Rep Power: 210

1997 Civic EX. Stock D16Y8 Vtec. Automatic Transmission. 155K miles. Purchased with 148k on odometer. No service records. Very slow oil leak from rear main seal: 1/2 qt or less every 3 to 4 months.
Recent repair history (within 6 months): TB kit, HG replacement including valve lapp, new stem seals, resurfacing and cleaning. Valve lash adjustment: .008 intake. .010 exhaust

From cold start up until temp gauge at "Warm" mark (approx. 2 to 3 minutes) engine emiiting ticking noise that seems to come from under valve cover. After the engine is warm the ticking noise is no longer audible. Googling turns up this: https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...ise+cold+start . Some threads mention LMA: Lost Motion Assemblies. However, the engine in those threads are DOHC's and I am not sure if the D16's SOHC employs the LMA. Also, the engine vibrates the car somewhat excessively at idle and I have attributed this to the Anchor brand mounts that I used for replacement 5k miles ago (all are in good shape). I am now wondering if there is a correlation between the ticking sound and increased vibration.
All advice and suggestions appreciated.

 
Rep Power: 228

Just because they replaced the parts doesn't mean they did it right. I can't say I know what the issue is but I\ll through out some food for thought.


Take her for a long rip then park it over night.
Pull the plugs a check for oil in the cylinders. This is just to make sure there is still oil in the valve cover while starting.

Also the viscosity and oil film ratio increase as the oil heats up, if your oil pump is going the thicker hot oil may be easier to pump, than the starting cold oil.

Are you running 5w30? Perhaps throw in 10w30 and a half bottle of Lucas HD at your next oil change, if the issue goes away, you know it is a viscosity related issue.

 
Rep Power: 366

Review the valve lash too. They could have come loose

 
Rep Power: 210

Thanks for the replies so far.

I'll check valve clearances again but, many of the post I read valve lashes were done or repeated and it did not solve the issue.

I'll inspect the plugs too. I'm not a believer in additives however, I am tempted to drain a quart of oil and repalce with a quart of MMO, run it for a couple weeks then change oil again. I've never used Lucas for oil.. I've used it for gas occassionally but, not sure if it helped in any way.

 
Rep Power: 228

I've used it in probably 100 vehicles with no issue, but positive results (at work). It won't fix the issue it just helps lubricate and increase oil film and burning issues, by increasing the viscosity and oil film (It sits in between the oil particles and keeps them together more).

The one time fix stop leaks and Burning additives gum up engines, Lucas doesn't, because you add it with each oil change, then drain it out after.

But of course it your issue is mechanical and not lubrication/viscosity/oil pressure related, then only a mechanical fix will help.

If you're due, maybe try just a 10w30 and see if it help at all, just as a diagnosis aid.

 
Rep Power: 210

The following is copied and pasted from a site:
"5w-30 is manufacturer recommeneded and the only difference between 5W (Winter) and 10w is the cold temperature start performance. W: rates the viscosity of the oil at a temperature of 0 degrees F.
The second number (30) repeats the test at 210 degrees F., or normal operating temperature for a fully-warmed engine.

The 'W' rating can be 5, 10, 15 or {20;} lower numbers mean the oil is thinner in cold temperatures, necessary for icy climates. The second number rating (meant to represent normal operating temperature of an engine) can be 20, 30, 40 or 50. Warm-weather spots usually require oil in the upper end of that range that can handle extreme heat."

I live in the mid-west coast of Florida so I am not sure if W would have any effect since temps usually don't drop below 40 degrees F

 
Rep Power: 210

Digging through several more threads on the subject I am chaulking this up as normal 1.6L noise. Too many responses saying their engines does the same thing. My son's friend said both of his 6th gen D and B series made the same noise the first few minutes when engine is cold.

A possibility that does resonate with me is this copied and pasted response from another forum: "Noise coming from the injectors is common from what research i've done, especially the older they get. And injectors will pulsate faster when the engine revs, so if the noise gets faster as the engine revs, it is not necessarily the valves."

An injector(s) out of spec could possibly explain the excessive vibration (not a misfire) I mentioned previously.

 
Rep Power: 518

The engines were just noisy, moreso as they aged.
Piston slap cold (probably what you hear and is normal until the pistons heat up) and main bearing rattle hot. Most drivers don't notice or grew used to it.

 
Rep Power: 210

Thanks Ezone. I am not a believer in additives but, would Lucus or MMO quiet it down or help in any way. Some threads said the do but, could just be a placebo effect.

 
Rep Power: 518

If it's really piston slap, then no.
Pistons are aluminum and machined to fit the holes (cylinders) when hot. Aluminum shrinks when cold so there's additional clearance and therefore that allows noise until the pistons get heated up.


Exhaust manifold leaks/cracked making noise cold?

 
Rep Power: 0

You can google hydraulic lifters to see how they work and why they are there. It's possible this one lifter is out of range of normal adjustment. The only thing to do is take it to a reputable mechanic and get his opinion whether it is worth adjusting. It could also be a bad lifter. The reason for the noise is that the oil that normally stays inside the lifter when the engine is shut off has leaked down, which dramatically increases the operating clearance for the valve.

 
Rep Power: 518

But the engine doesn't have hydraulic lifters....

 
Rep Power: 210

I'll inspect the exhaust manifold but I don't have a gas or sulfuric smell. Also, don't hear an exhaust leak.
My prior '98 EX had an exhaust manilfold crack when I purchased it and it had both a sulfuric smell and audible puffing sound.

 
Rep Power: 149

I had a cold tick in my solid lifter 22R Toyota. Went away when warm. Fidgeted and fidgeted with valves. Finally just gave up on it. It got too bad after another 100K . It was piston pin wear. However, it had full floating pistons with sleeve bearing. I can only assume it was designed that way to allow service in rural countries. I set manual lifters with a dial indicator when I adjust them. With a lot of miles, the surface where you normally check with a filler gage gets grooved. If you are not careful, you will have way too much clearance since you will have the filler thickness plus the groove depth.

 
Rep Power: 210

The old bag is near 155K and 19 years old..it deserves to bitch (tick) in it's twilight years..Lol.

Not related to ticking .. just an inquirey: I do mostly short distance driving which I know is not good for an engine. Would it help to switch to sythetic oil or does conventional have enough detergents that it doesn't matter which type is used?

 
Rep Power: 518

Oooo carbon buildup on the piston tops....Sounds almost exactly like piston slap

 
Rep Power: 210

Someone posted this on a GM forum: "piston slap is not due to a lack of oil as much as when the engine is cold the pistons are not as tightly in the bore as when the engine is warm. it goes away when combustion heats up the piston sufficiently to expand it into the bore."

Is piston slap a reason for concern? Can anything be done (besides rebuild) to fix it?

 
Rep Power: 518

That's pretty much what I wrote on post #10.
The pistons have to heat up and expand to fit the holes.

If it goes away once the engine gets warmed up, it's not a problem.

If it continues long after warmup, then you'd have something that--- may still not really be worth looking for LOL

 
Rep Power: 210

Sorry, I feel more stupider now after missing that

That's the case at this point. Engine pretty quiet at operating temp.

 
Rep Power: 210

Found a good video explaining piston slap:

 
Rep Power: 0

Sorry my bad. I see the thread has moved on. How are things now?