Brand New Nissan Lifters Noisy On Start Up

[LaurelPWR]

Bought the car blew head gasket and never had lifter noise. Had a certain dodgy Gold Coast workshop rebuild the motor and had lifter noise mostly on cold starts but not every start and sometimes when starting at operating temp.

Motor failed after about 6000 kms and had it rebuilt at a much better and trusted well know shop and made more power and smoother running... STILL LIFTER NOISE same as before on start up mostly cold starts and sometimes on any initial start up at temp and getting more frequent as weeks/months pass. Sometimes start up at the servo after refuelling and lifter noise..so turn it off and restart and still lifers... Repeat until can't hear them and then drive out.

This was getting embarrassing so I just thought stuff it! Bought 24 brand new oem Nissan lifters $$$ and a set of performance springs/retainers and had them installed a few days ago. Picked the car up from the shop and 1 lifter was noisy but the car had not been driven so when for a decent drive and left it sit. Nearly two hours later I start it and it's all quiet. Next morning I start it and BAM! Lifter noise... And again after driving it and re starting at temp.. Then again this morning.. More lifter noise..

NOTE: At the first rebuild, new poncams where installed. Also I have a greddy thermostatic oil cooler with a greddy oil filter relocation kit piggy backed on it. I run royal purple 10w40 and have checked my defi oil press. gauge on start up and will post a video of start up.

[LaurelPWR]

the gold one goes on the engine block and is thermostatic and has two long lines running out of it to a cooler... the bottom half of the blue one screws onto the gold one where the oil filter would normally go so the filter is now relocated.

[LaurelPWR]

heres a video i just shot now... new lifters 3 days old, driven twice, cold start..

oil3.MOV

[Dobz]

Your oil pressure seems to be rising up just fine, does the noise go away when you rev the car and then come back as it falls to idle?

[LaurelPWR]

the noise stays for anywhere between 10 to 60 seconds on cold starts then goes away but its still there when revs are given...

if hot start and there's ticking, its there when revs are given as well

and i forgot to mention my power fc knock reading goes up VERY noticeably when/while there lifter ticking

[AngryRB]

I had this very similar issue on an LS1, after replacing the lifters it improved but still always noise and when really hot it would make very loud banging noises, probably the cam bashing the lifters... There appeared to be normal oil pressure and i tried every viscosity of oil, the thin oil was best but eventually thinned out on the hwy and got the bashing noises after half an hour...

A few possibilities i think are,

the lifter bores are worn same as a sloppy piston in a bore so they bleed , picking up air in the system like the oil pick up, and also after market springs and high lift cams only make the lifters job harder too,

so id of gone stock springs. Just my opinion..

Could it of had the oil restrictors blocked off or restricted?

Edited August 9, 2015 by AngryRB

[t_revz]

I've had my 33 nearly 14 years and its sounded like your video for atleast 12 of those years. It's Had a different head, poncams, springs. and lifters cleaned at rebuild and the noise has never changed. No nasties in my oil samples either. I barely notice it anymore

[LaurelPWR]

I've had my 33 nearly 14 years and its sounded like your video for atleast 12 of those years. It's Had a different head, poncams, springs. and lifters cleaned at rebuild and the noise has never changed. No nasties in my oil samples either. I barely notice it anymore

This makes me a lot more at ease man thanks... I'm still going to replace the thermostatic oil cooler sandwich plate with a new Grex item... Thanks for the replies everyone !!

[LaurelPWR]

I had this very similar issue on an LS1, after replacing the lifters it improved but still always noise and when really hot it would make very loud banging noises, probably the cam bashing the lifters... There appeared to be normal oil pressure and i tried every viscosity of oil, the thin oil was best but eventually thinned out on the hwy and got the bashing noises after half an hour...

A few possibilities i think are,

the lifter bores are worn same as a sloppy piston in a bore so they bleed , picking up air in the system like the oil pick up, and also after market springs and high lift cams only make the lifters job harder too,

so id of gone stock springs. Just my opinion..

Could it of had the oil restrictors blocked off or restricted?

The previous cylinder head never made lifter noise until Nisspro rebuilt it... It later cracked anyways and was completely replaced with all new head and lifters but the problem persists ...

[Malakai]

Maybe put the oil filter straight on the block and drive it like that for a bit and see if there is any difference before going and replacing the sandwich plate. Doing that will rule out a lot of the oil system.

I have a built motor with a lot of goodies in it and one of my lifters is noisy mostly at cold after first starting it, gets quieter with temp and other than being a bit annoying I'm not going to worry about it. I have good oil pressure monitoring and warnings in place so unless there is an issue there or it gets significantly worse I don't plan on trying to make it go away.