Tapping Noise on Initial Startup

[jillybean77713]

I have a 2001 Dodge Neon ES. A couple months ago, I noticed that when I start my engine in the morning it makes a tapping noise. At first I thought oh no, I'm going to throw another rod. (I went through that with a '92 Shadow.) But this is different. And it only does it when I start it, then it goes away. This started in the late spring or early summer, so it was fairly warm outside. My boyfriend has never heard it and thinks I'm crazy , but I know I'm not because my dad heard it one day and goes "WHAT IS THAT???" (It was the worse it has ever been on that day.) Anyway, I start my car in the morning, and I hear it, I put it in reverse and it gets a little worse. Then I back out of my driveway and put it into drive, it lessens, and then as I accelerate it gets worse again, then just completly goes away. It only does it when it has been sitting for any length of time, like hours. Sometimes it does it when I go to lunch from work, but not always. (Sits for 4-5 hours before I go to lunch.) I'm very particular about my car, I don't like it to make any strange noises and I want to fix this because it didn't used to do it. Anyone have any ideas??

[jillybean77713]

Well I talked to one of my mechanics, he said the valves are sticking and that he will get me this stuff I should put in every 3 to 4 oil changes and it will clean it out. My boss' dad said I should just run the high dollar gas through it for a couple tanks and that would clean it right up.

Anyone have any opinions on this??

P.S.....It's gotten worse now that it is getting colder out.

[joe92k1500]

Running the high dollar gas won't do much of anything for the car. It has no more cleaners in it than regular does. You can try a complete fuel system cleaner that you can add right to your fuel tank (Use a brand name- valvoline, gunk, castrol, mobil) . They can be bought at any parts store. If that does not work, try a full synthetic motor oil (mobil1, castrol syntec, etc). Synthetics flow better than regular oil, and Neons are notorious for not getting enough oil up to the valves and cam. Besides your engine will last longer because synthetics reduce wear much better than regular oil. Hope that helps.

[fredjacksonsan]

Make sure you're using the right weight of oil for the colder temperatures; if you've got too heavy an oil, it will tap like crazy.

[jillybean77713]

Thanks for the replies!

I don't know if this is just a coincidence or not, but I put a tank of Shell V-Power in and the noise isn't near as bad. But it is still there. (I filled up before the reply was posted. ) I don't have that great of an understanding of car engines, but if the valves have oil in them, then the gas shouldn't have anything to do with it anyway.....?

I'll try the synthetic oil. As far as the weight, I do use whatever the book says, can't think what it is off the top of my head. I've never used anything thicker. A friend also told me of that recently, heavy oil can cause problems in the cold.

My boyfriend still thinks I'm crazy for worrying about it. He says it's no big deal. But I'm going to try the synthetic anyway. I don't like my car to make noises that it didn't used to make.

Thanks again for the suggestions!

[mayo302]

It's probably just dry rockers; if the noise goes away within a minute, that's probably the culprit. Your car has to run for about 30-45 seconds for the oil pump to fully lubricate the engine. That should explain why it only happens after the car sits for quite awhile; most of the oil drains off your components all the way to the oil pan. You might try the different oil you were thinking (synthetic) but that will have a larger effect on how long it lasts (months or miles) rather than how long it sticks on the engine. I would try a step more viscous oil or adding some oil stabilizer like Lucas or something you can get at your local parts store if the noise is getting very bad.

[jillybean77713]

Well I have tried the synthetic oil and it still does it, but not as bad.

I'm going to try the stabilizer.

Thanks again.

[dodgetony]

Your engine more than likely has piston slap. When the engine is is cold the pistons will slap the bottoms of the cylinders until it heats up. Once is heats up the piston expands and the noise goes away. Your valves are not sticking and it has nothing to do with gas. This is a very common problem for neons. It is noisy but serves no harm. In the winter it will be the most noticeable. Just let the car warm up before driving it hard and you will have no problems. Do a web search on Yahoo or Google some time. There are hundreds of posts about this very issue.

[bussman240sx]

I have the same problem on a 1996 neon i bought for my girlfriend, a mechanic told me that it was lifter tick and that it was nothing to worry about. It is noticable when the motor is cold (I got the car 2 weeks ago, and it is considerably cold outside, Wisconsin), once it warms up i can barely hear it. (I got the car 2 weeks ago, and it is considerably cold outside, Wisconsin)