Hey guys, just figuring out my options here. I've got a problem with my car that I'm pretty sure is because of my lifters. My car is very loud on cold starts and almost sounds like a diesel (especially when put in gear). It sounds like a constant flapping sound and continues when I give the car gas. I'm thiking it's either an exhuast leak or bad lifters. My question is are the lifters on an 03 lancer oz adjustable or will I have to replace them all together? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

is it makin a tick tick tick rattle sound? if so id agree its the lifters might be your oil weight but not sure. my car just started doing it. going to change back to spec oil weight since here in mass its gettin super cold

 

there is a tick that's not too noticeable when the car is idleing at normal temp but when I start the car when it's been sitting for a few hours and the engine is cold, the tick is pretty loud and gets louder when I put the car in gear. I also hear a flapping noise when I'm accelerating. I've added some additives to my oil to try and break up any gunk that might be built up and I've done an engine flush and oil change but the noise still comes back. I'm going to take the heat shield off later today to see if I can see any problems with the header.

 

i know that a similar sound happened to my 02 lancer but it sounded that there were machine guns under the hood. it wasnt just a simple "tick" how ever it started like that. I ended up changing the lifters on the if exhaust side (if i remember correctly) and that took care of the problem. If i revved the engine enough it would even cause what sounded like a dead cylinder.


From what i understood, the 4g94 engines have hydraulic valve lifters and adjust themselves with the oil pressure. What happened to mine was that they actually were collapsed (stuck in the shortest position) so there was a big gap between the lifter and the actual rocker arm on every stroke, which explained the noise. you may be experiencing the early stages of this problem

 

Yes the 4g94 has hydraulic lifters. They're usually trouble free except when the oil is infrequently changed. When that happens they can stick in one position. With hydraulic lifters it is normal to hear a valvetrain noise with the engine cold, as long as it lessens as the car warms up.

 

An old trick for v8's ( I know) was to run tranny fluid at idle in the oil and let the car idle until the ticking goes away. If this works the lifter was just gummed up, if not the lifter is dead and needs to be replaced. lastly--change your oil.

 

I had all of the lifters replaced and the sound did not go away. Still ticks loud on cold startups (but does quiet down a little when normal temp is reached) and I still hear the flapping noise when I press the gas pedal. I have no idea what is causing this. The car runs fine but the noise is pretty annoying to me. I'm thinking of just saying screw it and throwing an exhaust on to drown out the noise.

 

It's normal, I think all lancers do it. Mine would get really loud right around the time an oil change was due.

 

Do you also hear the noise when accelerating?

 

Not that I can remember but when I was accelerating there were other noises that drowned out the engine.

 

try synthetic oil

 

The guy who replaced the lifters also did an engine flush and added an oil with some kind of treatment in it. Once it's time for an oil change, I'll try synthetic. I've also been told to try seafoam and amsoil oil as well. Anybody used either of these products?

 

im using amsoil, much quieter during idle

 

Make sure you don't just have an exhaust leak! That can sound surprisingly similar to engine noise.

 

ya. i would check for an exhaust leak. not sure why that guy replaced his lifters.. you need to talk to a mechanic about that and let them inspect it before doing something major like that.. but..

this is my 2cent. its winter time and cold. it takes even longer for our oil to warm up and to start lubricating our lifters properly, i would not worri about it, my car makes the noise to, and normally only during a cold startup..