Hi Gang, I recently had my oil changed ( 0w40
Mobil 1
, which I typically use), and soon after started hearing this concerning engine knock/tick in the lower right (passenger) side of the engine. The noise is present at cold startup, does not go away as the engine warms up, and rises and falls with revs.
Seeking the wisdom of the Planet-9 crowd - any help troubleshooting this would be greatly appreciated!
Engine noise video
Engine noise with revs video
Can;t quite make it out but I had a similar noise and described symptoms with an aging water pump a while back.
Thanks; good thought. I didn't see any evidence of water pump failure (leaking, noisy bearings) when the belt was changed, and I'm not hearing any unusual sounds from that area. The sound seems to emanate from the area of the right cylinder bank.
Most people say this kind of noise comes from sticky lifters.
You mentioned that the sound started after changing the oil?
Perhaps then try reverting to a 5W40 oil? what did you use before?
other things to check:
belt tensioner
water pump
Strange as this may seem, you might check to see if you’ve got an
exhaust
leak.
Exhaust
leaks can sound like a rhythmic ticking sound.
Update: great news - the noise is gone!
First, I checked the
exhaust
bolts and they seemed right, so I moved on to the
next
simple thing: changing the oil.
I had
Mobil 1
0w40 and changed to Redline 5w50.
on startup, the noise was still present, so I went for a gentle drive to let the engine warm up. When I return from a 30 minute drive the noise was gone and it was back to purring like a proper flat 6
Porsche
.
why did changing the oil solve the noise? Not sure. I’ve been using
Mobil1
for years with no problems. Perhaps the slightly thicker oil and bringing it up to temperature was enough to get the lifters unstuck.
I will be monitoring this and will report back if there are any changes or regressions.
Thanks so much for all the insights and suggestions, and very thankful for a simple resolution.
Cheers!
As I mentioned on other forum (copy pasted here, because I'm lazy!):
Oil viscosity is about managing flow and pressure. Some things in the engine need flow, others need pressure. Hydraulic lifters, for example, need pressure to stay pumped up, otherwise they make noise... so you'd want a higher viscosity (particularly the second number) to have that happen. However, if you go too thick, then the oil won't flow well, which means it won't be able to protect moving things as well (eg, pistons, camshafts, etc). And when the engine is cold, you really want flow, so that the oil can get to these places quickly (hence the low first number). As you can see, it's all a big balancing act. And that's without counting other factors (heat, ambient temperature, use cases, etc).
That said, don't change blindly either. Stick to the viscosity recommended by the manufacturer... but if you need to make adjustments you can make small ones like this without too much issue. If you go wider, then you need to look at why that's happening, and maybe even consider UOAs.
As for "why did this happen" now after all this time? Engines wear, temperatures change, etc. Unless you've controlled all these things, little changes like this are part of the "fun"... so it's expected. Again, you're not out of range, so you are fine. But it's great to see you're watching and listening carefully!
