Noisy lifter??

[bbrence]

Any comments or advice would be greatly appreciated...........

At idle, I am hearing a mildly audible tick tick tick tick. The sound begins only after the engine is fully warm, and disappears at about 1,100 rpm and above.
At 7,500 miles, I just went to a synthetic oil [Valvoline 5W20] and a K&N oil filter. The sound seems to be slightly louder since the change, but it was there beforehand. You can only hear it clearly in the quiet garage or a similar quiet location.....with the windows down.

1. Is a certain amount of valve train noise normal for the 32V OHC engine?
2. What might cause the noice? Weak valve spring?
3. Do the valves need adjustment on this engine?

As you can see by my questions, I am assuming the noise is coming from the top end. A good assumption do you think?

Thanks,

[ausie]

I have had a similar experience but did not last very long. I do know that the fuel injectors make some noise as well as the Eaton. But what I heard sounded like a valve or lifter. I had a few miles on a different oil Lucas synthetic (along with some oil additive which is probably what caused the noise) and this was the same time I could not remove the oil filter except in pieces when I decided to change the oil back to Royal Purple. It may be the hydrolic tensoners on the timing chain. Hopefully it is not what you think it is. It may be as simple as a bad weep (seep?) valve in the oil filter or it may be an idication of loss of oil pressure in the heads. The K&N filter may be reducing the oil pressure to some degree. I would at least try a different filter Mobil 1 or motorcraft and see if that changes anything. You can change the filter without loosing too much oil.

[bbrence]

Thanks for the info. I will change filters and see if it makes a difference.

I realize their is some noise associated with the injectors, SC, valves, etc. This one slightly stands out from the rest of the general low noise level. Just enough to be annoying.

[ausie]

Warm engine, ticking sound... Some other thoughts perhaps worth investigating: inspect spark plugs for blow-by, could be a header leak. If the noise is reminicent of a diesel engine it could be piston slap (which should go away once the motor warms up, but if severe rounding of the pistons has occured it will not). I may hear piston slap on cold mornings but it is barely noticable (typically let the motor warm up before driving to reduce wear and allows the pistons to expand. If something is out of whack with the valve train and becomes persistent, it could be taken in under warranty.