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Cure , For Ticking Lifters !?

2K views 35 replies 12 participants last post by  GTX63 
#1 ·
...........Did my research on Utube for a Cure for 'Ticking' lifters on a 2001 Suburban with a 5.3l v8 ! Lots of vids to watch so I decided to use a Qt. of Motor Medic......Motor Flush , you pour the whole Qt. into the engine when it's cold , let it idle for 5 minutes or so and kill engine then do a complete oil change . It's supposed to dissolve and break loose accumulated gunk .
............So , I drove my Suburban up onto a set of steel ramps , and I'll do the flush Wednesday AM , and then an oil change with new filter ! The Sub has 116,xxx miles so it should be good for another 125,000 or so IF I do regular maintenance . I should also say I purchased this Sub , used at the end of July-17 . Wish me luck . , fordy
 
#3 ·
Why? All the ramps do is let the oil move to the back of the pan.......it's no different than driving up hill , the pickup for the oil pump should work just as well at an incline as it does when the vehicle is level ! Just think of all the vehicles driving in the Rockies , they do just fine ! Or , maybe you have another reason I'm not aware of . , fordy
 
#6 · (Edited)
Ticking lifters is like a warning light, a check engine light.
Just like any cure or repair you first must understand the cause and direct the cure that way.
The sound, if it truly is lifters, is a gap in the valve train. A bent push rod could cause a gap. The top of a valve stem or under side of a rocker arm could be worn, creating a gap. A build up of carbon on the valve seat or a badly warped valve face could open up gaps in the valve train.
Most modern engines have hydraulic lifters. There is a spring and hydraulic reservoir in the lifter that takes up the slack in the valve train.
I'd think it a big IF that the hydraulic lifters were plugged with crud, preventing them to extend to take up the slack, being the only cause for the clatter, and a solvent dissolving the crud inside the pin hole in a lifter, releasing the lifter to again take up the slack.
The only "Magic" in a bottle that works, IMHO, is regular oil changes.
If you are using common detergent oil, plus changing oil filters, there shouldn't be anything to stop up the lifters.
You can always pop off the rocker covers/valve covers and tighten down each rocker that has play in it. Will have to roll the engine over a few times, because you cannot adjust the rocker nut while the cam lobe is opening the valve.
But if you are convinced that it is crud that needs dissolved, get the engine hot, drain the oil and pour a couple gallons of lacquer thinner into the oil filler. Let it set over night, drain. Add oil, run and drain again. The crankcase will be clean, just not sure the inside of 16 hydraulic lifers will.
 
#7 ·
Ticking lifters is like a warning light, a check engine light.
Just like any cure or repair you first must understand the cause and direct the cure that way.
The sound, if it truly is lifters, is a gap in the valve train. A bent push rod could cause a gap. The top of a valve stem or under side of a rocker arm could be worn, creating a gap. A build up of carbon on the valve seat or a badly warped valve face could open up gaps in the valve train.
Most modern engines have hydraulic lifters. There is a spring and hydraulic reservoir in the lifter that takes up the slack in the valve train.
I'd think it a big IF that the hydraulic lifters were plugged with crud, preventing them to extend to take up the slack, being the only cause for the clatter, and a solvent dissolving the crud inside the pin hole in a lifter, releasing the lifter to again take up the slack.
The only "Magic" in a bottle that works, IMHO, is regular oil changes.
If you are using common detergent oil, plus changing oil filters, there shouldn't be anything to stop up the lifters.
You can always pop off the rocker covers/valve covers and tighten down each rocker that has play in it. Will have to roll the engine over a few times, because you cannot adjust the rocker nut while the cam lobe is opening the valve.
But if you are convinced that it is crud that needs dissolved, get the engine hot, drain the oil and pour a couple gallons of lacquer thinner into the oil filler. Let it set over night, drain. Add oil, run and drain again.
Funny we had a Pickup, lifters rattling. My wife, yes my wife. Took cover off seen wasn't getting oil right. Cleaned it up, made sure it was getting oil. All Good.

big rockpile
 
#9 ·
A failing rod bearing sounds like a lifter click. Thick oil protects the worn rod bearing surfaces. Some sort of thinner washes away the oil's protection, speeding catastrophic bearing failure. Proceed with caution.

You might think about video taping this. If it cures the lifter noise, you can post a self-help video. If it causes a rod to escape through the engine block, that would be another, "Here, hold my beer..." video.
 
#13 ·
..........I just had the oil changed on 7\24 with 5w-30 Mobil 1..........my startup oil pressure is 60 psi , and running pressure is ~45 or so !
..........The more I think about this , I may just pay a visit to the garage I use and ask them what their analysis is of my situation before adding the chemical agent to the oil pan .
..........I don't have a camera to make a video , wish I did . , fordy
 
#15 ·
.............I've only owned this Sub for about 7 weeks . The ticking goes away after about 5 minutes of running............and I'm not sure if the mobil 1 has lessened the ticking cause my hearing isn't that good . It has 116,xxx miles so it should have lots of life left I'd think ! The noise does not seem to be getting worse . , fordy
 
#19 ·
Sounds like the classic sticky lifter.
Caused by excessive lacquer build up in the lifter bore.
The lifter sticks on the way down loses contact from the cam for a instant and then clicks down onto the cam.
Park level so that the oil cleaner is evenly distributed during the cleaning period.
For that to be possible, the lifter would have to resist the pressure of the valve spring, plus the valve would be held open. Also, in the was you describe it, the clicking would be way down in the center of a V8 engine. Actually the clicking sound is under the rocker covers, as the loss of contact is between the rocker and the valve stem or the tip of the pushrod and the rocker arms.
I doubt that a lifter could be so jammed in the lifter bore to resist the valve spring pressure, but then when warmed up slide free. Far more likely the internal parts of the lifters are worn, allowing the gaps.
 
#20 ·
Why? All the ramps do is let the oil move to the back of the pan.......it's no different than driving up hill , the pickup for the oil pump should work just as well at an incline as it does when the vehicle is level ! Just think of all the vehicles driving in the Rockies , they do just fine ! Or , maybe you have another reason I'm not aware of . , fordy
Because it affects how the oil drains back to the pan. Passages and areas that oil would normally pool it may not drain back through them or pool in those areas with it at an incline.

I've always used a quart of transmission fluid for this but ran it for about 100 miles before changing and then go with a hi detergent oil like havoline.

But I feel this may be for naught with that engine as it is one that is known for having the cam go flat. Valve train noise is one of the early signs of a flat cam.

WWW
 
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#26 ·
Kerosene has SOME lubricating qualities at room temperature. Key word there is SOME, not all or many. It also quickly looses those qualities when heat is applied. Putting it in an engine as oil will quickly destroy the rings, pistons and cylinder walls after a few minutes.

WWW
 
#28 ·
...........I just finished doing the flush with the qt. of chemical . NO Ticking......I let it idle for 7 minutes ! Now , I've got to run into town and pick up 2 mobil 1 filters , then drain the old oil and refill . Then I'll restart and listen for ticking .......we'll see how this all plays out . , fordy
 
#29 ·
Good to hear sounds like it worked!
The best and safest trick you can pull at this point is to change the oil again as soon as it turns dark.
The flush will break things loose but regular oil also contains dilutents and detergents. They will help bring out some stuff that the flush didn't quite get.
 
#30 ·
I imagine same thing true now as in past, good to have an oil pressure gauge and a water temp gauge on any used car you want to keep driving. Low oil pressure not good thing. Course anymore installing such maybe not nearly as easy. Lot modern stuff just getting your hand , let alone a wrench, anywhere close to the engine is quite a feat. I have also heard the 5.3L is a good engine. Hope it works out for you.
 
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#31 ·
.....................
........Thanks HJ ! I filled the pan with new Mobil 1 , 5w-30 Syn ! There was a little noise at first cause the oil wasn't circulating throughout the engine . Once the pressure gauge came up to 60 psi all was OK . I've done a lot reading on this particular engine........5.3 or 325 cu inch . I've come to some basic conclusions as to the possible causes of it's problems......(1)this engine with roller rockers and aluminum heads needs regular oil changes at OR before 5,000 miles with quality Synthetic oil . Regular dino oil is going to leave a oil residue that builds with age and milage , even , with regular oil changes . Another problem is the oil pump.......can have (2) problems(1)the o-ring on the intake tube has been made defective when assembled at the GM factory , and (2)the high pressure bypass piston gets clogged up , doesn't function and allow the oil to go back into the pan , rather it routes the oil back into the pump whereby the oil just follows a circular path within the pump housing and the oil doesn't get circulated throughout the engine.......resulting in almost NO oil pressure . This info is has been posted on Utube . So , it seems that there is a Multiplicity of potential causes of mechanical problems with the 4.8 , 5.3 , and 6.0 liter engine family !
..............It seems to me , that the catalyst that starts the 'Ticking , is , lack of timely oil changes utilizing a quality Synthetic Oil and Filter . , fordy
 
#32 ·
...............One last thought........way back before computers and synthetic oil , engines could operate for long periods of time using regular Dino oil , and few oil changes and last for lots of miles . So , this tends to make me ask.......are the newer engines , with alum. heads , roller rockers and other internal parts being mfged with CHEAP metal stock...........or , are they mfged to such close tolerances that they can't deal with an owner who skips regular maintenance , and uses Dino oil instead of Synthetic ? I honestly don't know . , fordy
 
#35 ·
Fordy,
I have done the same thing to several cars that I have owned. I didn't know their service history & suspected gunk was clogging the lifters. Several times, it worked for me. Once, I bought an old pick-up that was ticking, but it had a Chevy 350 4 bolt main in it , that I wanted. It smoked & ran horribly. It was 2-3 quarts over-filled with oil , so I drained that. It had the cannister type filter when I took it off , it felt like it weighed several pounds !! The cannister was at least 1/3 full of crud that I had to break apart with a large screwdriver !! I added the engine flush & oil with a new filter. Tuned it up, too. Ran it a bit, drained the oil & changed the filter, again. [ more crud in it ]. New filter & fresh oil, ticking was gone, & that motor lasted a long time.
 
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