Radnsmash Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 My 1999 Monte Carlo Z34 with a N/A 3800 II with 118K almost every time i start it up, gives me a what Id like to think are lifters ticking. It all started one day out of the blue, I checked the dipstick, the engine needed oil. The next day, I had the oil changed completely(Fram filter and Pennzoil 10w-30, went away for a week or 2, then came back, tried STP, that didnt work. I changed the oil again today(Purolator pure-one filter and GTX hi mileage) Still there. Im going to get a video of the noise uploaded soon. The noise results in a loss of power(bad accelleration) and wont go away until a few minutes of running. I dont know what other options i have, could someone perhaps throw me a suggestion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jman093 Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 Bad lifter maybe? Or maybe an oil pressure problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 LIM failure resulting in a soon to be spun bearing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 do yourself a favor and stay away from FRAM filters. purolator: good stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake91 Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 uh oh fram war time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radnsmash Posted June 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 do yourself a favor and stay away from FRAM filters. purolator: good stuff After reading some horror stories about them, Ill be sure to! Well after I let the thing idle for 2 minutes and let the tick go away on its own, it didn't come back to haunt me for the rest of the night. Someone on the 3800pro forum had a the same problem(and in fact, drives a 99 Z34 like myself) went to Advanced Auto Parts and bought some "CD-2 Oil Detergent" and he said the noise went away in days. I might try some of that, but I still need to get the recall done for my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 uh oh fram war time its been proven SO many times that when it comes to oil filters, AVOID FRAM like the plague. bought some "CD-2 Oil Detergent" and he said the noise went away in days. I might try some of that, but I still need to get the recall done for my car. i don't really trust in oil additives since they are mostly band-aid approaches to a more significant underlying problem, but it may work for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake91 Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 uh oh fram war time its been proven SO many times that when it comes to oil filters, AVOID FRAM like the plague. yeah i know it was a joke i plan on getting away from fram my next oil change. the only reason i didnt last time is that autozone was running an oil change special i couldnt pass up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 yeah i know it was a joke i plan on getting away from fram my next oil change. the only reason i didnt last time is that autozone was running an oil change special i couldnt pass up autozone has special on fram filters i'll gladly pay the extra $2 it costs for a ACDelco PF52 compared to the equivalent FRAM filter. WIX and Purolator are also highly regarded as well. as for oil itself... i like pennzoil 10W-40, but next oil change or new motor(for either vehicle), i'll be considering the SuperTech Synthetic. now being wal-mart brand, i expected it to be total shit, but from what i've heard its damn good for the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake91 Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 it was $17 for 5 quarts of valvoline and a fram filter i couldnt pass it up /end hijack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radnsmash Posted June 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 I know, I had that in mind, But I'm really hoping that when I start her tomorrow I get no ticks, and I'm really hoping I was just victim to a shitty branded oil filter. But with my luck, that wont happen. I will also note that the first "problem" with my car was its coolant issue. Whenever I saw the idiot light pop up, Id always add coolant to the reserve tank(Prestone 50/50) It used to really drink coolant, but that issue has seemed to have gone away, and I'd say it comes on maybe every month or so?(is this bad?) When I drained the oil today, it didn't look milky or anything, as if coolant was getting in there, it looked like regular old 10W-30. I know that the common problem with this motor is the UIM/LIM gasket issues, And with the mileage on the motor, that seems very likely(I have no records from the previous owner saying that the LIM/UIM gaskets were changed) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 well since you mentioned it liked to drink coolant, i think matt may have gotten it right... if your oil ever starts to either: turn into chocolate milk or make foamy white shit fix the intake manifold NOW normally you would see the chocolate milk if the car doesn't get up to full temp all of the time and coolant starts mixing, and the white foamy shit(presumably on the underside of the oil fill cap) is if it gets the oil to full temp and the coolant mixes. ever see anything resembling oil in the coolant resevoir? it will usually float on top as a gray/black film Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radnsmash Posted June 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 ever see anything resembling oil in the coolant resevoir? it will usually float on top as a gray/black film oh fuck..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 ever see anything resembling oil in the coolant resevoir? it will usually float on top as a gray/black film oh fuck..... well, i think an explanation is in order... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgethis Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 Quote from: rrobertisaar on June 26, 2009, 11:36:42 PMever see anything resembling oil in the coolant resevoir? it will usually float on top as a gray/black film oh fuck..... Just get it fixed as soon as possible and Hopefully the damage wont be as severe. How long has it been doing that? I mean do you know the last time you checked the radiator fluid? What saved me was when I had an old ciera with an 3100 it was already gone by the mixing of the oil and failure of lower intake manifold gasket. I caught the lumina early when it started to mix ( could see it forming in the reservoir tank). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radnsmash Posted June 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 Are there any tests I should have a mechanic run to check if the gaskets really are going?(like a pressure test or something?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 if you are seeing oil in the coolant resevoir, something is FUBAR. you don't need a test to know that. besides its known to happen on 3800s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 Doing the gaskets is extremely simple... $150 bucks gets you LIM gaskets, valve cover gaskets, a new UIM and UIM gasket... I chose rock auto for the LIM and valve cover gaskets and I got my UIM from: http://www.ineedparts.com/auto-parts/intake-manifolds/gm-intake-manifold-kit-17806.html All parts were here within two days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 If you do them tho, You should also replace your coolant elbows... You can get them at Autozone or similar... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jman093 Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 Are there any tests I should have a mechanic run to check if the gaskets really are going?(like a pressure test or something?) Just get it done. Even if it isn't leaking yet, IT WILL LEAK at some point. No way around that except never driving the car. Get it done and prevent damage (or maybe further damage in this case). BTW, it isn't just gaskets, you need to have the upper intake manifold itself replaced with the gasket because the plastic intake melts/corrodes where the EGR stovepipe is and it also warps up by the throttle body and you're left with a big gap between the two that can cause a vacuum leak. All the ones I do at work I get the Doorman UIM kit from O'reilly. It's like $150 and comes with a revised intake (revised to eliminate the problems described above),a new EGR stovepipe to work with the revised intake, and your gasket and O-rings. I've had perfect luck with it and it's a good price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radnsmash Posted June 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2009 Stupid me, When I looked @ the reservoir tank at night and shined on it with my phone, it looked dark, yesterday in daylight, it didn't exhibit a gray film or black film. Plus, the noise hasn't come back to haunt me...yet. Nonetheless, When I get the recall done on my car tomorrow, Ill have my mechanic take a look @ it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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