ticking

[Street1]

96' nissan maxima. Some of you have helped me with issues prior and i just want to say thank you. The clutch is fine and the car is running smooth. But all the sudden i have a ticking noise comeing from my motor. I immediately assumed a cracked head. So i let the car cool down opened the radiator cap started it up and had no air bubbles nor smoke ran smooth. So i opened the oil cap and looked in. Now i can't remember the name of this peice but if you open the oil cap you will see a bar spinning i believe comeing from the cam or connecting to the heads. That bar is not spinning in a complete circular motion is seems slightly off balance. I thought that is a possiblity of the noice but due to the heads may not be moveing in the right order causeing the noice not sure. To my knoledge it's not suppossed to seem off set it's suppossed to move circular without any off tilts. Any ideas would be great. Also i put in 10w-30 oil when i changed my oil filter but it seems it's too thick because under that spinning bar it's not spitting out enough oil unless i really give it gas. What is the right weight to put into the 96. Might have that question answered sooner because i may go pick up some more oil if i get time today. Sorry for the long post i appreciate all the help in advance.

[Street1]

sorry at work wrote this quick if i said anything wrong or you can't understand what i refering to i'll further explain it when i get off and get home. Once again sorry for any incovience.

Sincerly, Shawn

[Nrw]

That bar you see IS your camshaft..

Two things I can think of. You hear you injectors firing. That is normal. They are loud on these cars.

ORRRRR if the noise is coming from the front of the engine, where the pulleys are, the timing chain tensioner might need to be fixed.

[Blazingwolf]

i have a strange ticking noise comming from my motor as well. it seems to orriginate from the crank and the back side of the motor at the top where the cams are.

1. the injectors make a loud tick2. the timing chain does a make a lot of noise especially if a tensioner is loose3. 10w - 30 means that at 32 F the oil is 10 w and at operating temps it is 30 weight. 10w is fine even in the winter months. its not a big change but the recommended weights are 5w- 30

unless it sounds like u have a bunch of marbles in your motor. you probably have nothing major wrong. and possibly nothing wrong at allthese motors tend to make LOTS of noise its called the "Nissan Tick" where i work