How silent is your engine at idle?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 493
Likes: 11
From: Gilbert, AZ
How silent is your engine at idle?
MY engine makes a slight ticking noise at idle, the car runs great no smoke or anything. Is this normal? The car has 96,000 on the clock and I don't know the last time the spark plugs were changed. Just curious.
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 62
Likes: 26
From: Knoxville Tennessee
Based on all the reading I did when I was supposed to be working leading up to the purchase of my C5 this past summer, it seems like some noise from the valve train is just about to be expected on these engines.
Mine wasn't stupid loud or anything, but it annoyed me and I decided to try switching oils (because, frankly, I think the Mobil 1 10w30 flows awfully thin for it's stated weight, and I've absolutely no idea how long it'd been since it was changed before I bought it).
Went from Mobil 1 10w30 to Valvoline 5W30 Synthetic Max Life With The Stupid Long Name™ and it got me another 5 psi at idle and made the top end much quieter at operating temp.
*shrug* So far so good.
Last edited by galyon_j; Mar 14, 2018 at 05:50 PM. Reason: i english gud
Pro
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 550
Likes: 53
From: Fort Myers Florida
mine didnt get loud until after I installed longtube headers. After that I could hear the lifters more. Before it was quiet.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,375
Likes: 1,593
From: Western NY
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,776
Likes: 500
From: West Seneca NY
My car has 10,000 original miles & mine does the same thing on occasion, I mentioned in another thread it could be piston slap or valve train noise, the GM trucks had issues with piston slap, my 99 was quiet but my 2002 ticked all the time.
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Pro
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 590
Likes: 134
From: Hanover Maryland
They're just a bit loud IMO. Not exactly a refined engine as far as idle noise. I don't mind, my Honda had injectors that must have been 4 huge crickets because it was the loudest part of the motor. On the other end of the spectrum, my BMW was hard to tell if it was even running.