Delasangre4231 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 What would be causing ticking or tapping in the engine compartment? I thought lifter but it sounds like its running fine... 1984 300zx Turbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.510 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 A lifter or an exhaust leak. If it gets louder under load it's an exhaust leak. There isn't usually any noticeable drop in performance with a ticking lifter, it's just causing a little valve lash that isn't supposed to be there. If it's a lifter this will fix it most of the time: Add half a quart of ATF to the oil, drive the car a hundred miles or so, and then change the oil and filter. I wouldn't run the car hard, just drive it. ATF is highly detergent and is great for breaking up the varnish that can accumulate in the hydraulic lifters. I've gotten rid of lifter ticks in several SOHC VGs this way. FWIW: If you take a car with a ticking lifter to a reputable Nissan dealer for service they will do exactly this first. If they are less than knowledgeable or honest they'll tear straight into the heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delasangre4231 Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 ATF is automatic trans fluid? Just want to make sure, thanks for the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatBlack Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Ah... I've got the same thing happening. I'll try that because I'm almost due for an oil change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.510 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Yes, Automatic Transmission Fluid. Any type/brand will do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eec564 Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Yes, Automatic Transmission Fluid. Any type/brand will do. Be careful with that. Some transmission fluids do NOT play nice with other types of fluids. Toyota Types 3 and 4 (TTIV) and Chrysler +3/+4 are most certainly different. TTIV is known to gum up when exposed to conventional oils. The general consensus for mixing ATF with motor oil is to use Dexron/Mercon III compatible and being careful not to overfill the crankcase. Adding half a quart willy-nilly sounds dangerious to me. The useful part of ATF3 is its particularly strong detergent and anti-varnish additive package combined with around a 20 weight (I belive) viscosity. Good for un-gumming things, maybe not so good long term or in high concentrations. The ticking you're hearing under the hood is most likely a sticking valve. I do believe you have hydraulic lifters (my 88 NA certainly does) and unless the lifter is seriously damaged and leaking or so clogged it can't fill with oil it shouldn't tick. The sound of a VG30E collapsed lifter before it fills with oil is more of a clack than a click too. -Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MONGO510 Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 I have run ATF in my engines for years. With Dino oil only. It will keep your internals clean, and seals stay soft longer. It will also lower your OP if it running high. Mongo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eec564 Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Ahh yes, I forgot. ATF does play better with dino oil than synthetic. Adding some basically thins out the overall viscosity of the oil in your engine and adds a bunch of detergents. Thinner oil runs cooler, check out the Motor Oil "SCHOOL" thread for fun stuffs. Mongo - How much do you use? -Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.510 Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Be careful with that. Some transmission fluids do NOT play nice with other types of fluids. Toyota Types 3 and 4 (TTIV) and Chrysler +3/+4 are most certainly different. TTIV is known to gum up when exposed to conventional oils.Hmm, I learn something new every day! I didn't even know Toyota had their own ATF... I guess I must be old. I've probably always used Dexron because that's what I had around. The ticking you're hearing under the hood is most likely a sticking valve. I do believe you have hydraulic lifters (my 88 NA certainly does) and unless the lifter is seriously damaged and leaking or so clogged it can't fill with oil it shouldn't tick. The sound of a VG30E collapsed lifter before it fills with oil is more of a clack than a click too. The Fuji hydraulic lifters in VGs are infamous for ticking. My guess is that it's because the cylinder heads run really hot. VGs will build up sludge in the heads like no other if you run low-detergent oil or don't change it often enough. The lifters get varnish build up between the bores and pistons and gum up. Most of the ticking VGs I've cured were also really slow to stop clacking on cold start up. That was significantly reduced or eliminated after the ATF treatment in every case. FWIW: I run Chevron 10W-30 in my VGs. I run them all hard, change the oil at 5k miles, and they look like brand new inside the valve covers. The only ones that have ever had lifter ticks had them when I got them. The VG in one of my 510s has gone 160k miles (it was new when I put it in the 510) and I still bounce it off the 8k rpm MSD rev limiter on a regular basis. Maybe it'll get mad and spit out a rod some day, I dunno? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleakdragonmage Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 are you sure its not just your injectors... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delasangre4231 Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 So, your saying not to use certain types of ATF with certain oil, well I just bought mine so how do I know what kind of oil they had in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eec564 Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 For any car you just bought, if you do not have service records indicating the last time a fluid was changed, assume it has NEVER been changed since the car was new. Go out and change the oil, antifreeze (flush), power steering fluid (flush), brake fluid, clutch fluid, transmission fluid (if it's a manual, be SURE the bottle says GL-4), and diff fluid. For the diff, you MUST remove the fill plug first. Yes, there are MANY types of atf. Off the top of my head, the non-synthetics - Dexron II & III/Mercon, Ford type F, Chrysler +3. Synthetics - Dexron IV/Mercon, Dexron V (rare, NOT Dexron IV/III/II compatible!), Mercon V, Chrysler +4, Nissan CVT, Honda CVT. Then I'm not sure if Toyota Type 4 (TTIV, which supersceded type 3, TTIII or T3) is, but it has BIG warnings on it not to mix with other fluids at all. Amsoil brand fluids are VERY nice synthetics and designed to be compatible with all Dexron/Mercon/F/Chrysler fluids, and should be happy mixed with motor oil in minor quantities. The best non-specialty fluid is the Valvoline brand of Dexron III/Mercon, non-synthetic, avalaible in both qt and gallon. It's cheap, and generic, and oh so nice. Getting harder to find since technically ALL stores are supposed to stop selling non-synthetic ATF because the standards for new vehicles have been supersceeded. Valvoline didn't listen, kept using the Mercon name along side Dexron (on bottles for older cars) even after the brands seperated and the new (for new cars, synthetics) fluids no longer satisfied both standards (there's a Mercon V and Dexron VI) and got in trouble for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Nice, okay, I'll try this on my D21-Hardbody, it's got a nasty lifter tick, and is due for an oil change in about 500 miles, so I'll drop in 1/2 a quart and see what happens. it's certainly easier than my pulling the engine and rebuilding... definitely worth trying anyway.. worst case I have to still pull the engine.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowlerMonkey Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 If the engine is sludged up, running ATF will liberate all of the sludge at once which might not be a good thing. If your oil comes up really dirty, do two oil changes within 500 miles. Then check the oil after running it for a day and see if it comes up dirty. If it does, keep changing every 1000 miles until it is clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eec564 Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Also be careful not to simply dump half a quart or a quart or however much in willy-nilly. Check the oil level first and drain/suck/however some out if needed. Overfilling the crank case isn't terribly good for the engine. It also might not hurt to try a better brand of oil when you change it. Some brands of oilare thinner than others at a given weight yet don't burn or leak as much. I've had quite good luck with Castrol GTX for a non-synthetic, and Mobile 1, Valvoline, Castrol, or Amsoil for a synthetic. If you can find it, Archer makes an AMAZING oil, but I think you can only buy it in the 55 gallon drum. Shell Rotella is really nice, but it really is made for diesels and there are far better things to use in our Z cars. -Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delasangre4231 Posted October 30, 2009 Author Share Posted October 30, 2009 I've known FSM's to be wrong so how much oil does the vg30et hold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eec564 Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Should be just over 4 qts. If you're un-sure, simply add 3 qts, wait thirty seconds or a minute or so, and check the oil level with the dip stick. If it's low or not on the dip stick at all, add more oil. Half quart incriments are good. I forget if the difference between the full and empty lines on the VG30 dipstick is one quart or a half, pretty bad since I have one too. Adding a bit at a time, waiting for the oil to drain to the pan, and checking the level is pretty fool proof to not overfill. Simply repeat until full, and make note of how much you added total, so you know for next time. -Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 If the engine is sludged up, running ATF will liberate all of the sludge at once which might not be a good thing. If your oil comes up really dirty, do two oil changes within 500 miles. Then check the oil after running it for a day and see if it comes up dirty. If it does, keep changing every 1000 miles until it is clean. Prefer a diesel oil to any ATF mix myself, diesel oils are high in detergents plus the right ones still use zinc etc anti wear additives. Which a lot of car oils don't use now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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