HELP COLD STARTUP NOISE!

[Nismo240sxFranks]

okay so im buyin this 89 sohc 240sx and i went to go start it on a cold start up and it make this knockin/ ticking noise or w.e. now i let it sit their for at least 30min before it went away after it warmed up or w.e ya know, i poured full synthic oil over the valave head before i started it. now does this mean that the timeing chain guides are worn out, or that it has a cracked piston, it has 143thousand on the engine. now i went to drive it after it warmed up and it drove normal after it warmed up. should i be worried about anything? or what should i do when i get the car like get the engine rebuild? or just buy new pistons or something. someone please get back to me soon thanks very much

[ZiG]

Okay so I'm buying this 89 240sx.I went to go start it cold and it made this knocking/ ticking noise. I let it idle for at least 30min before it went away after it warmed up. I poured full synthetic oil over the cylinder head before I started it. Now does this mean that the timing chain guides/tensioner are worn out? Or that it has a cracked piston? It has 143k on the engine. I went to drive it after it warmed up and it drove normal. Should I be worried about anything?

When I get the car, should I rebuild the engine? Or should I just get new pistons? Someone please get back to me soon.

Thanks very much.

Ok, now that that's taken care of.. No, that wouldn't be a piston problem. That wouldn't go away when it warms up and it certainly wouldn't drive normally. You said it kept making noise for half an hour while idling? It should take less time than that to warm up fully. If it only makes the noise on startup, then it's possible that it is the timing chain, but you aren't too specific about the noise. Can you describe it any better?

[Nismo240sxFranks]

well like the car was sittin for a long time, and i went over their and took off the valve and poured full synthic oil over it, then we jumped it and let it sit for awhile it made that noise while this guy went to get a can of fix a flat for the tire, he might have only been gone for like 15min or so, but it seemed like forever. anyways it wasnt a loud knock and i would go to push the gas up alittle and it would go away but when i let off the gas it came back, but like i said after it warmed up it was gone

[ZiG]

Uhhh.. oh boy. First of all, there is different from their. 'Their' means something belongs to 2 or more entities. 'There' is a place. As in 'go over there'.

Second, you took off the valve? What? Do you mean the valve COVER? Or do you just mean the oil fill cap? And what made you decide it was a good idea to pour oil in it anyway? What did you think it would accomplish? Was it low on oil to begin with?

Ok, well if it's constantly making noise then it isn't just a cold startup noise. It could still be the timing chain though. But you're calling it a knock. Timing chains don't usually knock. Check the accessories like the alternator and the PS pump. If one of them is loose, it could knock. Also check the belts to make sure they're tight. You should be able to push down on the belt as hard as you can and it shouldn't move more than an inch.

[480sx]

i poured full synthetic oil over the valve head before i started it.

Ohh boy indeed, man i hope your car had synthetic oil in it to begin with, how much oil did you dump into the heads? Just to let you know synthetic oil and standard oil mix like, er.., oil and water.

It could be a bit of harmless valve noise. Does it sound like a kinda loud ticking noise?

[rogoman]

okay so im buyin this 89 sohc 240sx and i went to go start it on a cold start up and it make this knockin/ ticking noise or w.e. now i let it sit their for at least 30min before it went away after it warmed up or w.e ya know, i poured full synthic oil over the valave head before i started it.

The SOHC motor uses hydraulic valve lifters which are probably causing the ticking sound. The SOHC motors are notorious for having a short oil pump life. First make sure the oil level is at the full mark, then check the oil pressure.

You can check the pressure very easily by installing a temporary mechanical oil pressure gauge. You would remove the oil sensor which is located next to the oil filter and install the mechanical oil pressure gauge in it's place; you may need to get an 1/8 BSPT to 1/8 NPT adapter to hook up the gauge. With the engine fully warmed up, the pressure should be as follows:idle - at least 11 psi3000 RPM - 60 to 70 psi

If the oil pump needs to be replaced, it's easy to do so on an '89 as it bolts on externally.

[Nismo240sxFranks]

right on man, that helped alot, how much do u think a oil pump will be?

[s14_240sx]

how exactly do you pour oil all over the valve head?

[Nismo240sxFranks]

uhh wel since the car has been sittin for over a year so their has been oil mixin around in the engine, so i took the valve cover off and poured the oil all threw the top

[jspecg35]

I dont see how this helped anything since when the engine is running oil will be flowing...Sounds like valve noise which is common with older engines during cold weather. Just give it a minute or two to warm up the oil and the noise will go away while driving. Some engines always make valvetrain noise plus the whole cracked piston thing.....it would be running way worse