Chalkboss

Recently hearing a tapping sound from engine that sounds like a stuck lifter. Varies with rpm. Coming from drivers side near cam cover best I can tell. Car runs fine. Bone stock with 80 k on the clock and no issues. Should I try some snake oil? She is due for an oil change anyways. If an additive what kind? Or am I off base here?

Thanks.

Kevin in Atlanta

Year?

Chalkboss

87. Sorry, should be in my sig. Using my phone...

MainePorsche

Tappet chattering.
Do you have the oil plug pins which superceded the rubber disk plugs ? These disk plugs always fail.

Chalkboss

No idea. I will have to look into this. Any easy way to tell?

MainePorsche

Well, it's easier on the drivers side v. passenger side - you have to remove the valve cover. These pins plug some galleys and if the original disks failed you will have less oil up top. There are 2 pins on the L and 3 pins on the R. After I replaced, I never had the issue again.

SeanR

Only way to know is to yank the cam covers to see. It's something you need to put on your list of things to do.

If the cam plugs have not been changed you will end up wearing your cams down to the point they will be paper weights.

Chalkboss

Will do. Thanks for the heads up. Was not aware of this issue.

928Myles

If you do have a noisy lifter many have had sucess with swepco 502 to free them up.

MjRocket

How much do these plug pins cost? And I assume Roger stocks them?

Thx

MainePorsche

He sells them in a small ziploc bag of 5. If I remember correctly they were 5-6 $.

MainePorsche

Oh, and also add the price of cover gaskets.

MjRocket

Gotcha..thanks

MJ

Hilton

LOL.. around $6 each, times 5.

The expensive part is the cam cover gaskets, tensioner pads, oil plug seals, breather hoses, knock sensors, oil check valve o-rings, throttle sensor, CPS, intake gaskets etc. which are on the WYAIT list

OP - odds are its a stuck lifter. If your oil pressure isn't lower than usual, I'd try an additive (Swepco etc.) first and see if it goes away.

I'd also use a mechanics stethoscope to listen on each of the valve cover bolts to see where the noise is coming from (they're screwed into the heads so no rubber gasket in the way to dampen the sound). While you're at it, listen to the fuel injectors and see if its one of them making the noise - they're very loud and can sound like a lifter if you have the fuel rail cover off.

Chalkboss

Oil pressure is to spec. I am going to change oil and add Swepco and see where I'm at. I need to do a intake refresh but waiting on my garage to get built first. Figures I would have a noise like this pop up- just had ear surgery and can't hear squat out of one ear, and it throws off the other ear. I will try the steth, with the good ear of course!