I just bought a 2001 Sonata with a 2.4, it has a pretty annoying tick coming from the top of the motor.. Are the lifters serviceable, or do you just replce them?

thanks

wow.. no one?

There is no "lifters", it's OHC. It probably means the cams are scored from lack of oil. Maybe somebody stuck synthetic oil in it and plugged up the oil ports.

Dear fbod,

Your car has hydraulic lash adjusters. These hydraulically adjust to take slack out of the valve train when you have good oil flow in the HLA's. The HLA has a tiny inlet hole for oil about the size of the tip of a paper clip. If the previous owner failed to change the oil regularly and/or never had an engine flush performed, you probably have sludge clogging one or more of these inlet holes in your HLA's. First fix: try an engine flush treatment to remove/clear the sludge, and a fresh fill of oil. If that doesn't work, second fix is to try a high-mileage oil treatment product like STP Oil Treatment or Rislone. These have a high detergent content to clean out sludge over time. If that doesn't work, third fix is to remove the HLA's and soak in kerosene or mineral spirits over night in an empty coffee can, and use compressed air or Gumout spray carberetor cleaner to blow out the inlet holes. Make sure you completely dry out the HLA's, and soak in regular motor oil before installing.

If that doesn't work, fourth step is to disassemble the HLA's for cleaning. This requires inside snap ring pliers to remove the internal spring and piston assembly.

Byron

Wow, really good answer. Now I understand what happens when all those people put synthetic oil in their older cars and it gunks up the hydraulic lash adjusters.

exactly the info I was looking for. thanks

the haynes manual states 2006 and prior have to be adjusted

Well.. Haynes has been known to be wrong.. BUT I'm pulling the cover off this weekend.. so I'll let you guys know what i see! Sure makes a **** racket

Well.. the lifters a def not adjustable... Its not them thats making the tick anyway. anyone know of other causes of an annoying tick? Its def metal to metal. but not bad enough for a rod or bearing. Does this engine have balance shafts? Does the oil pump tick like a GM when they start to crap out?

I know if u change the weight in a gm it creates a ticking or knocking sound. See what they call for on th catylist and maye that will help. It did me for my gm.