In the past few months I've noticed an engine clicking noise that seems to be getting louder on my 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT. I spoke to a mechanic friend of mine & he seems to think it's the lifters. Honestly, I think it could possibly be carbon buildup in the valves.

Has anyone else come across this problem? If so, any advice?

most people that ask about the ticking its usually the lifters for the most part some tried ifferent things and did not fix the problem.have you check the oil levels or done an oil change.

Sometimes it gets noisy when you do progressive shifting over a long period of time... usually you can get rid of it just by driving at higher rpm's and clearing the carbon build up....

Just had an oil change. It's starting to annoy me, because there's nothing wrong with the engine or transmission at all. The car needs some work due to a paint recall that we didn't know about until it was too late. Now the car looks like someone was sanding it down to it's base coat all over the hood & spoiler. When it's wet though, it looks fine...but it never rains here...ARG!

Its lifters.

Its a Mitsubishi thing, get used to it.

yeah they do that even if you swap them out they could still keep making the clicking.

Lovely.

have the same problem... well i didn't think it was a problem i just thought thats how the engine sounds...but mine just an rs

I have an 03 GT with the same problem. Its super bad in the mornings until it warms up but its gotten way worse lately. Im thinking collapsed lifter but it goes away after it warms up. I assume changing the lifters will solve this?? You said it doesnt matter.

Whats with this site going to quick find every time I want punctuation....

My '00 GT does the same thing. And my 99 Spyder also did. It really didn't hurt the performance, it's just annoying as hell. Once I get the money (if ever) I'll work on the lifters. Til then it's more a "acoustic" problem than anything.

Its your browser not the site.

MY 3.0 is an 01 and has 117K on it with no lifter noise what so ever. There is a vacuum switch which makes an annoying ticking noise though...

Seems like you guys have a problem in the colder months. What brand/formulation/weight of oil do you guys all use? The motor calls for 10w30 but I would suggest at least a 5w30 oil in the winter, and if you dont mind putting out a little extra cash, 0w30 available in synthetic. You will have a bit more noise on start up with 0w30 than 5 or 10w30 however it will be due to a thinner oil film instead of lack of flow.

Just an opinion....

Why'd you quote me bro?

Just out of curiosity could it be your fuel injectors that are ticking? I used to have a coworker with a 99 avenger (2.5L 6G73 engine) and my 06 (3.8L 6G75 engine) have noisy fuel injectors. I have heard of other people with the 6G72 engines that complain about noisy injectors

My motor calls for 5W30 and that's what I use. What motors are calling for 10W?

all motor oil is bad anyways stick to full synthetic only and add in lucas oil stablizer. and a stop smoke/leak oil additive. your lifters will stop clicking during start up after about 300-500 miles of driving. if it doesn't then i would look into replacing your lifters. heres a great user site of your looking to go cheap

http://www.car-part.com/

one stop used part shopping for all the salvage yards in north America that are available online. i would also have a look at your injectors as well like the other guys said i have been in that situation where my injector was just loud as hell and was constantly pissing me off so i replaced it and voila no more clicking. you could also try solvent clean your injector is it is your injector. anyways i hope this helps a little more?

I was mistaken. I looked in my owners manual and it said 10w30 is acceptable from 0* upwards, 5w30 is good for 100* downwards, being preferable for increased fuel economy. Most shops will use 10w30 in place of 5w30, as it is usually cheaper when sold in bulk. Doesnt make a HUGE difference, the viscosity difference between 5 and 10 isnt huge, but you are correct, 5w30 is "preferred" :beer:

Jim

Cheers

You need to do a lot more reading, a lot less posting.

Synthetic is about 50% benefits, 50% marketing. The reality of the matter is that synthetic oil is still refined from petroleum just like conventional oil is. Over a 3000 mile interval, or even 5000 mile interval, both oils will prevent wear in the same manner under normal conditions. Synthetics advantage is that in a longer OCI, it will not break down as will typical oils. The problem is that oils, theoretically, "thin" over time. This is due to the fact that conventional 10w30 is based off of 10w oil and has what they call "viscosity index improvers" to allow it to achieve 30 weight characteristics. Defying logic, synthetic oil is based off of 30 weight oil. Theoretically, synthetic oil will lubricated **** near forever, however it is rendered in effective over time because the additives get "Used up" and it eventually becomes unable to suspend contaminants and oxidants in the oil. In reality, however, oil thickens as a result of contaminants and by products of combustion at a faster rate than it thins as a result of the viscosity index improvers being used up in the oil. In fact, If you review UOA's of both syntethic and conventional oil, you will find that in some cases, conventional oil has out performed synthetics. Synthetics are merely more refined to have more consistent sizes of oil molecules, however they will STILL shear under pressure. Also. considering the standard of lubrication in 2000 was "SJ" and we now commonly see SM and SL, and have gone from GF-3 to Gf-4, modern conventional oils out perform oils of 8 years ago when the engine was new.


As for your lucas, you are a victim of marketing. It is truly nothing more than an expensive way to achieve "thicker" oil. In fact, you can be doing more harm than good by adding it to your engine because it is nothing more than pure petroleum, so you are essentially reducing the concentration of additives in your engine by 20% assuming you fill your engine with 20% lucas.

Here is a cool demo of what really happens in an engine with lucas... http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/lucas/lucas.htm

A quick lesson. Why does it quiet lifters? Because it increases oil pressure. After all, oil pressure is a good thing right? Yes, but only to a certain extent. Pressure is a resistance to flow, so high oil pressure means that there is a reduction in oil flow in your engine. Oil pressure is not a gauge of lubrication, flow is, after all it is the actual flow of oil between two parts that creates the lubricant barrier. The pressure just means there is a resistance to flow, indicating reduced lubrication. Now of course, oil pressure is required, and a ball park rule is 10psi per 1000 rpm of the engine.

If you have oil leaks, use a high mileage oil. They contain seal conditioners as well as seal swellers to help slow oil leaks. I use high mileage oil about every other oil change. Lucas is nothing more than an expensive way to get a thicker oil, and can be detrimental to an engines healt on cold weather start ups because the oil is thicker and therefore takes longer before it begins to flow properly.

Jim

(IMG:http://www.3sx.com/store/catalog/lash-adjusters-newer-6-400.jpg)

The one on the right is the ones you have, the one on the left... what you want...

Hmm thats why they tick...

Take a stethoscope and a metal rod and listen to your injectors, you'll hear if they are ticking.