so today my car started making this ticking,knock noise. it pretty loud and seem to be coming from the intake area. anyone sudgestions on what it might be?

 

mine too

 

Two questions to help narrow things down for you both:

1.) What oil brand and weight are you running?

2.) What oil filter brand are you running?

 

I had a similar experience. Was your car sitting for a long period of time without being started? I had to change the oil pump on mine and it sat all winter without being started. When I got all done and started the car it sounded great. After driving it about 3 miles I got the ticking knocking noise. Turns out to be a stuck lifter. I used a long metal rod and placed one end on the cylinder head, the other to my ear. When I got to the bad rocker/lifter I could plainly hear the knock.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

I'm starting to develop a theory about LS engines not getting along well with the newer API SM and SN low-zinc oils. It seems that valvetrain noise complaints have shot up dramatically in recent years.

 

Check your oil pressure. Not sure when you last had your oil changed, but I have had experiences with filters that either restrict flow or become clogged for whatever reason.

Do some checking before you begin repairs.

good luck

 

I had of lifter clatter b4 changing to LS7 lifters.

 

Possible, but it's also possible a lot of guys are just now getting into the LS market with used C5s and are experiencing these engines for the first time. The "sewing machine" complaint has been around for years. Noises/sounds can be subjective though, so it's always possible something could be going south (rocker arm) or just LS roller lifter, noisy injectors (or a combination).

 

I'm the original owner of my '01 C-5. I don't drive the car through the winter. I've used Mobil1 in it ever since I've had it, except for one time, last summer. I work part time for Advance Auto Parts, and last spring, we got a "mystery case" of Pennzoil Platinum oil. I say mystery case, because it was an oil that we didn't normally stock, and had no SKUs on our oil rack to put it in.

The oil sat around for a while, and I asked the manager what he was going to do with it, as I was getting ready to change the oil in the C-5 and put the car back on the road for the summer. He dug through the computer, and found out that we got the oil by mistake, but there was no easy way to return it. Somehow or other, he found a "store cost" for the oil, and I bought it for that reduced amount.

I ran the oil all last summer, and although there's no scientific evidence to prove anything, the car seemed quiter. I put Mobil1 in the car this spring, and the "occasional lifter clatter" is back....

 

That's my point. The Mobil-1 you buy now is not the same as the Mobil-1 you were buying back in '01-05 timeframe when API SM spec came out and whacked the zinc/phosphorous quantities.

 

If the knock is in the upper area of the engine and if the knock goes away within a few seconds to a minute, then I would suggest that its lifters bleeding down when the engine is cold. As suggested, check your oil pressure first to insure there isn't an issue there. If the knocking/tapping doesn't go away till the engine starts to heat up, then its time for lifters. I lost at least one in mine, but not till it was at 274K miles.

 

But wait a minute!!!!



The EPA said that our cat converters were more important, and we had roller lifters anyway, so the zinc wasn't really necessary.......

 

Sure thing, and we all know the EPA is staffed with people who have our best interests at heart.

 

I forgot about this little "factoid" until about an hour ago, when I had to run some errands, and I took my Camaro ('96 Z-28) instead of the Corvette.

As I previously mentioned, I work part time at the auto parts store. A few months back, some old gentlemen came into the store, and wanted to "return" 12 quarts of 10-40 Valvoline oil, said he no longer needed it. Even though he still had the sales slip, the oil was OLD, about 2-3 label designs ago, the copyright on the back read 1991.

Obviously, we explained to him that we couldn't take back the oil, because we had no way to resell it, but we said we could recycle it for him. He understood, and left the oil with us. Naturally, we didn't dump it, but I took 5 quarts, and the other counterman took 7, as he has an older car too.

I put the oil in my Z-28 a few weeks ago, when I put it back on the road. I know that 10-40 is heavier than the 5W-30 that GM calls for, but I'm sure the real reason the car sounds noticibly quieter is due to the higher zinc content in this "old" oil, as I've had the "low zinc" 10-40 in the car in the past, but still heard a little clatter from the valvetrain.....

 

Interesting that this fairly new thread comes up top of the list when searching "stuck lifter"

My 2004 daily driver, 161k miles, JUST RECENTLY, maybe a couple months ago, started the same symptoms - tick, tick, tick, when starting the engine after a week in the garage. Lasted maybe 5-10 seconds the first time it did it. Then not at all for a couple weeks, then it did it again after sitting, and as the days went by it happened more often, and lasted a bit longer.

This morning, it made the same audible tick, tick, tick for 3-4 minutes, including while driving out of my neighborhood. I suppose it is the hydraulic lifter bleeding out the oil, and then not refilling adequately, and the problem seems to be getting worse.

I use Mobile 1 oil and filters, always have. A couple of weeks ago, I used a single application of a commercial oil additive/solvent, ran the engine 10 minutes and then changed oil - hasn't seemed to help. The pressure was good (60 psi on the panel gauge this morning).

So my questions: 1) Am I damaging my camshaft or valvestem by having slap/play in the valve train for seconds/minutes? 2) manual mentions oil filter by-pass valve - should I replace this? 3) Manual also mentions replace lifter as required - doesn't look too bad, but I suspect this might be a "big" job. Is it?

Thanks in advance for any advice

 

Just an update to my previous comments, and possibly a help to the previous poster. A couple of days ago, I added about 8oz. of Rislone's ZDPP additive to the oil (Mobil1) in my '01. After driving the car for two occasions of maybe 10 miles each, the valvetrain seems a little quieter...


If this is the case, I may be looking at switching to Amsoil's "high zinc content" syn oil.

 

A further update.....

I work part time at Advance Auto Parts, and I was putting some oil on the rack yesterday. While doing so, I noticed that Mobil1 has a 15-50 syn oil, and the package is marked with the verbage "has increased anti-wear ingredients", or something like that.


Just an FYI.

 

For my own info. Wouldnt that be too "heavy" to run in our cars on a daily basis? I know exactly what your talking about. Seen it a few times at Advance but was to scared to try it. BTW to the OP, im going through this situation right now. Took it to a locale shop and as i feared was told it was a lifter going bad.

 

I have a 2003 Vert with just 13,000 miles and I get a ticking noice for the first 3-4 minutes upon start-up. Seems to go away when the engine warms up a little and the oil thickens up. Its been like that since the car was new. I may try an different oil like Royal Purple, even though I'm not nearly due for an oil change.

 

you sir may be hearing the notorious piston slap