oil. So that's prob the reason the the tick is more audible after the oil change.
Last edited by 02fbody35th; Feb 3, 2012 at 02:12 PM.
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35
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From: SE Iowa
Not saying this is causing your problem. But I wouldnt run a Delco oil filter. They have really cheapened them up in the past 4-5 years. We have one about 5 yrs old nice filter (cut apart) then one that is like 2 years old not the same. Its barely better than a fram. I stand behind a wix filter. kn is good. Never cut apart a mobil. But there is better filters out there. Also not a fan of Penzoil but personal preference. Be careful on switching oils. If you do it too much there could be side effects. Oils put down their own special "barrier" and a new oil can remove it and relay its own. But sometimes the old oil prevents that barrier from sticking which can cause bearing issues. Its rare but does happen. Once an engine gets "use to" an oil i always recomend keeping that same oil in there. There is an additive called valve medic it works good too.
The post about some oils being different is spot on. Royal Purple had an amazing write up on oil viscosity. It pretty much said (if i remember right) a 0-30 could be sold as a 5-30 and a 5-30 as a 10-30 etc. from their stand point its not worth it to do so because of the cost of making it. But for standards(SAE) it can be done.
The post about some oils being different is spot on. Royal Purple had an amazing write up on oil viscosity. It pretty much said (if i remember right) a 0-30 could be sold as a 5-30 and a 5-30 as a 10-30 etc. from their stand point its not worth it to do so because of the cost of making it. But for standards(SAE) it can be done.
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 2,317
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From: Hurley, VA
Right before an oil change I put half a can of seafoam in my girlfriends eclipse (known for lifter tick) and it instantly stopped. She put about 100 silent miles on it and I changed the oil went with 10-30 pennzoil and the noise gradually came back but no where near what it was before.
