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lifter tapping on cold crankup

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Old Mar 2, 2010 | 08:55 PM
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Default lifter tapping on cold crankup

i got a lifter on bank 1 tapping after i let my truck sit overnite. you guys think a quart of lucas oil stabilizer would quiet it, or changing to a different oil might help? ritenow im pullin my valve covers and intake off to replace the gaskets,along with a waterpump,thermostat and knock sensors,i just didnt want to get into the valvetrain.
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Old Mar 2, 2010 | 09:00 PM
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Does it go away after a little while? Mine does it for about 45sec every morning. My understanding is that it is completely normal.
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Old Mar 2, 2010 | 09:11 PM
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yeah after a while,but sometimes it takes 3 or 4 minuts, it just started a couple months ago.if i put it in drive,it gets louder.and mines never done it beforeand its got 265k on it
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Old Mar 2, 2010 | 09:53 PM
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As they say, chevys will tick. If you haven't done any work to the valvetrain, I wouldn't worry much about it.
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Old Mar 2, 2010 | 09:57 PM
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What oil are you using?
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Old Mar 2, 2010 | 09:59 PM
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Mine is making a very loud metallic tapping noise. Starts about 10 seconds after startup, and goes away mostly after a few minutes of idling. The tapping occurs at half the speed of the crank, which leads me to believe it's a valvetrain issue. I'm going to be swapping in new lifters, cam, and springs, to hopefully fix the issue and give a little more performance.
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Old Mar 2, 2010 | 10:06 PM
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piston slap..get used to it
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Old Mar 3, 2010 | 04:32 PM
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i been using valvoline max life 5w30 for a while now,before that motorcraft 5w30 synthetic blend,cause it was free. u guys think using a different oil might help?
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Old Mar 3, 2010 | 05:44 PM
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i've had the tap as long as i've had my truck and my previous chevy did it too. as previously stated it's perfectly normal. since yours just started and you've got over 250k on the clock, i'd assume your engine is giving you hints.
to explain why the tapping is half your rotational speed, only one lifter is tapping, and you have two per cylinder; this means that either your intake or exhaust stroke is tapping, but not both. typically replacing the lifters is a short-term remedy to the problem... but from what i've heard, most people have the problem come back down the road.
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Old Mar 3, 2010 | 06:33 PM
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so i guess i better get used to it for now
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