Not much to it. Started my car one day and it had a considerable ticking noise. It was probably the coldest day so far so the oil was pretty thick so i let the lifters pump up and gain pressure varying RPMS. Yet it didnt help. Im poking around the great forums and I see that a few had an exhaust leak which they swore was a lifter tick. Has anyone had similar issues with a proven fix? It runs great by the way, and no codes present! I'd have it no other way! Thanks in advance.. Dan

Is your car completely stock?

I had an 81 vette that had an exhaust leak where the exhaust manifold met the front exhaust pipe and that made a ticking sound like the lifters were bad on acceleration. So you may want to check and see if you can find an exhaust leak either at the engine block or at the junction of the exhaust manifold and the front exhaust pipe. One way to determine if a joint is leaking is to see if there any traces of carbon residue in the vicinity of the joint.

Matt

How old is the oil and what weight is it? You should be running 5w30.

Dan,

Should I be using 5W30 motor oil even though Pontiac recommends 10W30? Thanks.

Matt

If it'* very cold, 5w30 will stay thinner.

How many miles and what kind of oil are you using? My 96 developed a tick a while back (about 150,000 k) I was using the oil from my local garage. Then one saturday when I had to use Lube shop (couldn't wait) I used Castrol high mileage> about a week later the tick was gone at 195,000 tick has never come back.
I will send you alittle blurb on engine noise read it over then listen to the noise. I have never went to 5/30

Sorry technical difficulties try again later. Incase you are wondering regularly drops around -10 to -15 sometimes -20 not really any colder than that

I just changed the oil about 6 weeks ago and debated for quite some time whether to use 5w30 or 10w30. In the end, I used 5w30 Mobil Clean 5000 and a Purolator Pure One oil filter. Next spring, I'm not sure if I should go back to 10w30 or stay with 5w30? I do like the fact that 5w30 is thinner and therefore flows easier at startup for more wear protection at that critical time. Any thoughts about summer weight oil?

Matt

Document ID# 163958
2000 Pontiac Bonneville


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Engine Noise Diagnosis Valve Train
A light tapping at one-half engine speed, or any varying frequency, can indicate a valve train problem. These tapping noises increase with the engine speed. Warm up the engine before attempting to judge the valve train noise. This will bring all of the engine components to a normal state of expansion. Run the engine at various speeds and listen for engine noise with the hood closed.


Caution
The following procedure is not recommended on engines with stainless steel exhaust manifolds because manifold temperature will exceed the flash point of the oil causing a fire with possible personal injury.


If the valve mechanism is abnormally noisy, remove the valve rocker arm covers and use a stethoscope to determine which valve train components are causing the noise. The causes of the valve noise include the following conditions:

Broken or weak valve springs
Sticking or warped valves
Bent push rods
Dirty, stuck, or worn valve lifters
Damaged or improperly machined camshaft lobes
Insufficient or poor oil supply to the valve train (low oil pressure)
Excessive valve stem-to-guide clearance
Worn valve guides
Worn push rods
Worn valve rocker arms
Broken valve rocker arm bolt
Loose or worn valve rocker arm attachments
Missing or improperly positioned lifter guides (roller lifter engines)
Momentary Noise on Engine Startup Step
Action
Value(*)
Yes
No

DEFINITION: Momentary noise when the engine is started, usually cold

1
This condition is normal. Oil drains from the valve lifters which hold the valves open when the engine is not running. The valve lifter needs a few seconds to fill with oil after you start the engine.

Does the noise continue after a few seconds?
--
Repair as required
No correction is needed

Intermittent Noise on Idle Only Step
Action
Value(*)
Yes
No

DEFINITION: Intermittent noise on idle that disappears when engine speed increases

1
Disassemble the valve lifters.
Check the valve lifters for any dirt. Check the valve lifters for a pitted or damaged check ball.
Are the valve lifters dirty or damaged?
--
Replace the valve lifter
System OK

Noise at Idle Step
Action
Value(*)
Yes
No

DEFINITION: Noise at idle or with hot oil that quiets at higher engine speeds or with cold oil

1
Inspect the lifter for a high leakdown rate.

Does the lifter have a high leakdown rate?
--
Replace the faulty lifter
No correction is needed

Noise at High Vehicle Speeds Step
Action
Value(*)
Yes
No

DEFINITION: Noise at high RPM only

1
Check for a high engine oil level. An oil level above the FULL mark allows the crankshaft counterweights to churn the oil into a foam. When the foam is pumped into the lifters, the lifters become noisy since a solid column of oil ensures the proper operation.

Is the oil level too high?
--
Drain the oil to the proper level
Go to Step 2

2
Check for a low engine oil level. An oil level below the ADD mark allows the oil pump to pump air at high speeds. This causes noisy valve lifters.

Is the oil level too low?
--
Add oil as required
Go to Step 3

3
Check the oil pan.

Is the oil pan bent against the oil pump pickup?
--
Repair as required
Go to Step 4

4
Check the oil pump screen.

Is the oil pump screen bent or loose?
--
Repair as required
System OK

Noise at Idle, Louder at High Engine Speed Step
Action
Value(*)
Yes
No

DEFINITION: Noise at idle that gets louder as the engine speed increases, up to 1500 RPM

1
This noise is not connected with lifter malfunction. The noise becomes noticeable at 10 to 15 mph LOW range, or 30 to 35 mph DRIVE range. The noise is described as a ticking sound. At idle, the sound may be entirely gone or appear as a light ticking noise in one or more of the valves. This noise is caused by one or more of the following:

A badly worn or scuffed valve tip and rocker arm pad
Excessive valve stem-to-guide clearance
Excessive valve seat runout
An off-square valve spring
Excessive valve face runout
Are any components damaged or worn excessively?
--
Repair as necessary
Go to Step 2

2
The noise may be an off-square valve spring. Eliminate this noise by rotating the valve spring and the valve.

Crank the engine until the noisy valve is off its seat.
Rotate the spring. This will also rotate the valve.
Repeat until the valve is quiet.
If correction is obtained, check for an off-square valve spring.
Is the valve spring off-square more than 1.6 mm (1/16 in)?
--
Replace the valve spring
System OK

Noise at any Engine Speed Step
Action
Value(*)
Yes
No

DEFINITION: Noise at all engine RPM

1
Check for excessive valve lash. To check for valve lash, turn the engine so the piston in the cylinder is on TDC of the firing stroke. If valve lash is present, the push rod moves freely up and down with the valve rocker arm held against the valve.

Is the valve lash excessive?
--
Repair as required
Go to Step 2

2
Check for a worn push rod upper end ball.

Is the push rod upper end ball worn?
--
Replace the push rod and valve rocker arm
Go to Step 3

3
Check for a bent push rod.

Is the push rod bent?
--
Replace the push rod
Go to Step 4

4
Check the lubrication system feed to the push rod and for a properly lubricated push rod.

Are the push rod and feed system properly lubricated?
--
Go to Step 5
Replace the push rod and valve rocker arm

5
Check for a loose or damaged valve rocker arm.

Is the valve rocker arm loose or damaged?
--
Replace the valve rocker arm
Go to Step 6

6
If the push rod or the valve rocker arm does not need to be replaced, this indicates trouble in the valve lifter or the camshaft.

Is the camshaft worn or damaged?
--
Replace the camshaft and valve lifters
Replace the valve lifters as necessary



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