'02 diamante valve noise

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My brother has an 02 Mitsubishi Diamante that he just picked up with 61,000 miles. Had the timing belt done about a month ago. They replaced the tensioner while they were in there, said it was no good. Also had spark plugs done. Now, when starting up cold, after warming up for a few minutes, it starts making noise like marbles rolling around in the engine. Valve clatter maybe? Dunno, but it's very noticable. It goes away after a few minutes, but does not come back until you start it up cold again. Other than that, its running great. I was thinking of giving it an Auto Rx treatment, see what that does. Any ideas?
 
What oil and filter is your brother using? Also is this the 3.5L V6?
 
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The valve lash adjuster has a small ball held by a spring, and uses oil pressure to maintain pressure on the valve. Sounds like this is the source of the problem. Give this a try.

Start off by warming up the engine. Shift into Park or Neutral and rev the engine up to 3000 rpm over a time frame of 15 seconds (as accurately as you can). Once you hit the 15 second mark, release the throttle and let it idle for another 15 seconds. This will complete a full 30 second cycle. Usually within 10 tries, the noise goes away. If it doesn't go away, the VLA isn't the problem.
 
Pennzoil YB 5w-30 & purolator oil and air filter also. Going to change the tranny fluid and filter over the weekend....

Thanks Falcon, ill give that a try....hopefully it isnt the problem....the rear valve cover isnt the easiest to get at with the intake plenum right over it.
 
Try a 10W30 dino (Valvoline white bottle being my favorite) with an OEM Mitsubishi oil filter and see if that cures it.
 
yea u might just need an oil filter with a good anti-drainback valve
 
The oil filter is a vertical down,it's not likely to drain.This is fairly common with the V6 engines,I hope it's not dohc.A flush and then a good oil will sometimes help,then use Falcon's method.If we are after a result without spending money....we use ProMa.....
 
Originally Posted By: SmotalChaos
Pennzoil YB 5w-30 & purolator oil and air filter also. Going to change the tranny fluid and filter over the weekend....

Thanks Falcon, ill give that a try....hopefully it isnt the problem....the rear valve cover isnt the easiest to get at with the intake plenum right over it.


If it is the problem, it's an easy fix. Dirty oil, overfilling and parking the vehicle for long periods of time can cause this. Dirty oil stuck in the ball valve prevents it from getting pressurised and causes it to click. If it's really dirty, then you might want to ARX it, or you might want to switch to PP 5W-30 or 5W-40 Euro to clean things up a bit.
 
Ordered some Auto Rx. Gonna give that a try when it comes. Should I use some HDEO 15w-40 with it for better cleaning? I have another purolator filter, I figure I'll use that for the cleaning, maybe change the filter after 2000 miles, then start a rinse phase after another 2000 miles with a better filter. Hopefully it helps.
 
Pennzoil Long Life Gold 15W-40 would be an excellent choice. It's a Group II, and I've used it in my ARX application as well.
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Yes. Doesn't do it right away when starting it cold. And after a few minutes of making the noise, it goes away. Very odd.
 
Actually then it sounds like HLA's. It might be perfectly normal. Or they could be a little sludgey. Try the arx stuff?
 
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