Nightbreeze

So I think that I have some lifter tick coming from at least one of the cylinders in my engine. It actually doesn't happen when the car is cold, but rather only after the car is hot (which I believe is atypical for lifter noise).

Nonetheless after comparing it to a couple of videos of confirmed lifter tick I think that's what's going on.

My question is, if it is a bad lifter will that do damage to the engine long term?

Also as far as I know the engine is running stock internals, however I am the 2nd owner of the car so you never know. I will try to get a video of the sound posted tomorrow if anyone wants to take a listen as well.

Ev0ikon

iTrader: (18)

Yes the noise is from the lash keeper smashing into the cam journal. It will mess up the cam lobe after a while.
Replace 'em.

WikdEvo

iTrader: (8)

Lifter tick in itself is not harmful. If the lifter becomes fails, it will most likely collapse. (unable to hold oil pressure). This usually results in throwing a rocker off, which wouldn't allow that valve to open. You'll know if this happens. Every evo i've heard had some sort of lifter tick.

Bhsj13

or if you are cammed.

Nightbreeze

Thanks for the replies! In terms of replacing/bleeding lifters, is this something that is easy to do myself, or would I be better off taking it to a shop? I have read some posts that say you have to remove the cams, and others that say you don't have to remove the cams to remove the lifters.

If I don't have to mess with the cams/anything timing related, I might attempt this myself, but if I'm going to have to remove the cams and ensure the timing is set up right I will probably just take it somewhere.

Also, wanted to post two videos I took this morning; one with the engine on a cold start where it isn't making the ticking sound, and the second video where the engine is hot and is ticking:

Cold Engine (No Ticking):
Hot Engine (Ticking):
To me, it sounds like the sound is coming from the exhaust side of the engine. I would assume lifters on the exhaust cam, but for all I know it's an exhaust leak or something entirely different so figured I'd post the videos just to get more eyes/ears on it!

WikdEvo

iTrader: (8)

I hear injector noise and lifter noise. What oil do you use?

They can be swapped out with the cams in the car. It's a more tedious task but not impossible. You set the motor at tdc so that the cam loves aren't applying to pressure to two valves then would have to remove the cam trigger bolts and loosen the cam tower bolts. Then pry the cam up slightly. Swap the lifters. Bolt back down and then turn the motor over some more and repeat on the next set of lifters

hoobastnk90

Ehh a lot of cars are a bit loud when there cold then quite down when the car warms up.

Nightbreeze

@Tom Stout

I'm currently running AMSOIL 5w-30 with the OEM filter. What's interesting about this, is that when I purchased the car I don't remember it ticking at all. I think that some time after I did an oil change on it the ticking started, but I don't know that with certainty (the car had a noisy fuel pump, and a wheel well rubbing on the tires among other odd noises so I might have missed the ticking initially). I originally used Mobil1 10w-30 and a non-OEM filter. I switched to the lighter oil and OEM filter in the hopes that it would make the tick disappear, but it didn't. I have no idea what oil the previous owner was running.

Do you think that the lifter noise sounds overly ominous, or par for the 4G63 engine? This is my first Evo, so I don't have a good reference point for how the engine *should* sound.

@hoobastnk90

I agree that a lot of cars make valve train noise when cold; this though is doing the opposite which is what I find weird:

Cold = Quiet
Hot = Ticking

DanielM

I am having the same situation. i bought my evo no ticks, hell i even reved it with my ear on the valve cover. no ticks. but then i changed the oil to 20W50 vr1 and then i hear ticking coming from up top. dont mean to bud in but id like to know as well.

no ticks on cold
ticks only warmed up

Jonno99

Is that the factory recommended oil weight?

barneyb

I have 106K on my car and no lifter tick. The oil change interval has always been 3K since new. I write since new because I think that is the secret - clean engine.

RallySport9

iTrader: (20)

I had a tick after switching to a thinner oil coincidentally. probably has nothing to do with that. anyway popped the cam cover and discovered a rocker arm kicking around cylinder 4. I'd replace it it looked fine on the outside but got a new lifter and problem solved. nothing else seemed harmed but it probably would have been a matter of time before cam damage.

Teal2nnr

iTrader: (7)

Super easy to do. I bought the special tool to swap out the lifters (which made it easier) but you could do it with a large flat head screw driver.

DanielM

Did you fix this issue ? I'm still trying to figure this out ? I put itm lifters and I have the same tick up top by the timing belt ( cam gears )

Teal2nnr

iTrader: (7)

Its is tick or a knock...... Does it change with RPM?