Took a few searches first and it looks like I may be the first unfortunate one to start a thread on this! After the temperatures up here in the Northeast finally reached proper winter levels (~30F), I noticed that my baby is ticking while at idle. I immediately suspected the lifters as despite her low mileage, the first owner fell behind on making routine oil changes. Surprisingly I couldn't find many videos with substance on the topic, but from what I gathered, its likely caused by sludge blocking the pathways that allow oil to flow, resulting in metal on metal contact. Seems the consensus is that ignoring the problem will cause more engine component damage.

The mechanical solution seem to involve taking apart the valve cover and replacing the lifters as they're likely now worn or damaged. However there's also a lot of good feedback on using Liquid Moly's hydraulic lifter additive to resolve the ticking noise and help the oil flow accordingly. I'll likely start down that route and report back on the results.

 

My go-to for noisy lifters used to be CD2 Engine Oil Detergent, which worked every time I tried it, but it was discontinued some years ago.

Since then, I have tried LiquiMoly Hydraulic Lifter Additive, Motul Hydraulic Lifter Care, and Rislone Maximum Performance Engine Treatment. All seem to work as advertised. Amazon carries all three, and the Rislone is available at many auto parts stores and possibly even Walmart.

Cheers,

Don

 

I used Marvel Mystery Oil in a car some many years ago and it completely resolved my noisy lifter issue. The brand name sounds like an Old West snake oil product, but it works quite well and is well regarded.

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences - I grabbed a bottle of Liqui Moly lifter additive and that definitely quieted down the ticking after a few miles.

You can still faintly hear it which leads me to believe something is off under that valve cover but it's been tough to find similar experiences with this car so I might need to crack her open twice to get an idea then source parts

 

Liqui Moly lifter additive