Lifter Noise

[Concord]

Anyone experiencing abnormally loud lifter noise when cold?I know the Versa has solid lifters but recently noticed them getting louder.

[blockmachining]

This is a common issue with all overhead valve engines. There is nothing wrong with your car engine as long as it's not excessively loud....ie....you can hear it coming from a block away. The best thing you can do for your engine is to use synthetic oil. Synthetic oil is less sensitive to the cold than the regular dino oil and will prolong the useful life of your engine. Change your oil over and see if you don't see/hear a difference.

[BBISHOPPCM]

Having actually switched from dino to synthetic, and back to dino; the type of oil you use has no baring on the valvetrain noise. However, the weight of the oil does. Always use the recommended oil listed in the owners manual for your average operating temperatures. To save the cost of using costly synthetic oil, try using a good quality conventional oil (Castrol GTX is a great oil), as you want a decent amount of Zinc to reduce engine wear on cold startups. Never use anything recommended by a "friend" or "buddy who knows stuff 'bout cars" unless the owners manual suggests it. I only say this because when I was a young naive 17 year old, a friend recommended I use 50w oil in my VW. Long story short, I almost destroyed that engine, as 50w is great if you live in central Florida; but turns to molasses in 0 degree Fahrenheit weather. The 1.8l VW watercooled engines are funky, but not THAT funky. On the other end of the spectrum, another friend told my cousin to run 5w-30 in his VW Jetta (same engine as mine), which is supposed to run on 10w-40. 5w30 was too thin, caused the hydraulic lifters to make a rash of noise, and the oil pressure light kept coming on.

[equlizer]

Ive recently noticed this noise as well but only when its below 0 and only between 1000 and 2500rpm's

I have taken it in and they say not to worry unless it becomes worse.

[Driving Instructor]

Is it just me but if you hear lifter noises already at around 100 000kms, what will the engine sound like at 300 000 kms. I was planning to keep this car for a long time.......... but doubting it now!

[BBISHOPPCM]

Don't worry. The noise will not likely get any worse. My engine started making noise around 15,000 miles; it hasn't gotten any worse, and I'm now pushing 50,000 miles. If it does get noisier, you'll need an old fashioned "valve adjustment."