South Louisiana got some rare single digit cold and snow weather the last few days. I've always had a start up rattle even after replacing all my timing chain components in 2023. Surprisingly, the last two mornings after sitting all night in 6* - 9* weather, NO start up rattle. I'm baffled and wondering if this is a tell tail sign to a different problem? I'm using 5w-30 oil. now that the temps are back up, so is the noise. Any thoughts why the cold weather eliminated the start up rattle/engine noise?
Noisy engine quiet in Cold Weather
- Thread starter NewC-05
- Start date
What is the year, vehicle & engine?
Startup rattle could also be the oil filter anti drain back valve(ADBV) &/or the location of the filter especially if the filter is mounted sideways on the engine.
I had the worst startup rattle on an ‘04 Nissan Altima 2.5L. However if I parked the car tilted lower on the passenger side/filter side, there was no rattle.
Startup rattle could also be the oil filter anti drain back valve(ADBV) &/or the location of the filter especially if the filter is mounted sideways on the engine.
I had the worst startup rattle on an ‘04 Nissan Altima 2.5L. However if I parked the car tilted lower on the passenger side/filter side, there was no rattle.
Last edited:
Chevy Colorado 2.9L Atlas 4 cylinder. Pennzoil/Fram XG filter
IMO, these startup rattle issues on engines are a hit or miss situation.
You can keep trying different filters & oil grades to eliminate the rattle.
Seems as though you did all you could by replacing the timing chain & components.
Also, it seems as though the oil filter isn't holding in enough oil for a good startup w/o rattling.
even though the filter has a silicone ADBV which is supposed to seal better to keep the filter full(er) after shutdown.
What I do know is that in my situation, by oversizing my filters, it seemed to make the rattle worst when I though it would have made it better. And a Rubber or Silicone ADBV didn't seem to matter. Also in my situation, warmer temps were better than cold days below 50*F.
You can keep trying different filters & oil grades to eliminate the rattle.
Seems as though you did all you could by replacing the timing chain & components.
Also, it seems as though the oil filter isn't holding in enough oil for a good startup w/o rattling.
even though the filter has a silicone ADBV which is supposed to seal better to keep the filter full(er) after shutdown.
What I do know is that in my situation, by oversizing my filters, it seemed to make the rattle worst when I though it would have made it better. And a Rubber or Silicone ADBV didn't seem to matter. Also in my situation, warmer temps were better than cold days below 50*F.
Tcp71 -- didn't realize that temp plays a bigger part then weight. kinda makes sense, I've tried thinner and thicker oil weights through out the years with no luck. (see my other posts). its done it since 23k miles, now sitting at 136k miles so no biggie, just an annoyance. like other have mentioned, you never know what you get when buying a used vehicle
CharBaby -- yep, tried a bigger filter also with no luck. one trick that helped a little was overfilling it by a quart. I didn't think that was a good long term solution. i'm thinking way outside the box, but what about metal contracting? like connecting rod bearings, crank bearings, oil pump components ? just a thought ...
CharBaby -- yep, tried a bigger filter also with no luck. one trick that helped a little was overfilling it by a quart. I didn't think that was a good long term solution. i'm thinking way outside the box, but what about metal contracting? like connecting rod bearings, crank bearings, oil pump components ? just a thought ...
My 05 Silverado 4.8L has some lifter noise on cold start (no piston slap though) but in really cold weather (below -10c) it is completely silent until it runs for at least 20 seconds then the noise will start until it warms up a bit.
Here is a chart of 5w30 kinematic viscosity at low temps. If you have a small piston with a seal such as in a chain tensioner, oil at - 10 C is will probably not bypass any leaky seals. Bittogers will argue all day long of the merits of 9 cp vs 12 cp. Try 500 cp.
Last edited:
If you have done the timing chain, then the noise is from oil draining out of the tensioner.
I’ve had the noise on and off on my G5 since I started driving it; only time it was completely gone was an interval with GTX HM 5W-30; and an interval where I added a pint of Bardahl thickener to a full crankcase, and thickened and overfilled the oil.
I wouldn’t go a full quart overfill, but a half-quart of ‘thickener’ - STP, 20W-50 oil of some kind, even Lucas might be the answer.
I’ve had the noise on and off on my G5 since I started driving it; only time it was completely gone was an interval with GTX HM 5W-30; and an interval where I added a pint of Bardahl thickener to a full crankcase, and thickened and overfilled the oil.
I wouldn’t go a full quart overfill, but a half-quart of ‘thickener’ - STP, 20W-50 oil of some kind, even Lucas might be the answer.
Pretty sure I'm the only person who would pre fill the cartridge filter on those ecotecs when I worked in a Pennzoil express lube 13 years ago. They would all rattle from the timing chain when starter immediately after an oil change until I started doing that.
How do you do that? Do you mean pour oil over the filter media?
Yeah I just held it in my hand and rotated it while I poured it carefully over the media until it was saturated. Very easy filter access made it doable without making a mess.
I guess pre "fill" was an inaccurate word. Either way it was enough oil to stop the timing chain rattle.
Similar threads
- Question