[Zack (CLK 430)]

Here is the run down:
Car has 89,000 miles. 2002 CLK 430. I drive it less than 5,000 miles per year. Having some ticking from the valve train. Not really wanting to break into the engine as the noise is very quiet most of the time, but is still present. Especially on start up the noise is much more prominent almost if it was a knock. Once warm, the noise is almost gone completely. Now if I start the car in the morning and back it out of the garage and turn it off, when I go to restart it an hour later I will sometimes have a brief puff of blue smoke and the smell of burned oil. It does not do this if it has been completely warmed up to operating temperature, ever.

Question:
Would a flush of all the engine oil with a detergent cleaner help out with the valve noise? Would changing the viscosity of oil help prevent the oil that is leaking out on those short runs? What oil would you use? Finally, can I go back to dino oil since I never drive the car that much in the first place?

Thanks!
-ZRT

 

[humbfig]

Here is the run down:
Car has 89,000 miles. 2002 CLK 430. I drive it less than 5,000 miles per year. Having some ticking from the valve train. Not really wanting to break into the engine as the noise is very quiet most of the time, but is still present. Especially on start up the noise is much more prominent almost if it was a knock. Once warm, the noise is almost gone completely. Now if I start the car in the morning and back it out of the garage and turn it off, when I go to restart it an hour later I will sometimes have a brief puff of blue smoke and the smell of burned oil. It does not do this if it has been completely warmed up to operating temperature, ever.

Question:
Would a flush of all the engine oil with a detergent cleaner help out with the valve noise? Would changing the viscosity of oil help prevent the oil that is leaking out on those short runs? What oil would you use? Finally, can I go back to dino oil since I never drive the car that much in the first place?

Thanks!
-ZRT

I have 2 advices:
1) Never flush your engine, unless there is something in there that should not be there.
2) Never turn off a cold engine. There will be an agressive mess inside your engine at low temperature. You have to warm up the engine for it to dissipate. The half hour after turning off a cold engine is when you are wearing it down most, not when you're at full speed in the highway. Also, you're ruining your oil too.

 

[Zack (CLK 430)]

Here is my theory on all of this: There is obviously a lot of carbon buildup inside the motor because the Mobil 1 0W-40 that is in it stays almost black. When you factor in the amount of short trips I have done 80% of the time with the car (15 miles or less) that will lead to high breakdown of the oil. Since the car will never really see the typical 12-15k miles in a year would it make sense to clean out all of the old oil and carbon buildup and switch over to dino oil and change it once a year. Logically, with only 4-5k miles a year it doesn't make much sense to put full synthetic in if it won't hurt the seals or other rubber based components internal. Possibly a 10w-30 Mobil product. ?

I completely understand that short trips are horrible for engines, but living 2 miles from town typically means you are only in your car for 5 minutes before your destination where I live and I do not like to take time going the long route on situations like that!

 

[humbfig]

Here is my theory on all of this: There is obviously a lot of carbon buildup inside the motor because the Mobil 1 0W-40 that is in it stays almost black.

Certainly! That's because you shut your engine off still cold.

When you factor in the amount of short trips I have done 80% of the time with the car (15 miles or less) that will lead to high breakdown of the oil. Since the car will never really see the typical 12-15k miles in a year would it make sense to clean out all of the old oil and carbon buildup and switch over to dino oil and change it once a year.

The low miles/year are not important for the oil. The main thing would be not to turn off the engine while cold.

Logically, with only 4-5k miles a year it doesn't make much sense to put full synthetic in if it won't hurt the seals or other rubber based components internal. Possibly a 10w-30 Mobil product. ?

You want to save money on oil because you do just 4-5k per year. But the problem with your oil is that it is being contaminated with lots of shit, besides water. A fully sinthetic oil will resist better (chemical stability) and will do a MUCH BETTER job at keeping the engine clean (that's why it is black!).

I completely understand that short trips are horrible for engines, but living 2 miles from town typically means you are only in your car for 5 minutes before your destination where I live and I do not like to take time going the long route on situations like that!

I understand.
In my opinion the fully sinthetic is a MUST for your car. It will do most of the flushing you need.

 

[Zack (CLK 430)]

Any advice on the ticking coming from the valvetrain as far as flush and/or viscosity change?

 

[humbfig]

Any advice on the ticking coming from the valvetrain as far as flush and/or viscosity change?

No flush!!! The sinthetic oil is an excelent flusher. Anything above that will only harm the engine.
You already use a 0W oil, so, the oil is already great for cold starts.....
My best advice would be to start the car every other day, so you don't loose the thin oil film that should remain on every metalic surface.
Obviously, the best advice is to warm the engine before switch-off. The oil should always go at least above 100ºC to evaporate all the water it absorbs while running cold. BTW, the oil heats up with revs!
And change the oil often.....
Would the valvetrain tick on cold start if you would use the car in a "normal way" (meaning, driving everyday enough to bring it up to normal temperature)?

 

[Galifrey]

Are you sure the ticking is the valvetrain and not the fuel purge valve?

 

[Zack (CLK 430)]

Well, it varies with the RPMs. What noise does that make? I haven't had to change it out yet. ???

 

[humbfig]

What about a rattle coming from the camchain tensioner?
It should be the most sensitive noisy part when out of oil pressure.....
Varies with rpm's..... and in some cars, if the oil is not up to the job, the carbon build up can stop it from doing its job..... it should be significantly more noisy than ticking valves.....

 

[Zack (CLK 430)]

Where would be the location of the noise with that part? I've never gone that deep in the motor... yet!

 

[rsparso]

Not to jump in here, but I really wouldn't start the car every other day unless you're going to drive it long enough to get it thoroughly warm. A majority of wear takes place as the engine warms. the oil film will suffice for many days.

I've often toyed with the idea of using one of the engine flushing treatments, but to date I've avoided it. I'd suggest that you stick with the 0-40 for an annual oil change. The extra expense on a yearly basis is minimal.

If the ticking seems to come from the cylinder head area, and varies with engine speed it could quite possibly be one of the hydraulic lifters.

I would suggest the cam chain tensioner is lower down the list of suspects. If the oil pressure in general is to low, you'll get a CEL or other warning.

I'd suggest you find a reason to take the car on a couple of decent 30+ mile trips with some highway travel. Don't beat on it, but give it a little exercise and get it thoroughly hot for 2 or 3 cycles.

Then get a mechanics stethoscope, (if you feel the need), and track down exactly where the noise is coming from.

 

[Zack (CLK 430)]

How hard are hydraulic lifters to access?

Update: I have been driving my car more and letting it get hot before shutdown. Still having a bit of tick for less than 5 minutes (with ambient temperatures of 50-72F.) The next oil I will try will be 0W-40 High Mileage or 10W-40 High Mileage of Mobil 1 Synthetic. Apparently my car needed to be driven more than those short cold trips I have been giving it for the past couple years.

On a side note, I think I may have found a common area for an oil leak: oil filter housing O-rings. May be responsible for my quart of oil lost over the summer! Fixed that so I will know soon!

If you all have anymore suggestions or advice, keep it coming this is a really good discussion with some good ideas being shot out!

Thank you!
-ZRT

 

[Zack (CLK 430)]

By the way the total miles I have driven it in the past 3 days is around 100 miles and the noises are much more tamed. Sounds like any other V8 I have heard with a faint click type tick.

 

[humbfig]

I would suggest the cam chain tensioner is lower down the list of suspects. If the oil pressure in general is to low, you'll get a CEL or other warning.

I meant low oil pressure on the tensioner on startup. Meaning, it would take a few seconds for the oil to circulate and pressurize the tensioner. At the begining you get just a 5 second rattle, then it increases with the cycles, then it just stays.....

 

[bobbyjo9]

How hard are hydraulic lifters to access?

Update: I have been driving my car more and letting it get hot before shutdown. Still having a bit of tick for less than 5 minutes (with ambient temperatures of 50-72F.) The next oil I will try will be 0W-40 High Mileage or 10W-40 High Mileage of Mobil 1 Synthetic. Apparently my car needed to be driven more than those short cold trips I have been giving it for the past couple years.

On a side note, I think I may have found a common area for an oil leak: oil filter housing O-rings. May be responsible for my quart of oil lost over the summer! Fixed that so I will know soon!

If you all have anymore suggestions or advice, keep it coming this is a really good discussion with some good ideas being shot out!


Thank you!
-ZRT

Scan the threads and you'll see valve tick is a common complaint. As stated, not all "ticks" turn out to be "valve" ticks either. The "lifters" aka hydraulic insulators, are on the valve side of the rocker arms. Just remove the valve covers and you will see them all. They are mounted above the cams as an assembly so can be removed without disturbing cam timing.