Engine noise and wear...

[skyship]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Some of the engines that are most noted for piston slap are also some of the most longest-lasting engines out there. Examples: Ford Modulars, Chevy V-8s, Honda K-series, etc.
I don't know if you can correlate noise with wear, but you sure can't seem to correlate it with longevity. Many noisy engines last forever.


Engine rattle just after a cold start is interesting because it can indicate that the oil is too thick, BUT when an engine rattles when hot the oil might be too thin.
The correlation between rattles and engine wear is a complex one, because you can kill a hot engine rattle by pouring in several cans of oil thickener like STP, the only problem is that it thickens up the oil so much it fails to lubricate the bearings correctly when cold in particular and can really kill an old engine very quickly.
The only rattles of real concern are abnormal ones, because some engines always make cold start or hot running rattles that are of no significance and trying to silence them might be a real bad idea.

 

[addyguy]

I had fairly noticeable piston-slap on my old 2002 Cavalier.

It ran the same, and consumed about the same amount of oil for the 100k I had it. Never seemed to cause a reliability problem.

Current 2003 Tribute has the warm-engine tick endemic to the Duratec 3.0, and again seems to causing no real engine problems.

 

[crazyoildude]

Hyundai and kia seems to sometimes make more noise on startup but in most cases its the vvt and injectors that make it sound that way.
New cars are sometimes louder with all the things going on inside the engine.
Some however are big problems make sure the oil light goes off immediatly after start

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: blackandblue

The real question is- does quieter necessarily mean better protected?


Good Lubrication = Quiet

Friction = Noise

Why do people oil door hinges?

There's a limit to how thin an oil can be before it ceases to be an effective lubricant.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: blackandblue

The real question is- does quieter necessarily mean better protected?


Good Lubrication = Quiet

Friction = Noise

Why do people oil door hinges?

There's a limit to how thin an oil can be before it ceases to be an effective lubricant.


My feelings exactly.

 

[Tzu]

I noticed for quite awhile our '91 Camry 3sfe was extremely quiet when it was running. I did not bother to do any valve adjustments (as were recommeneded by the manual, my bad..), but one day the quiet engine started missing. Come to find out I burnt an exhaust valve because the valve was not seating properly, leaving it open just a bit. After I pulled the head and had it remachined for $300, my engine runs fine now but is a little noiser. All valve clearances in spec now. I bought the valve shim tool off ebay and a couple of new shims from the dealer and all is well. I don't know if any manufacturer still uses shims, but I learned the hard way to keep the valves adjusted. So I would rather hear a little noise on that engine. Knocking is one thing, ticking is another.

 

[Propflux01]

Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
Hyundai and kia seems to sometimes make more noise on startup but in most cases its the vvt and injectors that make it sound that way.


What in the VVT would cause noise?

 

[accent2012]

Originally Posted By: Tim H.
Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
Hyundai and kia seems to sometimes make more noise on startup but in most cases its the vvt and injectors that make it sound that way.


What in the VVT would cause noise?


Well the noise in Kia/hyundai engines depends whether it is GDI or CVVT (like Honda Vtec and the fuel injectors are not in the combustion chamber).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NDddEZnpOQ

my accent uses that engine in the video.

The video shows the metal that makes the noise i hear is coated to prolong durability caused by the increase wear in fuel economy.

 

[ksp7498]

This issue is complicated by the fact that many of the noises an engine makes are from parts that aren't even lubricated by engine oil. Often, loud ticking sounds that people think are the lifters or valves are really just the fuel injectors. Alternators, AC compressors, power steering pumps, cooling fans, and other accessories also make a surprising amount of noise. How can we compare the noise level from two engines and conclusively say that the difference is due to the choice of oil and not one of these many other factors?

 

[crazyoildude]

todays engines with all the actuators and controls make noise.