U12 Pintara - Engine Diagnosis? - HELP!

[sticks1977]

Over the last several weeks I have begun to notice a rather disturbing noise coming from the engine of my '91 Pintara. I am a complete car noob so I would have no idea how to fix it - changing tyres, checking oil & coolant are pretty much the only mechanical skills I have. The noise started to appear after I had to drive through some flash flooding in south east Melbourne a few weeks ago.

I have recorded a short video to give you an idea of the noise once I have started the car - unfortunately I can't post  the link here so please message me and I can provide the YouTube link to you. I have previously posted in another automotive thread and some people have mentioned it may be a noisy lifter (whatever that is!)... I am looking to take my car to a new local mechanic and would like to at least have an idea of what I may have to outlay in order to get it fixed.

It has been a wonderful car for me - I have had it roughly 10 years now and the car is approaching 20 years of age so it has served me really well. I have kept up with constant servicing so I have my fingers crossed that there is not too much damage.

Thanks for reading and look forward to any replies or insight...

Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

[SSS]

PM me the link and i'll post it up. I'll have a look at it and try and recommend what it could be.

[SSS]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiwaXeQTwrI

Haven't got youtube access at work...I'll look at it tonight.

[JAWSTRX!]

I May be completly off but sounds like ur Timing Chain is loose and floping around.Sounds like My Old Ti Did before i replaced the Chain.If its ur Timing chain thats making the Noise its not a massive job if u Have confidence in urself. Good luck With Finding the problem.

[Habibosaurus]

Firstly very clean engine bay 

Secondly it would be 2 things.

Either timing chain is getting loose however normally it would be more of a rattle

OR

Lifters are sticky/stuck.

This normally will sound like its ticking not rattling as such and from your video that I just had a quick squizz of (sorry the computer I'm using has very soft speakers) it does sound like lifters.

It could be a case of just getting some Nulon Lifter free solution to chuck in. I had that happen awhile ago, I did 2 engine flushes, lifter than changed it to Penrite oil and it was sweet as.

It was just a quick look and when I get access to a different computer I'll probably be able to hear it more but it does sound like ticking rather than rattling.

In person what does it sound like? Ticking or rattling?

[sticks1977]

In person what does it sound like? Ticking or rattling?

It does sound like more of a ticking noise than a rattle... to me it sounds like how a car from the 1900's would have ran with using one of them crank handles to start them up.

When I was driving earlier today the noise seemed to go away after 10-15 minutes of being out on the road. Even when I stopped at home and turned the car on again the noise did not appear so it seems to be something that shows up when the engine is cold.

[Habibosaurus]

Ticking that disappears after warm up sounds alot like sticky lifters. Try some lifter free to see if it makes a difference.

Even the best maintained engines can get noisy lifters that are sticky.

When did you last service the car?

Timing chain will sound like a rattle. Put a flathead onto the rocker cover to see if you feel a rattle though it does sound like lifters. :-)

Another cause of noisy lifters is low oil though you would hear this more over longer periods if time.

[SSS]

sticks, that is lifters. I know that sound well.

Check your oil level first, if it's sitting on the low mark, top it up until it is halfway between low and high.

Once you have done that and the oil level is good, take it for a drive, try and keep the revs around 2,000-3,000 rpm for 10-20 mins. This will help pump up the lifter/s so they stop ticking.

If that fails, go and buy a bottle of Nulon lifter free, and follow the directions on the bottle. It will help for about 3-4 weeks, but if the lifter/s are done, the noise will come back.

Also, when cold, what oil pressure are you seeing on the gauge in the dash? over 4 kg/cm^2?

[sticks1977]

Thanks all for the replies - I got a mobile mechanic out today to have a look at the car and he suggested it was the lifters. He checked the oil level and it was low and said that I probably had 10W oil in there, I had 5L of 20W-50 hanging around in the garage so he drained out the oil and re-filled the engine with the thicker oil.

Sure enough turns the car on and the sound is nowhere to be heard - has seemed to do the trick! I will keep my eye though on the oil level just to make sure I am not leaking oil. In regards to the oil level gauge on the dashboard - I will check this in the morning to see what it is ranging between.

[pedro666]

i found that castrol oil burned real quick(took a week to get to half way after oil change!) seemed to evaporate. i found penrite to be the best when i had a KA with same thing happened. keep an eye on your level

[SSS]

Yeah that is the thing....run 20W-50 oil, these hydraulic lifters seem to not like anything lower.