noisy lifters..........I think

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bob519

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Feb 12, 2010
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Omaha, Nebraska
I have a 2003 Nissan Altima with 150k miles. It has started making noise. It sounds alot like a sticky lifter but it isn't noisy all of the time. I've taken it to my mechanic, but every time I get it there it's quiet for him. I'm sure he thinks I'm an automotive hypocondriac by now. It is always noisy in the morning(sometimes pretty loud sometimes not). it may quit as I drive a bit and stay quiet for the rest of the day and then again it may not. Once the engine is warm you seldom hear it at idle but will hear it under acceleration. Does this sound like a sticky lifter? It definately sounds like the noise is coming from the top end of the motor. Will MMO help me out? I commute 100 miles daily on the interstate and cannot possibly afford a new engine right now or even a top end. Do you experts have any ideas? I've also tried Lucas oil treatment and its eliminated the cold start rattles on -0 mornings but not the lifter noise.

Thanks in advance
 
I'd give MMO a shot, try a pint for the last 1000 miles of this OCI, and add 4 oz in the gas tank per 10 gallons of fuel. It certainly won't hurt anything. I have a feeling it could be the injectors making noise. For under $5/qt for MMO give it a try.
 
Originally Posted By: Russell
Originally Posted By: bob519
piston slap? how do you fix that?


I do not think it can be fixed.


Can be fixed but not easy nor cheap.
 
ok, here's where we are at now. While having the oil changed yesterday the darned thing wasn't making the noise. The mechanic told me to bring it back when it was making noise and he would help me try to determine whether it was a lifter. Last night it was pretty noisy. This morning it was still noisy so I swung by the shop. I stopped in the lot and let it idle and sure enough it was definately making noise. I shut the engine off and went in to get the mechanic. We started the car and guess what.......no noise. We drove it around the block and the noise started again but it wasn't near as loud as before and it would come and go. I thought it may be the lifter sticking and then freeing up again. He agreed and told me to get some MMO and he would drain out a quart of oil and put it in. When I got back it was making a slight chatter at idle. They drained out a quart and put in the MMO. There were 4 of them standing around discussing the pros and cons of MMO and whether it was snake oil or a useful product. Anyhow we started the car and listened to it idle as the slight chatter slowly went away. I drove it for 5 miles or so and it was as quiet as a church mouse. I am going to let it cool off for a couple hours and then take it back out to see what it sounds like. I commute 100 miles per day, so if it is still quiet by this time next week I will be exstatic! I pray this stuff really works. I'll report back and let everyone know how it goes.
 
I think it would take a little longer than 5 miles for MMO to work its magic, but then again who knows. With 100 mile/day commute give it a week or so. Either way leave it in the sump till the next OCI, if it is a lifter odds are MMO will clear it up.
 
I just changed oil, so I've got almost 3k miles til next time. is it safe to leave a quart in there that long? I suppose I could keep a close eye on the oil color and change it sooner if it gets dirty. MMO seems aweful thin though....
 
I use a full quart every OCI - for a full 5k miles. Have done so for quite a while now in 3 vehicles and am very pleased with the results.

MMO will darken the oil quickly on the first couple of OCIs - it takes about 2 full OCIs to clean things up on a dirty engine. Of course, a cleaner engine will take less time/OCIs to clean things up.
 
Originally Posted By: bob519
I just changed oil, so I've got almost 3k miles til next time. is it safe to leave a quart in there that long? I suppose I could keep a close eye on the oil color and change it sooner if it gets dirty. MMO seems aweful thin though....


I see you live in Nebraska, it gets pretty cold there. MMO will also aid in cold starts, while cleaning the engine. I'd run it for the 3000 miles w/o any hesitation, I've done it countless times. No worries!
 
Does Altima have lifters (hydraulic)? Isn't it a 16-valve OHC engine? If so, can valves still stick? I thought only hydraulic lifters have tendency to stick. Besides a sticky lifter would imply loss in the compression and you would notice car running pretty poorly.

- Vikas
 
update....

I now have 500 miles on the MMO/oil mix. The top end is still noisy in the morning for some time until it's been driven for 15 or 20 minutes. It used to stay noisy all day long even after an hour interstate drive. Now even though it sounds terrible in the morning, it is much quieter most of the time after it's been driven a bit. So all in all, even though the noise hasn't gone away I think it's quieter much more than it used to be. I'm wondering if I should change the oil much more frequently while using MMO in hopes of slowly flushing some of the sludge out. And to confess, over the past 100k miles I havent been as diligent as I should have about changing oil. mostly 3 to 5k and on one occasion 10k. Lesson learned......
 
I'd do a 3000 mile OCI, drop the oil and filter and run another OCI using a qt of MMO with your oil. Don't overfill.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I'd do a 3000 mile OCI, drop the oil and filter and run another OCI using a qt of MMO with your oil. Don't overfill.


I think this is a good advice.
On your next OC, you can probably go a bit further, and I believe that using MMO in your oil, will clean up any mess accumulated from long OCI.

From you 3rd oil change, you should be able to do 5-6000 mile intervals, if you use MMO in your dino oil.
 
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