Ticking on cold starts???

[datkwikracer1]

I have a 93 Maxima with 108k miles. the car is in perfect condition and runs great. Except for this ticking sound on cold starts. the oil level is fine it only does this on cold starts for the first 5-10 minutes. no driveability issues and the ticking is in synch with the rpms it kinda sounds like an old benz diesel. any help with this issue will be greatly appreciated.

could it be the oil pump? perhaps a thinnner oil will help? if so whats good for so cal?

[s13sr20chris]

maybe old tired lifters(not really that old!). thin oil would prob not be the solution. another possibility is piston slap. is it a hollow kind of sound or very high pitched sound from top of motor? you could try flushing your engine. add 1/2 quart of atf to oil(once the oil level is already full) and let idle for like 30 min. drain and refill with some good old 10w30 or if you can spend extra maybe some valvoline durablend 10w40. you can do that procedure multiple times and also do it with 1/4 quart of kerosene. be carefull not to use too much flush chemicals and thin oil too much and DONT drive it with flush stuff in the motor. if you do that a couple times with new no name brand oil each time and fill up with good stuff it may fix a collapsed lifter. also note that nissan injectors are very loud but they keep going even once warmed up.

[PalmerWMD]

You can do like Chris said above, or start using a hi detergent oil like Mobil Drive Clean or vavoline durablend (takes longer)

Use of Seafoam (good varnish remover the prime cause of ticking lifters) in crankcase is ok too, especially if put in, the week of an oil change.

With this method friends have combating ticking lifter successfully in the past ( took months the gentle way)

Fred..

[datkwikracer1]

if it were the lifters or piston slap wouldn't the sound be constant. I guess the sound is kind of hollow like . it kinda sounds like when you hold a pencil through the spokes a slow turning bike wheel.

my friends suggested that it could be th eoil pump, he said if thta the engines is started and since the oil pump is tired maybe it takes a while for the oil to come up to the head (where it sounds like its coming from) he said a thinnner oil would ease the the job of the oil pump which will circulate the oil easier.

I also read something about valve tappets on a google search but i think that was big rig related.

[PMan_S13]

Piston slap usually goes away once the metal heats up and expands.

You really need to give a better location from where the sound is coming from. Otherwise we can guess any of the possible locations the sound is coming from