Strange Ticking when Cold

[adam 32]

when i get home tonight i might jack it upo and check the bolts etc. hopefully will be something obvious

thanks for all your help!

adam

[puckish]

I have a feeling it is just cam follower lash adjustments. These Are suppose to be adjusted every so often ( I think 50,000KMs) Pretty straight forward for a mech. to do at your next service or get the RB20 manual and follow the instructions.

If it's a dirty lifter (I didn't think that the RB20 had these?) a engine oil clean should fix it for a lot less. I plan to take the old Ulsar in to Carbon tune for this prob soon.

Let you know if they are any good.

Also drop Megs a line at the aussie forum ... he's pretty cluey on the old RB20's.

[adam 32]

yeh i went round to the mechanics just then

lifters

so may need to change to redline oil or something

anyway not as bad as i thought

[\\\Wiktor]

Originally posted by adam 32

shouldnt lifter noises always be there as well?

they wouldnt quieten once the engine is heated up...?

no not always. due to no oil pressure when cold the lifters "loose" their oil thats inside couse they are leaking. to get them filled again takes a while due to the very small hole where the oil is going in to them.

[adam 32]

ok home from work. got under the car and theres a bit of moisture around one of the exhaust to block manifolds. which could indicate a leak

however if it was an exhaust leak wouldnt it get worse with heat?

would it be fair to conclude this is a lifter problem?

[adam 32]

anyone??

[Zahos]

If there is moisture leaking from between the manifold, and the head then ur gasket is almost definately gone (unless ur manifold is cracked, which is unlikely).

Check if it is moisture, and not oil though!

As for ur lifters, I dont know...

Maybe ur mechanic is also right, maybe he mis - diagnosed it! Couldn't say without looking at it. If u really want to be certain, get a second opinion from another mechanic... or even an exhaust place...

Reason I say it is more likely ur gasket is because i have seen this on 4 skylines in total, so I assume it is common.

[adam 32]

it was too hot to touch yesterday! hehe

if there is a gasket leak, would this go away when heated? manifold isnt cracked and theres no bolts missing/loose

what if it is oil?

what if it is water? what do these things point to?

[Zahos]

if it was too hot to touch, most likely oil.

Dont know what it could mean though.

Best get it checked out, b/c any1 could easily lead you down the wrong path without actually looking at it...

[deesh]

If your mechanic says lifters, id listen to him, cause it is a common problem, and mechanics can usually tell these things.

The RB30E lifters were $50 each new, dont know about RB20. I rebuilt my engine at the same time anyway, and just pulled them apart and cleaned them out, cause its impossible to tell which one it is, and you dont want 12 new ones.

Its all a top end job, if you can get an exchange set, all the mechanic has to do is pull the rocker cover off, and they are right there, shouldnt cost that much, but definately get it looked at cause they go between the cam and the rockers, so you dont want to damage any of them.

[adam 32]

i only talked to the mechanic on the phone. was booked the car in for a AFC tune.

it goes in next friday(damn auto salon) so will find out then

[Cubes]

You havn't had the best of luck with motors have you adam..

Mine used to make a ticking noise but its gone now with a few quick oil changes.

When i got it she was sludged up a little.

[wld808]

try flushing and changing your oil.

i had the same thing in my rb30 but i flushed it, changed the oil and put in some lucas oil stabiliser.

went away

[Craved]

just saw an article today in the new ZOOM, it's a product from nulon to free lifters, check it out, dont know if it works! Just says if noise isn't gone after 500km then it's a trip to the mechanic's or it fixes it!!

called lifter free and tune-up....

hope this helps diagnose!

Chris