2001 SS

I know this is probably damn hard to diagnose without hearing it but I'm getting a "ticking" when the car is idling and when its going at a low speed. I don't seem to notice it after about 25-30 MPH but I'm not sure if its just that the road noise drowns it out? I'm thinking lifter? My buddy listened to it and wondered if it was oil pressure? My pressure runs a little bit below the half way mark when its idling and it jumps to about ¾ mark when I'm driving. He thinks that may be why I'm not hearing it at the higher speeds is because the oil pressure is higher. The noise seems to increase after the car has been run for a bit BUT today I drove it out to my buddies house to have him listen which is about 20 minutes away and drove back to my house and the noise was gone when I pulled in. I left about 30 minutes later to go to the gym and the noise was back. I'm running 5W30 from the colder months still and am due for an oil change. I also noticed today that I was about a quart low when I first noticed the ticking.

I plan on doing an oil change back to 10W30 and throwing in a bottle of Rislone oil treatment which supposedly quiets lifters.

Any other advice?

 

Put fresh oil in 10w30 is a good choice. Check oil more often so it doesn't get a quart low. Never use a oil addative IMO as I feel it does more harm than good. Oil pressure sounds normal from what you said the gauge reads.

New oil might cure it and if not then probably have a lifter colapsing is my guess.

 

OK yeah my buddy is thinking a fresh oil change will cure it...hopefully. LOL

So if I have a lifter collapsing whats worst case scenario? Engine failure? I'm starting a new job and actually will be working two jobs here soon so I won't be able to get to this right away and have to have reliable transportation.

 

If all else failed Check for a Bomb (tick-tick) >

I always wanted to post that >
Good Luck on resolving this issue

 

How to Detect and Repair a Faulty Hydraulic Lifter


Hydraulic lifters aren't well known to many drivers, their effects are when they fail. Learn how to tell when a hydraulic lifter needs replacement.






The hydraulic lifter in a car's engine uses oil pressure to adjust a plunger and take up all the clearance in the valve train. This helps to ensure less engine noise and longer reliability, due to less wear and tear. A faulty hydraulic lifter will usually result in the rocker arm, valve tip and push rod also going bad if left unattended. You need to know how to tell when they hydraulic lifter is going bad or needs to be replaced.
Signs of a Faulty Hydraulic Lifter
The most obvious symptom of a faulty hydraulic lifter is the noise it creates in your car's engine. You can usually distinguish the faulty lifter by the distinct sound. Instead of a knock or ping, a faulty hydraulic lifter will usually make a sound more reminiscent of a tapping sound. The tapping will be quick in rhythm and may occur when the vehicle is cold or hot, depending on what the problem with the hydraulic lifter is. The lifter may be having problems with a sticking check valve, dirt, wear or other problems.
What to Do If You Have a Faulty Hydraulic Lifter
If your car has a faulty hydraulic lifter, replace it as soon as possible to avoid further damaging your engine.
In most cases, a faulty hydraulic lifter will simply need to be replaced. You might be able to get away with replacing a single bad hydraulic filter depending on the make and model of your vehicle. However, many mechanics suggest that when replacing one lifter, you should go ahead and replace them all, because it's generally a good indication that others will soon fail.
Depending upon the age of your vehicle, you might consider using refurbished lifters in your vehicle rather than purchasing new ones. Refurbished hydraulic lifters will cost a lot less money and will usually do an adequate job for older used vehicles, which may not have many more years of service left in them.

 

substitute a qt of oil for a qt of Rislone oil (yellow container in the oil additive section at most parts stores and walmart).

an old timer told me about this stuff back in 1993 when i got my license and had a noisy lifter or something in my mustang. put that stuff in and it never came back. i usually use it every other oil change.

 

OK well I did the oil change and it seems I have another more sinister issue....

The sound came right back as I started up the car after the oil change. So I drove it out to my nephews to have him put it up on his hoist. He listened for a bit and put it up on the hoist and said "Its definitely not a lifter issue or even coming from the engine, I think its coming from the flexplate". So we removed the starter cover and started up the car and the damn flexplate is wobbling about an 1/8" or so maybe more. Its wobbling enough you can see it as the flexplate rotates. There are also metal shavings in the starter cover. So his conclusion is that the flexplate is obviously hitting something? But what? He wonders if its broken maybe in the center? All the bolts that we could reach were tight. But what would be hitting and hitting enough to grind metal shavings off?

 

Is it possible for this thing to be cracked in the center and still functional? The last one I replaced was cracked in the center but it put my car out of commission.

 

Sorry to read that you are still having problems.

I hope one of our expert tech member's see's your thread & can help (I'm not one) Wish you the best in resolving your prob
bad flexplate noise - YouTube
Above are some vid's on bad flex plates to check out.
It may help, but may not

 

I flex plate is suppose to flex so I don't see that being the issue. Also shavings in the starter cover is from the starter gear engaging and disengeging on the flex plate so I feel that's normal as well.

Now a flex plate can crack and it will make a sound similiar to a rod knock but not a lifter tick