1999 Vortec 5700 - Tick upon cold start

[Thugzy]

I have a 99 K1500 Suburban with a Vortec 5700, 125,000miles...
Oil changed every 3000miles with conventional 5W30 typically.
Last 2 years I have been using Castrol High Mileage 5W30.

I noticed in the past year it has developed a valve tick upon cold start that goes away after 15seconds. The valve tick has a less occurence after a fresh oil change. Once I get close or over 3000miles the tick comes back. I assume its a stuck valve lifter.

Im curious if there is any different oil i can try to lower the occurence of the ticking.

thanks for the suggestions

 

[Jim 5]

Those engines suffered from "piston slap", which goes away as the pistons warm up. I had a 98 with the same engine and same symptoms.

Google that and see if your symptoms match.

 

[Phishin]

Here is a theory.....(but I think piston slap might be it)

It also could be that your engine tolerances have increaed due to wear and as the oil nears 3k miles of useage, it thins out from shear and fuel dilution. This thinner oil will have lower pressure at start up and running down the road. Perhaps not enough pressure to pump up the lifter(s) right away.

You could try a few things....run an oil like Rotella (either the synthetic T6 which is 5w40 or the conventional, which is 15w40). It's cheap. See if the increased viscosity helps prevent the tick at start up. Chevy V8's aren't afraid of thicker oil....especially one over 100k miles on the clock. If your truck burns out, next time you top it off, throw in a quart of 20w50 even.

Lastly, it's 15 year old Chevy 350....they tend to makes noises and still run for a LONG time. You should hear my 350 in my old truck when I start it up. Jeez. I still drive it 80mph down the highway for 3-4 hours each way every weekend pulling a big old fiberglass boat.

 

[Clevy]

I've got a 99 chev but it has a 5.3,not a 5.7. Did GM carry on the 5.7 in 99 apparently.
Anyways my 5.3 makes the same sounds. Try a high mileage oil or go a grade thicker.
In the summer my 5.3 loves conventional rotella 15w40. It makes the engine purr quietly. In the winter a 0w30 is what I use. It's a bit more noisy but in -40 I figure noise is to be expected.

 

[Thugzy]

thanks for the responses. I thought piston slap was more troublesome on the later 2000+ Next GEN Vortecs (4.8, 5.3 and 6.0) and not the 5.0/5.7.

I will try Phishin's suggestion with the 15W40 Rotella oil. I should also add that it burns 1quart between OCI. Im in Toronto, if i find favorable results with 15W40 can i use it all year around?

 

[cardoctor2]

Bummer deal. You would think good oil would prevent valve ticking, wouldn'd you? I feel blowby is a big sludge maker. Then it settles here and there. Even sythetics don't help. Before you know it, the valves tick. Sometimes, all the time. More than good oil is needed, maybe. I like a new kind of product from mega power helpful to stop blowby and those valve ticking sounds. It seems to work fast, too. You can search for and order it on line, probrably. Hope this is helpful...

Its not the gun. Its the man behind the gun yo gotta be careful of.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Thugzy
I have a 99 K1500 Suburban with a Vortec 5700, 125,000miles...
Oil changed every 3000miles with conventional 5W30 typically.
Last 2 years I have been using Castrol High Mileage 5W30.

I noticed in the past year it has developed a valve tick upon cold start that goes away after 15seconds. The valve tick has a less occurence after a fresh oil change. Once I get close or over 3000miles the tick comes back. I assume its a stuck valve lifter.

Im curious if there is any different oil i can try to lower the occurence of the ticking.

thanks for the suggestions


We have run dozens of these to extinction in our fleet. Very tough engine.

First you must correctly diagnose the issue. These suffer from piston slap that is primarily a cold start issue but sometimes can be heard as the engine returns to idle from a rev. Then there's carbon knock, which can sound almost identical to piston slap. Finally, the ole stuck lifter tick, usually loudest when first started dead cold in the am.

What you have will determine what you need to fix it.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: Thugzy
thanks for the responses. I thought piston slap was more troublesome on the later 2000+ Next GEN Vortecs (4.8, 5.3 and 6.0) and not the 5.0/5.7.

I will try Phishin's suggestion with the 15W40 Rotella oil. I should also add that it burns 1quart between OCI. Im in Toronto, if i find favorable results with 15W40 can i use it all year around?


It might be a bit thick even though Toronto doesn't have the extreme cold temps we have here in sask.
If rotella works for you I would use the conventional in summer and the syn 5w-40 in winter.
However rotella will do a lot as far as cleaning is concerned. It may just clean up the innards and may cure the issue and you can go back to regular oil however I buy the conventional rotella in the 5 gallon pail for use in my bikes and ope.

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: Phishin
Here is a theory.....(but I think piston slap might be it)

It also could be that your engine tolerances have increaed due to wear and as the oil nears 3k miles of useage, it thins out from shear and fuel dilution. This thinner oil will have lower pressure at start up and running down the road. Perhaps not enough pressure to pump up the lifter(s) right away.


That would be clearances, as tolerances are the specification range clearances are set to.

Cold oil will always be much, much thicker than oil at operating temp.

I have probably rebuilt more SBC's than any other engine (yes, even Jeeps). I would lean more towards piston slap in this year than a wear issue. The next possible cause could be a lifter issue or even a possible exhaust manifold leak (can sound like a "tap" when cold).

 

[threeputtpar]

Originally Posted By: Thugzy
I noticed in the past year it has developed a valve tick upon cold start that goes away after 15seconds. The valve tick has a less occurence after a fresh oil change. Once I get close or over 3000miles the tick comes back. I assume its a stuck valve lifter.

Im curious if there is any different oil i can try to lower the occurence of the ticking.

thanks for the suggestions


This info points to a failing ADBV in your oil filter. When the filter is new, the valve is pliable and seals fully but as you progress through the OCI it hardens up and doesn't seal as well allowing oil to drain back. It then take a couple of seconds to fill up again with oil and build pressure.

What filter are you using? You may want to step up to something with a silicone ADBV like a PureOne, Wix, Napa Gold, or one of the long distance filters.

 

[Thugzy]

Im currentl using Fram Toughguard the silver can

 

[Trav]

Try a synthetic PP, PU, QSUD, Mobil 1, etc in it and see if it doesn't quieten down after a while.

 

[threeputtpar]

Interesting, because those do have the silicone ADBV. If you're open to it, try one of the other filters I suggested. A Wix at O'Reilly will probably only set you back about $7.

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
This info points to a failing ADBV in your oil filter. When the filter is new, the valve is pliable and seals fully but as you progress through the OCI it hardens up and doesn't seal as well allowing oil to drain back. It then take a couple of seconds to fill up again with oil and build pressure.


The filter sits upside down in this application.

 

[BillyTheKid]

It's very common as stated in the thread. Some oils in mine seem to quiet it a little quicker but it always makes the noise, specifically in colder weather. I've tried many oils and filters. I wouldn't worry about it, just don't hammer it hard until it runs for a while.

 

[Thugzy]

Originally Posted By: Zaedock
The filter sits upside down in this application.


In this truck the filter sits sideways (horizontal).


I picked up 5L of Rotella T 15W40 and a Fram Ultra Filter and will try it this weekend. Is the Fram Ultra filter ok?

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: Thugzy
Originally Posted By: Zaedock
The filter sits upside down in this application.


In this truck the filter sits sideways (horizontal).


I picked up 5L of Rotella T 15W40 and a Fram Ultra Filter and will try it this weekend. Is the Fram Ultra filter ok?


You probably have an oil cooler - either way the filter will not drain when the engine is off. Fram Ultra's are decent (IMO) filters.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
This info points to a failing ADBV in your oil filter.


I have thought about it and I doubt it is the oil filter. I would look for dirty lifters and try some MMO follwed by 4 5000 mile OCI's with PP

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

My dad had a 92 GMC 1500 he bought brand new. With 258K miles on the 350, it still ran like new when he sold it last year. He used 5W30 oil (whatever was on sale) and FRAM OCOD filters, @ 3K mile OCIs. At about 200K miles it started getting the same tick upon startup. He started using 10W40 and the tick went away.
I am not saying it will work for you because every situation is different.

 

[threeputtpar]

Originally Posted By: Thugzy
I picked up 5L of Rotella T 15W40 and a Fram Ultra Filter and will try it this weekend. Is the Fram Ultra filter ok?


Keep us updated to see if the filter makes any difference, although since you are switching to a different oil also we may not know what cured the problem.

Try the filter first and then dump the current oil if you want to know what the root cause was.