Motor Ticks at Startup...

[bennybigb]

Hey guys I have a 1995 GMC half ton truck with a 350 V8. Motor motor is starting to tick at startup, then it quickly clears up.

What kind of oil should I use to help this?

I was thinking Quaker State Defy 5-30. I think in the past I've used 10-30 or 10-40 by various brands.

Thanks,

Ben

 

[beaker60]

Ben,,,Arthur here,,,a couple of questions
1.How many miles on the engine?
2.How often are your oil changes
3.What type of fuel system,,TBI I'm guessing
4.What kind of driving conditions,,highway,short or long trips?

The reason I ask these questions is,,more than likely,you're starting to get a little sludge buildup and this will cause the lifters to start sticking,plus,,you're probably getting into the realm of dry starts,,oil can't be pumped as quickly.Also,,what happens to a lot of these engines,,the pushrod passages get a little clogged up,retarding the flow of oil to the rocker arms for a short period of time.There's nothing unusual about this,,but do me a huge favor,,,some shops,technicians,,,whatever,,will recommend an "engine flush",,,DO NOT DO THIS,,,engine flush chemicals are nothing more than kerosene that has been labeled differently.This stuff WILL wash out your bearings on the lower end.I recommend that,,if you can afford it,,,run some 5w30 for about 1000 miles,,change the oil and replace the filter,,repeat this process about 3 times,,and please,,no matter what you hear,,Please,Please,Please,,,use an AC filter,,do not fall into this marketing trap about how,,this filter removes so many microns,,so on and so on.Now,,once you have done this,,go back to using whatever weight of oil you were using originally.What should happen is the lighter oil will wash away a lot of the sludge without doing any damage,,and again,,that depends on the answer to the above questions.Try this and get back to me.

 

[bennybigb]

Thanks I will give this a try.

I have about 200,000 miles on the truck. I only drive the truck in the summer time, I use it to transport my karts and gear to the local kart track. I don't pull a trailer with it very often, most of the racing equipment gets put in the back of the truck.

I've only been changing the oil every year or so, I thought I was OK because I only drive it about 3,000 miles a year, mostly on freeways, but after reading Bob's I am thinking I should be doing oil changes every 6 months at least.

I baby this truck, 60mph down the freeway, maybe I drive it too easy? Should I run it up to 75 to excersise the motor a bit?

Thanks Arthur!!!

 

[Dupree]

Originally Posted By: beaker60
Ben,,,Arthur here,,,a couple of questions
1.How many miles on the engine?
2.How often are your oil changes
3.What type of fuel system,,TBI I'm guessing
4.What kind of driving conditions,,highway,short or long trips?

The reason I ask these questions is,,more than likely,you're starting to get a little sludge buildup and this will cause the lifters to start sticking,plus,,you're probably getting into the realm of dry starts,,oil can't be pumped as quickly.Also,,what happens to a lot of these engines,,the pushrod passages get a little clogged up,retarding the flow of oil to the rocker arms for a short period of time.There's nothing unusual about this,,but do me a huge favor,,,some shops,technicians,,,whatever,,will recommend an "engine flush",,,DO NOT DO THIS,,,engine flush chemicals are nothing more than kerosene that has been labeled differently.This stuff WILL wash out your bearings on the lower end.I recommend that,,if you can afford it,,,run some 5w30 for about 1000 miles,,change the oil and replace the filter,,repeat this process about 3 times,,and please,,no matter what you hear,,Please,Please,Please,,,use an AC filter,,do not fall into this marketing trap about how,,this filter removes so many microns,,so on and so on.Now,,once you have done this,,go back to using whatever weight of oil you were using originally.What should happen is the lighter oil will wash away a lot of the sludge without doing any damage,,and again,,that depends on the answer to the above questions.Try this and get back to me.


generalizing all flushes as kerosene......wrong. There are many flushes that are trusted on here, most are slower working but indeed a flush or engine cleaner.
so a 5w30 is lighter than 10w30, they should both run the same cst at operational temperature, with regard to differences brand to brand. You would be better off looking for more calcium, or other detergents in your oil rather than lowering startup viscosity.
and what makes all filters doodey except ac, ac makes a good product but this is just silly.

 

[tommygunn]

Try another brand of filters, the oil may be draining out of the filter overnight and try a 5W oil.

 

[LeakySeals]

Sounds like poor oil flow at startup. Could be the filter getting clogged or has a problem with the adbv. Could be it just needs a cleanup, lifters are sticky. You will get a lot of suggestions about cleaners. I use a chemical called Kreen that I learned about on here. Its so toxic its not sold retail, Can only be bought online. 1/2 quart of that stuff in the oil ticks are gone almost immediately. Leave it in for a few hundred then change your oil.

 

[LeakySeals]

Also for anti-ticking oil - I use Mobil 1 High Mileage oil for both older cars (and former tickers)in my sig. They are very quiet using this oil (and one Kreen run as stated above). Its a thicker synthetic for its grade, with extra cleaners, seal conditioners/swellers etc. available at walmart.

 

[jstutz]

I may have missed it but does the noise change at all after an oil change or any time during the OCI. It sounds like you have taken care of it pretty well. There is a possibility that you are leaking a little antifreeze is seeping through the lower intake manifold gasket and causing a lifter to get sticky. If this is the case, it would most likely clear up after a oil change and come back toward the end. You cannot always tell by looking at your oil if this is indeed the case. On the other hand between me and many family members we have owned a lot of 4.3L and 5.7L chevys and many of them have a small tick/knock at start up and no problems have ever emerged. As of now there are 4 of them in my family and all of them are over 200K miles.

I have an older 93 truck with a 4.3L that has had a tick upon start up since i got it at 95K miles. I have tried thin and thick oils in it. The thin oils did seem to help the ticking but it would leak through my valve stem seals and burn more oil. From that point on i ran 15w40 and 10w40 for the next 100K miles and the ticking has not gotten worse or better. It appears to not be an issue. I live in NC where it is a bit warmer than where you are so im not sure i would go with the 15w40 but any good High Mileage oil could not hurt. Remember, just because its High Mileage dont necessarily indicate it is thicker. There are a few on the market that are about the same thickness as there standard oil . Pennzoil High Mileage might be one of them but you will have to double check. Another good option for you would be rotella 10w30. Its on the thicker side of 30 weight with great cleaning ability, great add pack and easily available.

 

[Torrid]

GM V8s are tick machines. My GTO does it on start up on cold mornings. I've been using ZDDP additive which helps the noise, but isn't 100% necessary. A lot of guys with GTOs use additive, Mobil 1 0w40, or 5w40 diesel oil. I stick to 5w30.