In the last year my car has seemed to devlop a pretty bad tick on a cold start. The tick remains until the car reaches about 50% of normal runnig temp.

It sounds like a valve, but then after the car is warm, the sound goes away completely.

Oil not getting to that part of the engine? Bad valve?

I could record the sound and post it if it helps... I have 85k on the motor, and I commute in this car 160 miles a week. The car drives fine, no other trouble. Just that startup tick/knock.

I have 15k left on my warranty, but I am a little sceptical on taking it to the dealer, as if they give me the "its normal" or "no trouble found" they will bill me the 90$ diagnostic fee.

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks EvoM!

 

oil becomes dense and viscious when it is cold. it's gotta heat up first before it circulates...if the oil is warm and it's still ticking, you may have a clogged lifter...if it's clearing itself out you don't have to much to worry about.

 

Thanks. Ill just make sure i let her warm up before I give it any gas :-). I am using 10w30, and have been for some time. Any recomendations (something I can get locally, not something I have to order)
?

 

all lancers do this, its just a slight valave tick that clears up once the oil warms. If it really bothers you fire youre ride up about 3-5 min before you want to drive somewhere. Personaly i just dont get on it hard untill it warms a bit, maybe a mile down the road or so. The only other thing you can do is put a thinner oil in.

 

Yep, you'll be fine... It's a DSM thing I've read. But yeah, I use 5w-30 because of my non-harsh climate here in SC. That might help.

BTW, I too get that valvetrain noise every morning...

 

i blamed my wife for the tick when she gave the car back to me after 2 years that i was stationed away from her.. i told her i didnt remember the tick when we bought it.. lol.. but it does go away after it warms up.. so i usually let my car sit for about 10 mins..

 

its normal

 

My ralliart ticks slightly and I have a friend with a Mirage and it ticks like its about to explode. So yeah, I think it is a routine DSM thing.

 

Thanks for all your replies. Help me calm my nerves. Makes sense, because now that I think about it, it started ticking ever since I changed over to 10w30 from full synthetic.

 

I noticed the tick was quite a bit quieter when I started using Mobil 1.

 

I have an '03 Lancer es and it ticks at startup. I have about 90k on it

 

same here mobil 1 quiets things down a bit

 

add alittle lucas oil stabilizer with your next oil change and it will quiet even more.......

 

yeah... blame it on the woman... hahah

 

well, im gonna borrow your thread

when its raining and i turn on my lights, well basically put my engine under a heavier load it squeeks. it sounds like the belt but it goes away in the higher rpms and if i turn all extra electronics off. anybody elses do this?