lifter noises

[higher miles]

I have read several posts on this issue and would like any recommendation on how to quiet noisy lifters.i have a 97 2.2 s-10 with 147,000 miles.it usually has the loudest noise in the morning.i was going to start off by changing to mobil synthetic with an ac/delco oil filter.does anyone have any other suggestions/ideas (positive only please) on how to resolve this?i was trying to aviod the use of the super thick oil additives unless someone has had a good experience with one.

[Mango™]

I have an bad lifter too, I am puzzled how to fix it as well.
91 s-10 157k miles v6 4.6l

[blazee]

Go with a NAPA GOLD filter I have found them to better for quiet start-ups than AC DELCO

[movin2stereo]

Filters play a big part if they let the oil drain back,thus the tapping untill oil gets there again.Say no to FRAM!

[sector95]

Originally Posted by higher miles

I have read several posts on this issue and would like any recommendation on how to quiet noisy lifters.i have a 97 2.2 s-10 with 147,000 miles.it usually has the loudest noise in the morning.i was going to start off by changing to mobil synthetic with an ac/delco oil filter.does anyone have any other suggestions/ideas (positive only please) on how to resolve this?i was trying to aviod the use of the super thick oil additives unless someone has had a good experience with one.

Noisy lifters on a cold start, especially on a high mileage vehicle, are fairly normal. You should hear the lifter clatter for just a few moments and then the noise goes away. If the symptom persists after the engine is warm, then you have one or more lifters that are sticking. Using a thicker oil *will not* fix the problem and in fact may make it worse. There are numerous "pour-it-in-the-crankcase" fixes for sticky lifters; vist your nearest auto parts store and you'll find stuff like CD2, Bardahl, Marvel Mystery Oil and others. Usually the "fix-in-a-can" contains concentrated doses of the same kind of detergents found in motor oil.

If this were my truck, I would start with a "Motor Flush"; an elixer you dump into the crankcase prior to your oil change. Usually, with a warm engine, you pour in the flush and then run the engine at idle for 5 minutes... then do a normal oil change. I've used the CD2 stuff and it works pretty good.... buy two cans and add both to your oil change after the flush treatment. Use an AC/Delco oil filter, Purolator PurOne or NAPA Gold, they have excellent anti-drain back valves, and get regular dino oil. Typically, most S-10 engines require 5W30 with 10W30 as an alteranate. Don't be tempted to buy 10W40 or the "he-man" 20W50. The reason for the lighter viscosity oils is to allow them to flow quickly, especially to the upper cylinder areas (valve, rockers, lifters). The oil pump is designed to put out the proper pressure with these lighter oils. Drive your truck....take the sucker out on the interstate for a long haul.... extended high speed driving.... this will get the oil hot and help dissolve the gunk clogging your lifters. Run for about 1,000 miles, then do the same procedure again. Repeat as needed to clear up the problem...but....

Your engine may be so gummed up that nothing but a minor teardowm will solve your sticking lifters.

Hope this helps........


Mike

[BlazerLT]

Also, this might sound like piston slap.

Quite normal on a 2.2L.

[Mango™]

I will try that as well. I have an issue were I am buring oil, when i press the gas harder than normal I see a puff of gray ish smoke come from the tail pipe. Rings may be bad. Little ruff idle.
91 s-10 4.6l 6 cyl
Thanks

[BlazerLT]

Nope, gray smoke is a rich exhaust, blue smoke is oil combustion.

Done a tuneup lately and timed your engine?

[Mango™]

The smoke is blue smoke. I have to put in a quart of oil every 100 miles to keep it at an safe level.

Yeah, I chaged the egr vavle, plugs, wires, oil, oil filter, air filter.

[vtmecheng]

Hold the phone, a quart of oil ever 100 miles!?!?!?!? Unless you are also leaking oil out of the engine somewhere I would say your problem with noises could be related. That amount of oil would tell me to do a compression test.

[BlazerLT]

Might be valve seals.

[Cam1959]

Originally Posted by Mango™

The smoke is blue smoke. I have to put in a quart of oil every 100 miles to keep it at an safe level.

Yeah, I chaged the egr vavle, plugs, wires, oil, oil filter, air filter.

I have a 1983 4wd s10 blazer 2.8 v6 4spd auto trany(5th overdrive) i bought in 2000. It would burn oil on winter cold startups and when decellerating from highway speed (down gearing to higher rpm i guess).

In 2000 i swithced from reg oil to full synthetic 5w30 winter 10w30 summer and rarely see any smoke since and the previous liter/month oil loss dropped to around liter/few months.

Also, i was warned to keep the oil level about an inch above full mark due to problem with these motors getting enough oil to rear crank bearing.

[BlazerLT]

Originally Posted by Cam1959

I have a 1983 4wd s10 blazer 2.8 v6 4spd auto trany(5th overdrive) i bought in 2000. It would burn oil on winter cold startups and when decellerating from highway speed (down gearing to higher rpm i guess).

In 2000 i swithced from reg oil to full synthetic 5w30 winter 10w30 summer and rarely see any smoke since and the previous liter/month oil loss dropped to around liter/few months.

Also, i was warned to keep the oil level about an inch above full mark due to problem with these motors getting enough oil to rear crank bearing.

What you saw was the fresh ester in the synthetic oil reswaelling the valve seals.

[vtmecheng]

I don't know if a quart every 100 miles is just the valve seals for "higher miles". My dad's '85 chevy caprice wagon (305 V8 and over 200K miles) has had leaking valve seals for over 5 years now and still only adds a very small amount of oil between changes. This is even with a very large amount of smoke coming from it (like a smoke screen, we call it a feature hehe) "higher miles" needs to do a compression test to make sure everything is tight.