Balance shafts jam up on thick oil. Don't go any thicker than 10W30 (My advice anyway )

I've learned a rule in dealing with "clicking" noise ( a common problem w/Mitsu. engines) and that
is the cause is never common and always needs to to troubleshot.

Lifter noise ? try taking the oil cap off while listening to the engine click. Does the noise get louder ?

or stay the same ? If it gets louder when you open the oil cap then you are hearing the lifters.

Rod noise ? Try removing one sparkplug wire at a time, (while the engine is OFF so you don't get shocked), then
run the engine on three cylinders. Does 'one-cylinder-not-firing' fix your noise ? Then you need new rod bearings,
(an easy enough replacement)

Piston slap ? This is when some carbon-crud builds up on the piston head and this results in the piston top edge (build-up)
sort-of slapping the rim of the head when it reaches top dead center. This noise might go away if you blast some gummout into the
sparkplug hole and then let it sit for an hour, then give it a few drops of oil before starting again.

Does your "click" occur at the RPM rate of the engine ? This indicates it is occuring in the block.
Twice the RPM rate ? This means that the "knock" is occurring in the head.

You might want to purchase an 'engine stethoscope', but I suggest that you do need to troubleshoot this problem. Guessing does not identify it.

and.... yes it will drive you crazy !

Dan

 

Dang, now that is the kind of answer I needed, thanks for the advice and I will do that. So if I find out that it is not coming from the lifters which step would you start with, or does it not really matter.

 

Definitly start with the lifters. These are a likely cause, and should be easy to hear if you listen at the oil cap hole.

But do not try removing the valve covers and running the engine with them covers off. (I did this and oil sprayed everywhere like a fountain in the park, them lifters really shoot the oil !) You can do this little trick with engines that DON'T have overhead cams.

Next (I didn't mention this before) check your exhaust manifold for leak. (This will give a clicking sound as the piston fires then exhausts) Look for exhaust smoke rising up from the manifold or maybe some moisture sputtering out. If you see some leak then try a little tightening to see if the quiets the problem BUTT ! do not overtighten because the exhaust manifold only really gets about 10 ftlbs torque because it needs to expand as it heats up or it will crack. Maybe try a 1/4 turn to tighten an exhaust manifold bolt.

Next try to determine where the clicking is loudest i.e. where it is coming from. Top of engine ?
Bottom of engine ? Front where the belts are ? Rear where the tran is ?? This part is tricky, and it is not a 'given' .
Tracking down this noise mught be obvious or it could be like trying to find a ghost.

If you find you just cannot pin it down to a specific area then purchase a 'engine-stethoscope' and get intimate with the engine. Also ask other people (like mechanic to try and give a listen)

hope this helps.

DT

 

Well i was refering to the outside temp as in outside the motor.
oh and about the syn if you do use it than get some kinda oil leak it is because syn oil will leak easier than regular oil so it may cause a leak as well.

 

I myself use a synthetic blend. That way it's not a 100% synthetic but not 100% regular oil. Figure that way if I decide to go one way or another I can fairly easily. and a heavier weight MAY take care of the knock but if it's that audible I'd actually wanna find it and try to fix it. I agree with the previously posted methods of finding it but I wouldn't be contemplating ditching teh car just yet.

 

1. synthetic will not cause any leaks. the only time you should not use synthetic is with a brand new engine so regular oil can fill in all the seals. if your engine leaks thats another problem.
2. 20w-50 oil will not cause any kind of damage, i know a million people with dsm's running it so they dont have to add oil all the time. it is thicker and you may lose 1-3 hp, but it DEF protects your engine better that is a fact

 

A million??? WOW you know ALOT of people lol.

 

a few people moved, now i only know 999,987 people technically...

 

if you have what could be a potental leak synthetic will leak from it before regular oil would have it dont cause leaks it leaks easier.

 

Whats up. Im nw but i think i might no what ur problem is. I work at a used car lot and most of the time when you hear clicking comming from under the hood it is the compressor (AC unit). It usually means that it needs to be serviced.