1993 infinity Q45 Engine noise from the left side..

[jodnny31]

Hello everyone, just bought a very beautiful, well taken care of 93 Q45.

The man i bought this car from said he drove this car back and forth to work for along time. he then told me the car developed a small tick in the top half of the engine.with nothing wrongThen he said he just one day lost power and had the car towed home, the car starts and runs, This tick is very loud, with a miss something fierce.

Any idea's of what this could be,I couldn't refuse this car for the price he gave it to me for 400.00 and i towed it home.. 2nd owner and 166.000 miles on it...

Would love to fix and drive myself..Any advise would be appreciated..

[Infinitiguy19]

Your the second person I have seen that says a car with 166K miles (or in the other guys case 200+K miles with a J30).

But look at the HLA's:

My # 1 cylinder has had HLA noise from 120,000 miles to now 207,000 miles [3 years] when I removed and resealed valve covers examined closely saw nothing unusual. I would have tech measure real oil pressure: cold idle, hot idle and at 2,000 rpm and 5,000 rpm under load may take a long hose/ gauge taped to windshield, etc. We have seen cam followers fall off [1 valve not working] the only way is to pull valve cover and check.

HLA28707 HLA q45tech http://www.delphiauto.com/pdf/...A.pdfh ... theory.htm

"Once you have familiarized yourself with the model you may do some interesting tests. For example, you may want to reduce the viscosity of the working fluid (nu_liquid in the Globals powerblock). Leakdown is quicker with reduced viscosity, as expected. To run with different amounts of entrained air, set the vfairref constant, also in the Globals powerblock. Vfairref is the volume fraction of air in the working fluid at reference conditions (room temperature, 1 atmosphere). The default value is vfairref = 0.025 (2.5 percent), provided by Kim Ku. Performance of the lash adjuster is strongly dependent on the entrained air.The higher the air amount the poorer the performance. The reason is that air lowers the tangent bulk modulus of the working fluid. Instead of dropping sharply when the cam goes on inner base circle, the pressure in the high pressure chamber lingers high, sustained by the microscopic air bubbles, which expand as the cam relaxes. The elevated high pressure chamber pressure offers greater opposition to the makeup flow through the check valve during the relaxed interval. One interesting run is to increase the check valve stroke. This is the term xba_bb in the Ball Travel Limiter powerblock. Changing this from the default value of -0.3e-3m to -0.5e-3m increases the pressure chamber makeup flow and recovers some of the performance lost by increased air or greater leakage path capillary thickness."

The following offers a computer simulation on HLA:http://www.jat.co.kr/eda/acsl/rff.html

alve ClatterMessage 24207 Re: valve clatter on cold start q45techThe HLA [H lash adjusters] are bleeding down overnight as is the oil pressure you can try 0W-30 Mobile 1 and Something like BG Engine Quick Clean [a special varnish remover] and BG MOA added to oil after change. Or you might try a few 1,000 mile oil changes with regular high detergent oil. Common on much higher mile engines to have 1 or more of 32 HLA sticking. A few of the above treatments will usually cure the problem. What type of oil filter are you using -- factory? How often is Mobil 1 changed? Is the car parked overnight on level ground?Mostly a cold [below 32F] problem or year around since MN mornings rarely get above 70F?

Too much oil is only a problem with non synthetic type as the PVC valves and hoses were not cleaned regularly and gunk would build up in valve covers and plenum. The Q is a higher performance engine that most people didn't understand [or want to because of work and cost] how to maintain. The injectors get noisy and HLAs plug up if oil changes aren'tregular. 30k plenum cleaning is too infrequent as the engine ages above 80k and the idle suffers.

Yours is more of a click clunk than a tick. Easy to determine with a stethoscope where the sound is coming from injectors or valve covers.Once the HLA get crudded up it is very hard to get them clean again without spending $3,000 to replace them.Weekly oil changes with a varnish remover may work after 20 or so...easier and less expensive to just change the oil every 90 days from day one and never let the problem occur but less than 1 in 20 do this so most used cars have weird noises.

Then an oil change, then 500 miles later [when the oil starts to discolor] another one. Then start with BG Quick Clean for engines maybe 6 applications. It may take a month of intensive care and thousands of dollars vs simple every 90 day oil changes.IF THIS DOESN'T WORK you will need to find new heads or a new engine.

2738 : BG (engine cleaner) quick clean There are probably other products which are just as good but BG makes a complete line for every auto component from spray silicone to AC compressor oil. Oil works by creating a microscopic film which keep the rotating components from actually touching each other. The viscosity (drip thickness which varies with temp)and the surface tension are critical components. When oil gets diluted by gasoline vapors (blowby) the afore mentioned properties are not ideal. When you add a solvent - cleaner to oil to help dissolve carbon build, varnish, and water emulsified sludge you are decreasing its protection while the solvents are in the oil. So always add any solvent when the engine is at operating temperature and leave it in only the minimum length of time and above all don't rev the engine more than is necessary to get from A to B or better don't even move it. Many of the commonly sold PURGE products are too strong for initial use they might free up too much sludge and clog the oil strainer pick up. Easy does it and weak are the safe ways to do it you let it build up slowly so don't try to clean it fast. Most independent shops will carry BG products but the retail mark up is high ($10-$15) also they sell a product called BG MOA which is just Zinc extreme pressure additives in an oil base to protect the bearings from the cleaner just in case! Synthetic Mobil 1 ATF has a lot of anti varnish detergents in it so does regular ATF, years ago it was common to put in a pint of ATF and let the engine idle for 15 minutes and then drain the oil. As you are well aware oil thickens with heat and mileage so the end of its life cycle is when you want to add the cleaners but unfortunately the oil filter is probably plugged and in bypass already by 3-4,000 miles depending on engine condition. So the first time do it at 2,000 miles. Quick Clean is nice because more than 50% of it evaporates in 15 minutes at normal oil temperature, again a self protecting mechanism. Expect to clean 2-3 times easy then progressively harder to get 80,000 miles of gunk out of an engine if you use standard oils. An interesting thing would be to use Brake Part Spray Cleaner which evaporates almost instantly in the oil drain hole after the oil has drained out to attack the oil pan varnish and free up more crud. Hold on to the spray tube as I have 2 in my oil pan now! The pricey Mobil 1 oil filter seems to keep oil cleaner for 500 miles longer than the OEM but doesn't really filter the microscopic particles much if any better after 1500 miles.Varnish Removal Varnish is a clear to dark amber hard layer that results from volatile gums and resins depositing on relatively cooler engine parts or where there is little oil flow like valve covers, in the hydraulic valve lifters, camshafts away from the lobes and bearings, valve springs, crankcase walls, inside pistons, etc. It may or may not be sticky, depending on the engine temperature history when the varnish was deposited. HOW TO AVOID VARNISHDetergents in the oil will generally always keep high flow areas clean and changing oil regularly will keep them from depositing anywhere. Fuel quality is the single biggest factor in determining how much varnish an engine will generate. Buy good fuel which advertises 'keep clean' or 'clean-up' additives and you will go a long way to preventing varnish build-up. HOW TO CLEAN UP VARNISH DEPOSITSWe need a POLAR solvent like alcohols, ethers, ketones (like lacquer thinner!) all of which will dissolve the 'varnish' into the liquid mixture of oil and 'solvent' which can be flushed out with the oil drain. There is a wide array of commercial products available at auto parts stores containing combinations and mixtures of alcohols, ethers, ketones, and similar chemicals, all of which will work. Read the labels. 'Petroleum Solvents' do not work very well for varnish deposits. STP has an excellent product which includes additives protect the critical surfaces from oil film failure. It is also less volatile than most varnish solvents so it can be used longer in hot oil without risk of re-depositing the varnish. The important thing to remember is temperature and time of effective use. These varnish solvents generally are quite volatile and will evaporate out of hot oil quite quickly. They should used with a fresh oil change of 20 Wt. Add the solvent in cool engines, run it a few minutes to circulate it and get the oil hot (20-30 min). Shut it off and leave it soaking over night if possible. In the morning (or after as much soaking time as you can spare during the day) restart the engine and run it to hot again (20-30 minutes should be plenty)and then drain the oil, change the filter, and refill with regular oil and go on your way. DO NOT use gum and varnish solvents in a HOT engine with dirty oil and keep on driving because you just move varnish around--dissolving it at first with the solvent, and then re-depositing it as the solvent evaporates out of the hot oil. It may actually make the problem worse because the 'problem area' is just that because it tends to collect varnish deposits faster or is more critical in the first place. The solvent will work slowest in the most difficult areas, and newly dissolved varnish will re-deposit in the most deposit prone areas. DO NOT add more of the solvent than recommended. Too much solvent weakens the oil film strength and may allow metal to metal contact with unpleasant consequences. Do not drive the car or race the engine until you refill it with fresh oil. NOTE, avoid 'routine' use of these varnish solvents because they ARE very aggressive and can attack plastic parts (like the Q timing chain guides) and cause cracking. I suggest Q owners use only the STP engine flush product or Marvel Mystery Oil (see below) unless they are desperate. I have seen the lab testing on the STP product and it does perform very well indeed. I have over 45 years of good, no-problem experience with Marvel Mystery Oil, but it works slowly compared to these aggressive 'solvents'. Q45tech recommends BG products based on his many years of their successful use. That good experience is worth considering strongly. I do not have any experience with them however. I use Mobil 1 10w-30 a splash (3oz) of Zinc (BG MOA 11oz can) and change at 3500 with stock OEM filter. Something like BG Quick Clean (kerosene like) every 10K will remove varnish. Most modern oil formulations have removed or greatly reduced Zinc additive because too much and oil burning can poison cat converters.

Front crank seals on Q seem to actually last longer with full synthetic (70k vs. 120K). Don't you think 15w-50 is a little heavy even for Texas (your Varnish?).The trick is to keep the Viton valve stem seals clean so they won't wear. Why you see so many smoking Q with only 150k.

10 HP or 10 lb./ft of torque more is worth about 0.05 seconds in 0-60 or 0.1 secs in quarter. So 3 may be unmeasurable. What we really need is a new air box with more filter area, but where would it fit--double area =1/4 resistance. The Q never needs more than 350 cfm @ 4,000 or 380 cfm @ 6,200 rpm. [274 cu in/2 x RPM] divided by 12x12x12 or 1728 = raw CFM x volumetric efficiency [110%@4000 84%@ 6000]. Keep reading and I promise in 90 days you'll wow your friends and GM engine designers. Please take the time to read the 24 installments of http://www.performanceprofessor.com it's a nice break from work.

There are probably other products which are just as good but BG makes a complete line for every auto component from spray silicone to AC compressor oil. Oil works by creating a microscopic film which keep the rotating components from actually touching each other. The viscosity (drip thickness which varies with temp)and the surface tension are critical components. When oil gets diluted by gasoline vapors (blow by) the afore mentioned properties are not ideal. When you add a solvent - cleaner to oil to help dissolve carbon build, varnish, and water emulsified sludge you are decreasing its protection while the solvents are in the oil. So always add any solvent when the engine is at operating temperature and leave it in only the minimum length of time and above all don't rev the engine more than is necessary to get from A to B or better don't even move it.Many of the commonly sold PURGE products are too strong for initial use they might free up too much sludge and clog the oil strainer pick up. Easy does it and weak are the safe ways to do it you let it build up slowly so don't try to clean it fast. Most independent shops will carry BG products but the retail mark up is high ($10-$15) also they sell a product called BG MOA which is just Zinc extreme pressure additives in an oil base to protect the bearings from the cleaner just in case! Synthetic Mobil 1 ATF has a lot of anti varnish detergents in it so does regular ATF, years ago it was common to put in a pint of ATF and let the engine idle for 15 minutes and then drain the oil. As you are well aware oil thickens with heat and mileage so the end of its life cycle is when you want to add the cleaners but unfortunately the oil filter is probably plugged and in bypass already by 3-4,000 miles depending on engine condition. So the first time do it at 2,000 miles. Quick Clean is nice because more than 50% of it evaporates in 15 minutes at normal oil temperature, again a self protecting mechanism. Expect to clean 2-3 times easy then progressively harder to get 80,000 miles of gunk out of an engine if you use standard oils. An interesting thing would be to use Brake Part Spray Cleaner which evaporates almost instantly in the oil drain hole after the oil has drained out to attack the oil pan varnish and free up more crud. Hold on to the spray tube as I have 2 in my oil pan now! The pricey Mobil 1 oil filter seems to keep oil cleaner for 500 miles longer than the OEM but doesn't really filter the microscopic particles much if any better after 1500 miles.

Thats should get you started

Welcome to NICO.

[Infinitiguy19]

I wanted to see what you meant by HLA, would this cause the whole engine to lose power, i mean when i drove this car up on the car trailerIt barely had enouph power to make it up on the trailer..

It's a very loud knocking noise with loss of power on the top end passanger side.

I took the passanger side valve cover off, and to my surprize(not) it was black and crudy inside. which means this man lied to me to sell this car to me OR he never took care of this car at all...any idea's on what i have to do to remedy this engine knock, I don't think its a rod, but i could be wrong..

How do i clean HLA'S ..

Can you take a picture?

But I posted all that stuff and I take it you did'nt read it because if you did you would have a pretty good understanding of what one is.

Here is the definition: http://en.wakopedia.org/wiki/H...uster

Mazda's have this problem all the time so that how I know so much about it. But I would say you have more problems than dirty HLA's. Sounds like you have sludge which is caused by not changing the oil every 90 days or 3000 miles.