Seems I've developed a noisy lifter after a few hundred miles of using Auto-RX. It ticks while the engine is cold or warm and varies in speed with RPM. It's quite loud. Is this something to worry about? Can it lead to engine damage? Will it go away in time? The reason for using Auto-RX is because of excessive oil consumption. There are no oil leaks, blue smoke and the leak down test was well within spec. Thanks for any help.
When proper lubrication fails to occur, uneven hot spots are created underneath contamination deposits. The result? A dramatic decrease in your engine's performance.
It's inevitable: engine sludge and contamination build-up are working together this very second with the sole objective of killing your engine.
As you start to get oil on metal that has been starved for lubrication there will be noises. By the Rinse Mode they are gone and wont come back.
Are you absolutely sure it is a lifter that's ticking? If you had build up in the cylinder head area, and a decrease in oil flow, the top of the valve stem may have been hammered and worn out. When Auto-RX started cleaning up, the build up between the lifter and the valve stem may have cleaned up, and because there is a gap between them now, you experience ticking. I would recommend removing the valve cover and checking it out.
I don't know your engine's internals, but new clicks and ticks are not uncommon with a treatment. It's the time difference of flow rates in the forced circulation areas of the engine. One area may be thinly clogged, while a main artery takes longer to clear. The lower flow area (less clogged) may clean up early, while the main supply may still be somewhat restricted. HLA's will drain faster than the supply can provide. Once the whole forced circulation portion of the engine gets enough dwell time with the product, the system returns to a balanced state.
That's just generically speaking. Again, I don't know your engine.
Must admit, not 100% sure it's the lifter. If it's what you described, guess that would mean a valve job. When I get some time, I'll pull the cover and take a closer look. If it turns out not to be the case, the ticking should clear up over time?
If it turns out not to be the case, the ticking should clear up over time?
That is the case more often than not. The telltale is if there's an increase in noises when you use the product. They often don't show themselves during the clean phase but do become apparent during the rinse phase.
-- Edited by geeaea on Friday 19th of March 2010 03:12:29 PM
Must admit, not 100% sure it's the lifter. If it's what you described, guess that would mean a valve job. When I get some time, I'll pull the cover and take a closer look. If it turns out not to be the case, the ticking should clear up over time?
Hopefully, it's a lifter tick. You might want to inspect each of the lifters to see which one(s) are stuck or gummed up. If you have time, soak them in diesel fuel over night before putting them back in.
