Silverado cold start lifter tick

Pennzoil motor oil
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Mossyoakglock

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What could causes be for a cold start lifter tick? This is a 2008 Silverado with 5.3?

Could it be the oil? Something with better cold pumping properties? I'm currently running Pennzoil Platinum 5w30. What about adding seafoam or something to the oil? Is that advised?

I noticed that Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage has better MRV than the PP (10500 vs 9500). Is that not enough of a separation to make a difference?

Are Castrol Edge and Quaker State Ultimate Durability good choices?

Side note: I did notice that after only maybe 500 I am almost a quart low (more interstate driving than normal) so I want to switch to see if there is another oil that burns less.
 
PP is a fine oil. I see you live in TN, you don't have a cold flow problem with that oil. How many miles are on the vehicle, and what kind of oil filter are you using? Burning a quart of oil in 500 miles indicates to me a leak, or a very bad PCV valve, or mechanical issues [sticking rings, or bad valve seals or guides, or all three]. You can do a compression check, and/or a cylinder leak down test, or take the easy route skipping those tests and try Kreen.

Edge and Quaker State Ultimate Durability are good oils, but I don't think they are going to help much. A High Mileage oil might help a little with consumption. I'd check what I mentioned above and consider a Kreen treatment if the PCV checks OK and there are no leaks before I did a compression test or leak down test. I'm lazy. If the rings are sticking Kreen might help.
 
It won't let me edit my post but I found some numbers for other oils.

PP Platinum PP High Mileage Quaker State Ultimate Durability Castrol
CCS 4000 4100 4930 6000
MRV 10500 9900 12400 35000/40000

Why such a huge different in the numbers for Castrol vs the others?
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
PP is a fine oil. I see you live in TN, you don't have a cold flow problem with that oil. How many miles are on the vehicle, and what kind of oil filter are you using? Burning a quart of oil in 500 miles indicates to me a leak, or a very bad PCV valve, or mechanical issues [sticking rings, or bad valve seals or guides, or all three]. You can do a compression check, and/or a cylinder leak down test, or take the easy route skipping those tests and try Kreen.

Edge and Quaker State Ultimate Durability are good oils, but I don't think they are going to help much. A High Mileage oil might help a little with consumption. I'd check what I mentioned above and consider a Kreen treatment if the PCV checks OK and there are no leaks before I did a compression test or leak down test. I'm lazy. If the rings are sticking Kreen might help.


I have ~130,000 miles on the truck. It has AFM so it's part of the batch of notorious oil burners due to AFM. I'm using a Wix filter as well. I don't have any other issues, etc. Just the random cold start tick when it's really cold (around 20 degrees). My truck sits in the garage and it doesn't do it when it's been in the garage. It only does it if it's been sitting outside overnight when we are hunting.

Edit: The 08 5.3 does not have a PCV valve either.
 
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Originally Posted By: Mossyoakglock
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
PP is a fine oil. I see you live in TN, you don't have a cold flow problem with that oil. How many miles are on the vehicle, and what kind of oil filter are you using? Burning a quart of oil in 500 miles indicates to me a leak, or a very bad PCV valve, or mechanical issues [sticking rings, or bad valve seals or guides, or all three]. You can do a compression check, and/or a cylinder leak down test, or take the easy route skipping those tests and try Kreen.

Edge and Quaker State Ultimate Durability are good oils, but I don't think they are going to help much. A High Mileage oil might help a little with consumption. I'd check what I mentioned above and consider a Kreen treatment if the PCV checks OK and there are no leaks before I did a compression test or leak down test. I'm lazy. If the rings are sticking Kreen might help.


I have ~130,000 miles on the truck. It has AFM so it's part of the batch of notorious oil burners due to AFM. I'm using a Wix filter as well. I don't have any other issues, etc. Just the random cold start tick when it's really cold (around 20 degrees). My truck sits in the garage and it doesn't do it when it's been in the garage. It only does it if it's been sitting outside overnight when we are hunting.

Edit: The 08 5.3 does not have a PCV valve either.


OK so we can safely rule out the PCV valve. I was giving the order I use to check for high consumption, and PCV is high on the list, and used in many applications. I'd probably give Kreen a shot, and see if it helps with the tick and consumption. A High Mileage oil might help, and I'd consider trying a OE oil filter, you could have an issue with the filter causing the tick, it's worth a shot.
 
My 2005 truck had the classic piston slap/tick in the morning when starting at 20-35 degrees. Had the sound for about 2 years, when I changed the oil to BC 0w-30, it went away. Not sure if it really was the oil or if I just lucked out.
 
There are 1000s if not 10s of thousands of posts/threads about this on the net...i have read about 500 of them and gave up lol. Basically if you have a 5.3 you just get used to it.

There are claims of running atf, berrymans and lucas that 'fixed' the problem.. I have 230K on my 2003 and have a buddy that has a 2005 with 425K both have same ticking... but it just seems to be a noise to these great engines.
 
I'd try something thicker that still works in the cold - Mobil 1 0W-40; Castrol EDGE 0W-40; RT6 5W-40..etc...

Sometimes that seems to help these engines.
 
I have the lifter tick on my 03 gmc and have considered changing out the lifter. You can get a set of ls7 lifters for about $180. Bad part is you have to pull the heads to change the lifters out. So new head gaskets also along with new torque to yield head bolts.
 
My son-in-laws 2010(?) 5.3 w AFM was doing the same thing. Burning oil, ticking, missing (oil fouled plug). The independent shop soaked the piston/piston rings of the AFM involved overnight. Installed new plugs, turned OFF the AFE system and gave it a Italian tune-up. Everything cleaned up and ran great. Two ways to keep it from happening again. Turn AFM off, they did with a program, OR be sure and change oil every 3K miles. It seems the oil gets burnt onto the ring landings from pumping air only which heats up the piston and rings, which sticks the rings, which starts the oil burning. The truck has since gone over 10K miles since being worked on. ZERO problems and it gets the same mileage. GM knows all about this........
 
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GMs AFM: another technology that brings more misery to the table than intended results. How many have turned this feature off and reported about the same mpg? The day I can’t buy a vehicle without cylinder shutdown is the day I go electric.
 
Adding Seafoam can make ticking worse. save that stuff for your lawn mower. I get that similar ticking/piston slap off and on as well. My 6.0 does it more with PP than it does with Mobil 1. Does it more with a Fram Ultra than it does with the Fram tough guard. So right now its real cold here and it's not doing it at all with a Mobil 1 extended/Fram tough guard combo. Your 5.3 may like that as well. Worth a try next change
 
Originally Posted By: Mossyoakglock
It won't let me edit my post but I found some numbers for other oils.

PP Platinum PP High Mileage Quaker State Ultimate Durability Castrol
CCS 4000 4100 4930 6000
MRV 10500 9900 12400 35000/40000

Why such a huge different in the numbers for Castrol vs the others?


Castrol often posts just the limits for the grade, not the actual value for their product.
 
I don't think any oil filter can affect "tick".

Once the engine starts and oil pressure comes up,
any oil pressure related noises should all go away.
 
AFM is off. Has been off since about 50k. I would have done it soon but didn’t know about tunes, etc. it only does the tick for about 10-15 seconds then goes away. I was using Mobil 1 Extended Performance with a Wix and got no tick. It started consuming more so I switched to PP. Then it just started after the PP switch so I’m guessing it’s the reason.

I think I’m going to try Castrol and if that doesn’t do it go with Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage. Is there a better HM over others?
 
I say get use to it! I had an 09 Sierra with the 5.3 and it did it all the time. Not only that, but shortly after I put some miles on it, it started rattling like an old Diesel!
mad.gif


Numerous trips to the dealer, GM wanting more miles on it first, numerous frustrating interactions and finally a new motor.
First they replaced the known, less than adequate lifters, to no avail, then a piston pin on cyl #4, to no avail, then finally a new motor. Said piston sleeve #4 was out of round??

New motor still had the dreaded lifter tick but at least the embarrassing diesel sound was gone. People asked me why I bought it diesel, it was that bad.

Long story short, and after this new engine started leaking oil and also being sick and tired of the sluggishness, being a dog of an engine power wise, I traded it in on a new Ram Hemi and I haven't looked back, not once!

Worst truck/engine I have ever owned and I was GM forever. My Ram is now coming up on being 5 yrs old, and it still puts a smile on my face, everyday, especially when I can leave those dog powered 5.3's in my dust!
cheers3.gif


Tons of info around about the 5.3's being dogs, and generally a terrible engine.
http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/184478-2016-silverado-sluggish-in-1st-and-2nd-gear/
 
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