5.0 engine ticking when cold

[Juicer]

i noticed that my engine likes to tick when its cold. the ticking is very obvious. once it warms up after running for about 7 minutes the ticking stops. i notice it coming frm the passenger side. could i be having lifter problems? what confuses me is that once the engine is warm the ticking stops.

 

[89streetbeast]

what grade of oil are you using?

 

[Juicer]

I use 20/50.

 

[89streetbeast]

i would try either a 5w30 or 10w30 oil . the 20/50 oil is better for warmer climates and may be the reason your hearing the valvetrain tick. if you go with a synthetic oil i always used Mobile1 10w30 in the 89, worked great all year round.

 

[Juicer]

well its lately it has been rather warm in so cal. maybe in the high 70s low 80s and it is still ticking. it had never done it before and ive always used 20/50 with no problems. the ticking sound is pretty loud. if the car is off maybe for a few hours the ticking starts again until it wams up. i also notice that when i turn left it gets louder. i was thinking that it may possibly be my starter.

 

[BK_CAULEY]

LIFTERS

its the lifters. it takes awhile for them to pump up. and the reason you hear them get louder when you turn left is like you said the noise is coming from the left side and when you turn left all the oil goes to the right and the lifters lose oil and decompress.

 

[Juicer]

so should i just replace them with a set of stock lifters or a set of aftermaket lifters?

 

[BK_CAULEY]

lifters

stock lifters should work. never heard of the stock lifters giving up but if its a chance to upgrade.. why not?

 

[MustangOwner]

Change your oil and put in a thicker or heavier oil. We get that alot at the body shop i work at, its normally cause they have the wrong weight oil in, not enough oil.

 

[Jaswir]

could be a exhaust leak... i thought i had a lifter tick turned out to be a header gasket!

 

[Juicer]

well it also turns out now that i have a very severe screaching noise, really loud, so loud that people down the street looked at me as if my car was about to blow or something. one girl hurried up at a stop sign to cross the crosswalk when i made a stop at a stop sign it was funny. also i was driving down the road when a very bad tapping noise almost as if something was about to come loose and break off. i felt the vibration at my shifter. it sounded and felt like it was bouncing as it was spinning. the funny thing is that all this calms down after a while but it starts again. i'm still having trouble pinpointing where its coming from. the funny thing is that there is absolutely no loss in performance, or oil pressure or overheating...nothing. i blame my starter because sometimes the starter fails to turn the engine the first time. could it be that my starter is loose with broken teeth on the starter or flywheel? or could it be both lifters and starters or could it also be my oil pump? i will have to pinpoint it tomorrow and take it to the shop. im so confused

 

[Juicer]

update

well it turns out that it wasnt my lifters after all...it was my starter. i checked it this morning and it was completely loose and ready to fall off. i tightened it enough to drive it down to the shop and had the starter replaced with a new autolite starter. everything is back to normal now. my car will be up for sale pretty soon.