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Engine ticking

13K views 21 replies 12 participants last post by  Red Raspberry 
#1 ·
It's winter here and as my car warms up it starts to tick. It doesn't happen right away, only as the car warms up and it gets progressively louder until a certain point at which point it seems to stop (or has faded significantly). It primarily happens in idle and in gear but will go away after revving above a certain point (around 1500-2000rpm). If I put it in neutral the noise is greatly reduced or disappears completely unless I rev it from about 1000rpm-1500rpm. Once the car reaches operating temperature the noise is gone. Any idea what it could be? The sound appears to be coming from the top of the entire. Also, it doesnt seem to do this when its warm outside. I have a 2011 sonata GLS and I change the oil every 3000 miles. I use either Bosch filters or OEM filters so I know the filter has nothing to do with the ticking. Please help me. Thank you.
 
#2 ·
A "tick" on the top end is often nothing more than lifter chatter. And the cold weather doesn't help. Some have opted for 10W-30 in an effort to quieten things down under the hood. Mixed reviews. Also a point to remember: the engine warms up, metal components expand, and chatter minimizes.

Your attention to routine oil changes indicates you're on top of your game. If you get a few days of warm weather in the next several weeks, check it out then. If it doesn't chatter in warm weather on start-up, I wouldn't be concerned.

You can always "record" this sound on your phone for playback to the dealer if that will make you feel better.
 
#3 ·
Thank you. Ive noticed it only does it in cold weather and the car's engine seems to sound good other than that. What scares me is Ive had the car 3 years and this is the first winter it has done this. I use 5w-20 oil with a quart of lucas oil every change so I know it couldnt possibly be due to neglect. The noise itself doesnt bother me at all I just want to make sure its nothing serious or doing something that could lead to something serious. Is anyone else hearing these noises?
 
#8 · (Edited)
You said this is first time you've heard the ticking? Is this with the Bosch filter? I would switch back to the OEM filter and see if that helps.

Lose the lucas oil stabilizer crap. You don't want that garbage in your engine. It just makes the oil thicker which means the oil will take longer to reach the valve train, which is not ideal for cold starts. tick tick tick! It also dilutes the add pack in the oil.

FWIW, my car ticks a bit in cold weather before it's warmed up. Its noticeable when I let off the gas as I'm approaching a stop sign-when the temp gauge only has one bar.
 
#10 ·
No it actually just started it when I had an OEM filter in it. Yes mine does it when I let off the gas as well but it wont do it if I am braking. Mine will do it basically for about 20 minutes even after its fully warmed up it will do it for a little bit. I will stop using lucas oil if you guys think its a waste my friends told me it was good to help the engine last longer which is my ultimate goal.
 
#13 ·
I would say the ticking is just an idiosyncrasy of the Theta engine. It might be worth having the dealer look at it, but I doubt there is much if anything they can or would be willing to do.

Lucas-that stuff is snake oil. I don't know your friends, but I doubt they have more knowledge than the engineers who formulate modern automotive lubricants. Modern oils are extremely well formulated and they don't need anything added to them to make them "better." Look at some threads on BobIsTheOilGuy.com. Regular oil changes are the best thing you can do to promote engine longevity, not some silly "stabilizer."
 
#14 ·
Thank you all for the advice I will stop using lucas oil. I think we are kind of straying away from what Im asking though. I used the OEM filters and it started before I switched to the bosch filters so it isnt the filters. I sort of agree with singledad I think it might just be the way of the engine. I think I will have them look at it but I also agree that they will probably just say its normal. I hope it is because I hate going to the dealership for things I am not one to complain and I would hope that they would actually help me if indeed my car was doing something wrong
 
#16 ·
Is there any way that the lucas oil could be causing this noise? Am I hurting my engine using the stuff? I use 5w-20 with a quart of lucas oil. Is that dangerous or just a waste of money?
The only way I can think that it's causing the noise is by increasing the viscosity of oil(making it thicker) causing it to flow to the upper areas of the engine more slowly. A more viscous fluid is less pumpable. Oils are carefully formulated with anti-wear additives and VIs(viscosity improvers). When you start adding stuff to the oil, it effects the formulation, kind of like when when ice cubes melt in a glass of soda and dilute the flavor.

Ideally you should use the thinnest oil the car will run on with out burning or leaking. You want the oil to start circulating immediately after starting. Making it thicker with the lucas will is counterproductive.

Will it cause harm? Probably not short term use, but it's not going to make you engine last longer. Yes, it's a waste of money. IMO
 
#17 ·
Engine noise when cold

My Sonota sits out in the cold a lot, and its cold up here.
The engine does tick more when cold, and I believe it is when the engine in the emissions warm up mode. To reduce emissions the fuel injectors operate twice as often and inject fuel during the exhaust stroke. This fuel burns in the catalyst and heats it up quicker. I believe it is the injectors making the noise during warm up. The noise doesn't bother me, it is the fuel dilution of the engine oil that this procedure causes that I dislike.
 
#19 ·
My Sonota sits out in the cold a lot, and its cold up here.
The engine does tick more when cold, and I believe it is when the engine in the emissions warm up mode. To reduce emissions the fuel injectors operate twice as often and inject fuel during the exhaust stroke. This fuel burns in the catalyst and heats it up quicker. I believe it is the injectors making the noise during warm up. The noise doesn't bother me, it is the fuel dilution of the engine oil that this procedure causes that I dislike.

I am not sure what this means haha. But yes mine is outside at all times and when it is cold it ticks like crazy until it is warm. It doesnt bother me at all either as far as the sound goes but I didnt know if it was normal or damaging my vehicle. Does this dilution you talk about hurt the engine?
 
#18 ·
How many miles are on the car? If you look in your owners manual they advise having your valve clearance checked at around 65K miles. (Our cars do not have hydraulic valve lifters. ) If your car has a lot of miles on it, it may be excessive lifter clearances that are causing the noise when the engine is cold.
 
#20 ·
fuel dilution of engine oil

If too much fuel enters the engine oil and will thin it and reduce its ability to properly lubricate. Also the fuel is getting into the oil by washing down the cylinder walls, which can lead to oil consumption. If you are doing lots of cold weather engine starts and not a lot of highway miles, your oil will become diluted to a level that is concerning. Without changing your driving habits or moving to a warmer climate the simplest way to reduce the possibility of accelerated engine wear is to replace the engine oil more frequently, as I do in the winter.
 
#21 ·
You should record the noise and post it on youtube or something. The Theta being a GDI motor has a few more noticeable sounds emanating from in during a normal operating cycle.

That being said there is NO reason to put anything else in your oil. Period. End of sentence. A good quality oil (dino or syn) is more than you need if you do the correct interval oil changes. Putting in an additive can disrupt the normal protection package of the oil that in the car (whatever brand).

Given the Thetas sensitivity to filters, I say use an OEM and put in a good quality low Noak oil. Old Penz Plat is a good choice; we should know more about the new one today(Penz Plat Pure One (CGL based)/M1 EP(gold cap) is also a good choice. Those are cost effective if you change your own oil.
 
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