Tappets Noisy!!!

[Boltman]

Hi everyone, I have a general question regarding tappet noise on galants.

I have a 2.5 V6 galant elegance, unfortunately not the VR4 which I would love, bt still a cracking car. I am struggling to find info on the car. Its a 2002 model low milage. It suffers from noisy tappets on start-up, a common concern on cars, but this is so intermittent. It can go weeks without doing it, then off it goes. I have had the tappets replaced under warranty but it has not resolved the issue. Its getting on my wick! Not something I would have expected from a mitsi.

Is this a common problem with the galant V6? Any info would be cool.

Cheers.

[SGHOM]

common problem ?? you bet it is !!

They ALL do it !! :embarasse :embarasse It. the lash adjusters, or hydraulic lifters.
You can either put up with it, or spend around £300 to get a new, improved version ! [ 3mm oil way instead of 1mm ] /yes

[Kieran]

Yeah, dead, dead common issue. It's not detrimental.

Search for forums for 'Lash Adjusters' and you'll find TONS of information.

Also, try this link.

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5388&highlight=lashed

[psbarham]

mine ticks when the oil needs changing , quite a handy reminder when your as eerm whats it called ?

[Boltman]

Cheers for the quick reply guys.

I didn't know about the upgraded lash adjusters with the 3mm oil way. I had the car in the garage 3 times, and they eventually replaced all of them under warranty. I am now wonderng why they didn't put the upgraded versions in, probably cost! Think I will have another word with them.

Its a pain as, don't expect it with a car with 28K on the clock.

On a plus point, I have not owned a car that gets so many looks from people. Plus you don't see many on the road. Would be cool to have the horses of the vR4. I need the turbo's.

Thanks again guys.

[Kieran]

You're welcome. As for the VR-4, yes! I went from a 2.0GLS to a Manual V6 Sport and then to the VR-4. They're mega fast, but drink like you wouldn't believe (especially when you've been used to a V6-24).

Depending on where you are in the country, there's probably a member or two that might show you around their car - and if you fancy one, there's a nice selection in the for sale section - all looked after! :thumbsup:

[gdelargy]

On the way back from Wales with my new 7G VR4 (http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12683), I noticed a slight ticky noise when the engine was cold. Since they're such similar engines, I'm presuming the old VR4 suffers the same lash adjuster issues as the 8G.

Or am I wrong - it is something else?


G

[Nick Mann]

Could well be. Most mitsy engines seem to suffer with the same thing.

[I-S]

My parent's Shogun (6G72 3.0 V6 12v) and my 8g GLS (4G63 2.0 16v) both do it when cold. Mine particularly badly at the moment because, as psbarham said, it needs the oil changing.

Try flushing the engine and changing to a fully synth oil... that might help.

[Opie Oils]

Check the oil viscosity you are using as these cars need around 5w-40 which has good rapid cold flow.

Don't be tempted into thick oils unless there is a good technical reason for it, like excessive oil temperatures for example.

Cheers
Simon

[Kieran]

In my experience of these cars (having owned a 2.0GLS, a 2.5V6 and the VR-4), it doesn't really make much difference whether it's a 10w, a 5w or whatever on these engines. As soon as the oil starts to go off, (usually a VR-4 is nicely mangling it's oil after about 3K) the ticking comes back. As for the V6-24, well, it's a little kinder on its oil, but the same applies.

Flush it, get a *decent* oil brand in there (No Halfraud's thankyou!) and away you should go.....


....for about another 5000 miles on the V6... /grr

[sydkhan]

hmm i had the same issue on my v6 24 and got the engine flush but tappets still make noise putted in decent make oil the garage said you need to adjust the tappet and its not worth it and besiedes it doesnt harm the engine or car in any way other then noise.
is he right?

[Nick Mann]

The tappets are self adjusting. The ticking noise arrives when they get clogged and can no lonegr adjust themselves properly. As they use the engine oil to adjust themselves, the dirtier the oil the more ticking you will hear.

It is possible to clean them - I have - but there is no guarantee of how long this fix will last. Mine are getting noisy again already and I have only done a couple of thousand miles!

I think you are right in that there is not much if any damage going on.

[Dream Weaver]

The curse of the Mitsubishi !

[kookie]

Have just changed the oil on mine(2.4GDi) and added a can of WYNNS, after a week the noise has got a lot less, don' know if i have done the right thing though. maybe someone will tell me.

[Nick Mann]

Nothing wrong with that. Many people have got good things to say about amsoil. Several members believe that it has solved there ticking overnight.

[Opie Oils]

In response to the question about WYNNS.

I am not an advocate of oil addatives, they should not be needed if a decent correct grade oil is used. Often the ticking is caused by poor cold oil flow and we have found the likes of 5w-40 (due to its better flow characteristics) against a 10w or 15w to be the best cure.

Cheers
Smon

[lboots]

My V6 sport tappets where ticking slighty when i used mobil 1 oil(to thin) now i,m using 10/40 semi syn its all gone,

[RugbyPete]

**tried to delete this duplicate post**

[RugbyPete]

My V6 sport tappets where ticking slighty when i used mobil 1 oil(to thin) now i,m using 10/40 semi syn its all gone,
I can hear mine with the windows down listening next to a wall now I'm on a 5w, I'm going to try a 10w40 next too, cos it never made the noise before the oil change (that was 10w/40 semi)
Silent when warm.

I just don't think my cars a fan of thinner oils, to be honest im a little scared of thin oils on 90k+ engines, the 200sx was on 0w mobil1 and the engine was fooked after 12 months normal use.

You dont reckon the 10w sits up there longer, meanign next start oils already at the source??

I'm liking the look of the Motul 8100 synthetic, i reckon it may help, and its the cheapest synthetic i can find from a good name. At £27.99 discounted it's a steal

[bogan_bob]

ahhh dam it. I was hoping to get away from silly little issues like this by buying a newer car!! If anyone knows the RB30e engine (in a r31 skyline) they ll know the same problem is all too common.....

but realisticly, under normal driving conditions, just put up with the noise and its no great drama :)

[RugbyPete]

It seems even newer mitsubishi's and LExiiii also have the same problem regardless of age

Some use Wynnes stuff but I wouldnt trust it floating around the rest of the engine.

[ralliart-type-s]

I used that castrol edge in its 0w 30 guise and the engine sounds a lot better generally, but still has a ticky fit now and again. I find that if I start the engine and it ticks excessively I turn the engine off and restart after a 2 sec wait, this usually gets shot of it, then after my 5 min warm up im off!

[valleyforge1]

/Hmmm I seem to have the problem with the tappets as well, on my 2.0 16v.On asking about it I was told to change the oil and so put 10w-40 semi-synth in.As you guys say, the prob went for a while but then ,came back late.Its mostly when you rev the car shes fine and then when she comes down to a tick over you hear the tappets and then everythings ok.Doesnt affect the perfotmence of the car tho. Seems like one of those annoying things you have to live with then/Grrr

[Kieran]

/Hmmm I seem to have the problem with the tappets as well, on my 2.0 16v.On asking about it I was told to change the oil and so put 10w-40 semi-synth in.As you guys say, the prob went for a while but then ,came back late.Its mostly when you rev the car shes fine and then when she comes down to a tick over you hear the tappets and then everythings ok.Doesnt affect the perfotmence of the car tho. Seems like one of those annoying things you have to live with then/Grrr

Pretty much. My GLS wasn't too bad - My V6 was okay, my VR-4 used to tap the complete works of Shakespeare in Morse Code untill I triple flushed her one afternoon - That and switching to Amsoil has kept her quiet ever since.

[Opie Oils]

Good value the 8100, wich one you looking at, 5w-40?

Cheers

Guy.

[RugbyPete]

yeah, and 10w-40 for summer, this is the uk, start up flow shouldnt be an issue any time of year here!

Although, i hear its snowing this weekend! After the hot week we've had?? :¬o

Weathers messed up...

[6a13]

Speaking as a new member myself, welcome to the club.

I have a V6 Sport on standard lash adjusters and get occasional tappet noise.
I changed 4 tappets 12 months ago that were realy noisy and now use good quality 10w 40 semi synthetic and genuine filter.
I find when i get tapping on startup, switching on and off a couple of times sorts it out.
A small blemish on an overall superb car.
Well worth the £20 quid to join. Lots of info on here that is relevant to V6 sport.
catch you later
Andy

[RugbyPete]

Who's he welcoming?

[Nick Mann]

Why don't you ask him? /pan

I would imagine that the answer 6a13 gave was aimed at the first post of the thread. He probably didn't realise that you had bumped a thread that was a year old!!

[6a13]

Sorry.
post in newbies area.
I can make a fool of myself on my own in a dark room. no help needed

[Nick Mann]

No need to apologise, Andy! I think that Pete was more confused than anyone else!! :P

[Goku]

So, I have a question, can you get the 3mm lifters for the 6A12 - 6A13 ?

I cannot find them anywhere...

[Davezj]

Hey you guys give some pritty sound info.

I had noisy lash's gave the engine a dave special flush (not to for the faint harted but did the trick) and flush the flush with crap 20w50 oil,and take it for a wee spin and then change that for a good quality oil and had no problem since. i didn't go for amsoil, but i have had there oils in the past and it realy does last a lot longer in the engine than chaeper oils.

I replace my oil every 3-4K mile when i have a bit of free time and i have it done to a 'T' about 20mins. The cat litter tray works a treat as a drip try no jacking required due to the low profile cat litter try.

Dead easy and hope this helps Dave.

[RugbyPete]

Mines getting louder and more common.

I'm switching to 10-40 Castrol GTX soon after recommendation from those oil nerds forum (probably the only castrol i'd trust but there you go), I'll let you know how a thicker oil affects it.
We can then work out why and how!

[TAR]

[QUOTE=Davezj The cat litter tray works a treat as a drip try no jacking required due to the low profile cat litter try.

Dave.[/QUOTE]


Do you have a short legged cat then Dave?????:thinking:

[Nick Mann]

So, I have a question, can you get the 3mm lifters for the 6A12 - 6A13 ?

I cannot find them anywhere...


I don't know about sourcing in NZ, but in the UK you could do worse than pri racing.
Remember that different versions of the same engine may need different lashers. The V6-24 and the VR4 use different versions, for example. (6A13 and 6A13TT)

[Davezj]

Do you have a short legged cat then Dave?????:thinking:

You mean you haven't got one yet, low profile cats are all the rage up here in manchester. they grow to about 4" high so they need steps to get in the litter tray.

[Goku]

I don't know about sourcing in NZ, but in the UK you could do worse than pri racing.
Remember that different versions of the same engine may need different lashers. The V6-24 and the VR4 use different versions, for example. (6A13 and 6A13TT)

Yea, I already checked that. the 6A12TT and the 6A13TT use the same ones. According to Mitsubishi anyways.

Also, that 10w 40 Magnatec doesn't quieten down the lifters, mine were still just as noisy after using it for 3-4 oil changes.

[amsoil]

Silly me , I thought forum members had already forund that Amsoil got rid of the tappet noise in most cases. A lot cheaper than modded lifters and the best oil as a bonus, or am I wrong?

[pitslayer]

since changing to amsoil, the engine runs smoother, still taps like mad, and to be fair havnt noticed much difference with it.....but ill tell you what i found to cure the noisey tappet, and it works every time....just turn the stereo up, soon disapears....i mean to be honest i really dont care for the care any more, i still look after it, engine is checked over weekly, oil is checked every few days and so are all other fluids every few weeks has brake checks etc, ill get the tappet replaced when i sell it......its due for an oil change soon, so going to be engine flush and some normal synth oil stuck in.

going offtopic, is amsoil engine flush safe to use on old engines???? ive heard horror storys on other forums, where people have run an engine flush through the old engine and its started to knock.......
ive got a 97 seat toledo its never ever been serviced or had an oil change done on it or cambelt lol.....i wanna flush the engine out, really could do with it, but is the amsoil engine flush going to harm it, because its old and what some would call high milage, but then again on here a 97 car with anything over 100k on the clock is high mileage?????
just curious, its got an mot on wensday, and its so smokey and so loud just wants to put it bluntly....de ****ting lol
excuse my french...cheers.....sorry for hijack

[pitslayer]

why does this forum do this to me lol.....i click quick reply, i write out my message, i click submit....it submits reply, then puts me onto the advanced reply screen....at which point i go....hmm i must of clicked preview....and post it again lol
sorry

[bradc]

it does that when you swear and it ***'s something out

[Nick Mann]

Silly me , I thought forum members had already forund that Amsoil got rid of the tappet noise in most cases. A lot cheaper than modded lifters and the best oil as a bonus, or am I wrong?

Some members.

It helped with mine, but did not cure it. A combination of Amsoil and new lifters means I haven't heard a single tap for nearly 10,000 miles now. :thumbsup:

That reminds me, I must order some 5W40 and a filter from your good self in the near future!

[pezza]

I finally got round to fitting a new set of tappets and yes the difference is well worth it... I can understand that the perception of the car being smoother and quicker could be playing some insane mind trick :thinking: but the car definitely is perkier and thats from running on standard boost.

Every single OE tappet removed from my 150K miler lump was solid with NO spring movement and it was explained that this would be affecting valve timings etc due to the mm of extra travel, affecting air /mixture etc..

I have yet to give the car a good ragging (to test the SAYC experience :D ) or up the boost but early signs are that its worth the effort to getting them changed if the several oil changes with flushes have no effect.

[Nick Mann]

Every single OE tappet removed from my 150K miler lump was solid with NO spring movement and it was explained that this would be affecting valve timings etc due to the mm of extra travel, affecting air /mixture etc..

This should be the case, D. The mechanism is supposed to hydraulically lock in place. If you shove a 1mm drill bit down the middle from the top you should be able to release the mecahnism and the pressure, thus allowing you to test the spring. Remember it will shoot nasty oil at you when you do that though!!

[Rambaud]

The only way to get rid of tappet noise on my Audi 90q on a permanent basis was to replace all of them at around 100,000 miles; and I continued with my 5000 mile oil & filter changes.

Result = engine still quiet at 150,000 miles when I sold it. :)

[amsoil]

Anyone got a couple of old faulty lifters they can send me (or put some good pics up here with the components disasembled? (cause lots of cars have this problem and there may be ways of sorting them depending upon the exact design.
A few other bits too as brought up. Cold oil flow is measured at different temperatures because the different oils of the same grade start to 'flow' at very different temperatures. (you have to think alot about this one) Flow also doesn't mean what you think ! Flow is taken literally in the scientific manner ie if you turn the tub of oil on its side and after a few seconds can see some deformation or movement then it is 'flowing' (guess the same guys will tell you that glass is a liquid!) So it your oil is rated as flowing at -20 and you actually succeed in starting it at -10 don't bee too surprised if you run the bearings.
To answer pitslayers question... Amsoil Flush is as safe as any (and safer than most) but ... with 10 years without a service you are really on your own. You could be running on water or tar.
High milage used to be 60-80K in the days of the old escorts; now its just run in on a car thats properly serviced. A well loved car should be good for 200K or 300K but a dneglected one may still only be as good as the MK1 Escort was. The improvement is down to better lubrication and better engineering , they have to go hand in hand.
Not all oils are equal, (without mentioning what I promote which is better than Mobil 1) there are results out there that show Havoline to produce 3 times the wear of Mobil 1 ! (similar 30 weight oils tested to ASTM d-4172) and havoline wasn't the worst.

[Nick Mann]

Anyone got a couple of old faulty lifters they can send me

Don - are you going to be at Japfest? I have a full set of used ones you can have - but which ones are knackered I don't know.

[amsoil]

We had always planned to this year but have had to pull out as I have a wedding to go to, if anyone thinks that I could take it easy and do the next day they don't know me too well.

[ralliart-type-s]

since changing to amsoil, the engine runs smoother, still taps like mad, and to be fair havnt noticed much difference with it.....but ill tell you what i found to cure the noisey tappet, and it works every time....just turn the stereo up, soon disapears....i mean to be honest i really dont care for the care any more, i still look after it, engine is checked over weekly, oil is checked every few days and so are all other fluids every few weeks has brake checks etc, ill get the tappet replaced when i sell it......its due for an oil change soon, so going to be engine flush and some normal synth oil stuck in.

going offtopic, is amsoil engine flush safe to use on old engines???? ive heard horror storys on other forums, where people have run an engine flush through the old engine and its started to knock.......
ive got a 97 seat toledo its never ever been serviced or had an oil change done on it or cambelt lol.....i wanna flush the engine out, really could do with it, but is the amsoil engine flush going to harm it, because its old and what some would call high milage, but then again on here a 97 car with anything over 100k on the clock is high mileage?????
just curious, its got an mot on wensday, and its so smokey and so loud just wants to put it bluntly....de ****ting lol
excuse my french...cheers.....sorry for hijack


If you use a flush in an old engine you are removing varnishes etc which actually keep the engine within tolerances. Removing these deposits can make the engine knock as then you have increased the tolerance, ie taken material out of bearings etc. The same goes for using fully synth oils in old engines (unless rebuilt) in that mineral oils are made up from molecules that vary in size thus filling in tiny gaps/apertures and stuff. fully synth oils are manufactured to have a uniform molecular structure and lack the smaller "crevice" filling molecules.