bwill03z

It's coming from pass side or driver side to you guys?? I know it's difficult to judge from a video but what do you guys think? I am actually going tonight to buy a mechanics stethascope. I assume this is a lifter tick. It is strange because I started my car and it took a good 2 or 3 full mins for the tapping to start at all then goes away once warmed up. If this is a lifter then would you guys letbit idle and go away before driving or just go ahead and start driving while it's still ticking?

https://youtu.be/NO09kULr_OU

Bill Dearborn

You mean this noise? I took this video close to 6 years ago.
This is a track buddy's car sitting in the garage at the Glen. He is still running the same car/engine after a lot more track days. If you go to a track event you can listen to lots of C5s making this noise as they warm up in the garage before heading out to the track. Noise usually starts at around 80 deg oil temp and disappears around by 120 deg or so.

My 97 did it my 03Z did it and a hell of a lot of other early LS engines did it. When my 97 was new it was diagnosed as piston slap due to the forged pistons needing time to warm up.

Bill

bwill03z

Yes that is the exact same sound mine is making. I know the majority of LS motors have piston slap on startup but I wasn't convinced mine is piston slap compared to alot of the other piston slap videos I have seen. Mine seems too loud and too much of a high pitch metal-to-metal sound to only be piston slap. Hopefully I'm wrong though.

El original

I have exactly the same thing with my '03. (30k miles) Definitely not piston slap. Only thing left is lifter tick. Very light ticking that goes away when warm. Maybe some additives to cure? Just have to live with it I am guessing?

Den's Vet

My makes the noise warming up then quits

bwill03z

I've previously owned two ls1 trans am's that both had, what I believe, to be the infamous piston slap... neither car sounded anything like my vette. I know a few other guys with c5's and none of them sound like mine on a cold start. If it's lifter tick I wonder how much damage, if any, is being done on every cold crank.

bwill03z

Same noise?

FL Skydiver

That video sounds EXACTLY like my 02 coupe when I start it. The noise goes away once its warmed up.

Bill Dearborn

I first noticed my 97 making the noise shortly after taking delivery and had the dealership check it out. They told me the noise was normal for a cold engine. The thing is there are thousands of LS engines slapping away on every cold start and people are still getting many thousands of miles out of them with no issues. Just because it makes a noise doesn't mean it is going to fail. When a noise is normal (it doesn't matter whether or not the noise is normal in other engines) you forget about it and worry about what isn't normal.

Bill

01pewtervert

My 01 makes a click/clack noise on a cold start. It lasts for maybe a few minutes. It doesn't sound like recordings of piston slap that I have heard. I've only had my car for about four months so I don't know how long it has done it. I can live with it, but I wish I knew technically what exactly is causing it (assuming it's not piston slap).

bwill03z

That's crazy that you would have an issue like that when it was new. If it is a failing lifter I've been told it could be from not doing regular oil changes but I have changed my oil every 2500-3000 miles with mobil1 since owning the car. I owned it for over 4 years without that noise then just randomly started.

Den's Vet

Same noise its gone after about 3 minutes

midnight01

Same noise on mine as well, 01 with 130K miles, ticking slowly goes away as temp increases, Even at temp (130+ oil temp) starting it for a few minutes it is loud then after a couple it is barely noticeable. It is definitely an engine temperature driven noise.

bwill03z

Yes it is. Once warm the noise is gone and does not come back until the motor is completely cooled down. I'm not saying this particular noise is nothing to be concerned about but I guess it is kind of reassuring to know others having this issue have been driving their cars for a good while without catastrophy

TGO

It doesn't sound like anything abnormal. **** my car probably does it too but I just stopped taking notice to it.

The valvetrains on LS motors sound like sewing machines. It gets even more pronounced when you add headers. **** i'm pretty sure I was paranoid about the same/similar noise on my LS2 GTO atone point. Stop worrying. You'll drive yourself crazy.

bwill03z

Only reason it has been getting to me is because it didn't used to do it, even when I had shorty headers on... but I'm on my third LS motor car so I kinda expected some crazy valvetrain noise ever since I bought it. I knew something would show up eventually.

TGO

I don't know about shorties but I know with longtubes it makes the sounds resonate.

Anyway, I don't think there's anything wrong with your car. If I could start mine right now I would go take a video lol

Rob 02

My fresh rebuild does it a little. Every Chevy V8 I pull up next to at a light makes some kind of noise too.

Maybe the lifter trays amplify the lifters and make them seem louder than they really are.

bwill03z

I don't see how going from shorties to lt's could make that big of a difference in motor noise but I guess it's possible... It was right after I got my lt's that I noticed the sound so maybe so... when you get a chance take a quick video and post it!

Rob 02

You can have small explosions in the exhaust.