90 XJ tapping/ticking from valve cover

When I start this thing its quiet, but after driving it around and the oil I
suspect gets warmed up there's a ticking coming from the valvecover area,
maybe under it. I can't feel the ticking but just hear it. Usually when
the oil gets hot and I notice the pressure drops while idling. I know the
oil is thinning when it gets hot so maybe the oil pump could use replacing?
Or should I do some work on the valve/lifters/whatever? I have tools and if
its something that I may be able to tackle if I get the right manual I would
like to do it myself. I will buy tools if I need to.

The engine has 150,000 miles on it, and I dont think its had any major work
done to it. Could I maybe put a thicker oil in it to silence the ticking?
Could someone out there let me know what all these things would do and
suggest others I might try? Other than the ticking it's perfect, although
it tends to idle around the 250 rpm mark when at a stoplight after it's all
warmed up.

Oh and it's hot in florida

Troy

What weight oil does it have now? How long since it's been changed? What are
the pressure readings idle/2000rpms hot/cold?

Carl


"Troy" <@ .> wrote in message
. ..
> When I start this thing its quiet, but after driving it around and the oil
> I suspect gets warmed up there's a ticking coming from the valvecover
> area, maybe under it. I can't feel the ticking but just hear it. Usually
> when the oil gets hot and I notice the pressure drops while idling. I
> know the oil is thinning when it gets hot so maybe the oil pump could use
> replacing? Or should I do some work on the valve/lifters/whatever? I have
> tools and if its something that I may be able to tackle if I get the right
> manual I would like to do it myself. I will buy tools if I need to.
>
> The engine has 150,000 miles on it, and I dont think its had any major
> work done to it. Could I maybe put a thicker oil in it to silence the
> ticking? Could someone out there let me know what all these things would
> do and suggest others I might try? Other than the ticking it's perfect,
> although it tends to idle around the 250 rpm mark when at a stoplight
> after it's all warmed up.
>
> Oh and it's hot in florida
>
> Troy
>

Fist thing that is wrong is the idle speed. Idling an engine that slow is
bad. Many engine components rely on oil splash for lubrication. The
camshaft, timing chain, and valve springs are the most critical. I mention
valve springs because they need oil splash for cooling. You compound the
problem if you do indeed have a low pressure situation at idle. I would
suspect that the Idle Air Control valve may be the culprit. These tens to
get carboned up over time. It is easy to pull the valve and clean it. Also
check the electrical connections to the valve, they may be corroded as well.
To clean the valve, you just need a can of fuel injection compatible carb
cleaner. there is a plunger that controls the valve, and it needs to operate
freely for the valve to work properly.

The ticking is more than likely something in the valvetrain, but could also
be a piston pin, or less probably a rod bearing. Usually you can tell if it
is a piston pin by starting the engine with the plug wire from the suspect
cylinder disconnected. If it is a pin, the noise with decrease noticeably
without the plugwire hooked up.

I would most likely suspect a lifter is bleeding down when the oil gets hot.
Not much to do about it other than replace the lifter(s). Using heavier oil
may patch the problem for a while, but more than likely it will resurface
later as things get worse. There are downfalls to using too heavy an oil,
but going up one range should be fine considering you're in a hot climate.
First thing you need to do is fix the idle speed issue, as I would imagine
using heavier oil and idling that slow will cause even more problems related
to the parts needing splash oil for lubricant.

Chris

"Troy" <@ .> wrote in message
. ..
> When I start this thing its quiet, but after driving it around and the oil
> I suspect gets warmed up there's a ticking coming from the valvecover
> area, maybe under it. I can't feel the ticking but just hear it. Usually
> when the oil gets hot and I notice the pressure drops while idling. I
> know the oil is thinning when it gets hot so maybe the oil pump could use
> replacing? Or should I do some work on the valve/lifters/whatever? I have
> tools and if its something that I may be able to tackle if I get the right
> manual I would like to do it myself. I will buy tools if I need to.
>
> The engine has 150,000 miles on it, and I dont think its had any major
> work done to it. Could I maybe put a thicker oil in it to silence the
> ticking? Could someone out there let me know what all these things would
> do and suggest others I might try? Other than the ticking it's perfect,
> although it tends to idle around the 250 rpm mark when at a stoplight
> after it's all warmed up.
>
> Oh and it's hot in florida
>
> Troy
>

I changed the oil a couple weeks ago with 10w30 and immediately noticed the
ticking once it warmed up. I suspect the oil before I changed it hadn't
been changed in over 3000 miles, it was black. The previous owner probably
didnt take care of it when he got his grand cherokee to replace it. When
cold at idle the pressure it high, I forget the exact space but its on the
high side. Gets higher when I am driving, that's why I think its the oil
getting hot and thinning out because once it gets fully warmed up it drops
quite a bit.

I am going to be home tomorrow so I will take exact measurements while cold
and hot, and how long it takes to do its thing.

Troy


"Carl" > wrote in message
...
> What weight oil does it have now? How long since it's been changed? What
> are the pressure readings idle/2000rpms hot/cold?
>
> Carl
>
>
> "Troy" <@ .> wrote in message
> . ..
>> When I start this thing its quiet, but after driving it around and the
>> oil I suspect gets warmed up there's a ticking coming from the valvecover
>> area, maybe under it. I can't feel the ticking but just hear it.
>> Usually when the oil gets hot and I notice the pressure drops while
>> idling. I know the oil is thinning when it gets hot so maybe the oil
>> pump could use replacing? Or should I do some work on the
>> valve/lifters/whatever? I have tools and if its something that I may be
>> able to tackle if I get the right manual I would like to do it myself. I
>> will buy tools if I need to.
>>
>> The engine has 150,000 miles on it, and I dont think its had any major
>> work done to it. Could I maybe put a thicker oil in it to silence the
>> ticking? Could someone out there let me know what all these things would
>> do and suggest others I might try? Other than the ticking it's perfect,
>> although it tends to idle around the 250 rpm mark when at a stoplight
>> after it's all warmed up.
>>
>> Oh and it's hot in florida
>>
>> Troy
>>
>
>

Yeah it gets idling so low after getting fully warmed up that sometimes I
just knock it into neutral so it doesn't stall out... it stalled out once a
week ago but hasn't since, but I haven't given it the chance.

A few connections were cruddy when I got the thing, I will clean/check all
the connections you mentioned

I've never done this, but to find out which lifter or whatever exactly is
ticking, am I able to run the engine with the valve cover off? I realize
that must sound like a stupid question to a mechanic type who has done this
kind of work before, but I don't know because I've never done that before.
I don't know if the oil splash is strong enough to shoot out, or even where
the oil splashes from.

I'll save the thicker oil for last maybe, but what would be the next step up
from 10w30? I've seen 20w50 oil in the store before, but I dont know if
thats the next step up. All the vehicles I've owned run 10w30 so I've never
had to use thicker but it was suggested by a neighbor. (not a mechanic, I
trust you guys more)

Troy

"c" > wrote in message
...
> Fist thing that is wrong is the idle speed. Idling an engine that slow is
> bad. Many engine components rely on oil splash for lubrication. The
> camshaft, timing chain, and valve springs are the most critical. I mention
> valve springs because they need oil splash for cooling. You compound the
> problem if you do indeed have a low pressure situation at idle. I would
> suspect that the Idle Air Control valve may be the culprit. These tens to
> get carboned up over time. It is easy to pull the valve and clean it. Also
> check the electrical connections to the valve, they may be corroded as
> well. To clean the valve, you just need a can of fuel injection compatible
> carb cleaner. there is a plunger that controls the valve, and it needs to
> operate freely for the valve to work properly.
>
> The ticking is more than likely something in the valvetrain, but could
> also be a piston pin, or less probably a rod bearing. Usually you can tell
> if it is a piston pin by starting the engine with the plug wire from the
> suspect cylinder disconnected. If it is a pin, the noise with decrease
> noticeably without the plugwire hooked up.
>
> I would most likely suspect a lifter is bleeding down when the oil gets
> hot. Not much to do about it other than replace the lifter(s). Using
> heavier oil may patch the problem for a while, but more than likely it
> will resurface later as things get worse. There are downfalls to using too
> heavy an oil, but going up one range should be fine considering you're in
> a hot climate. First thing you need to do is fix the idle speed issue, as
> I would imagine using heavier oil and idling that slow will cause even
> more problems related to the parts needing splash oil for lubricant.
>
> Chris
>
> "Troy" <@ .> wrote in message
> . ..
>> When I start this thing its quiet, but after driving it around and the
>> oil I suspect gets warmed up there's a ticking coming from the valvecover
>> area, maybe under it. I can't feel the ticking but just hear it.
>> Usually when the oil gets hot and I notice the pressure drops while
>> idling. I know the oil is thinning when it gets hot so maybe the oil
>> pump could use replacing? Or should I do some work on the
>> valve/lifters/whatever? I have tools and if its something that I may be
>> able to tackle if I get the right manual I would like to do it myself. I
>> will buy tools if I need to.
>>
>> The engine has 150,000 miles on it, and I dont think its had any major
>> work done to it. Could I maybe put a thicker oil in it to silence the
>> ticking? Could someone out there let me know what all these things would
>> do and suggest others I might try? Other than the ticking it's perfect,
>> although it tends to idle around the 250 rpm mark when at a stoplight
>> after it's all warmed up.
>>
>> Oh and it's hot in florida
>>
>> Troy
>>
>
>

Troy wrote:
> Yeah it gets idling so low after getting fully warmed up that sometimes I
> just knock it into neutral so it doesn't stall out... it stalled out once a
> week ago but hasn't since, but I haven't given it the chance.
>
> A few connections were cruddy when I got the thing, I will clean/check all
> the connections you mentioned
>
> I've never done this, but to find out which lifter or whatever exactly is
> ticking, am I able to run the engine with the valve cover off? I realize
> that must sound like a stupid question to a mechanic type who has done this
> kind of work before, but I don't know because I've never done that before.
> I don't know if the oil splash is strong enough to shoot out, or even where
> the oil splashes from.
>
> I'll save the thicker oil for last maybe, but what would be the next step up
> from 10w30? I've seen 20w50 oil in the store before, but I dont know if
> thats the next step up. All the vehicles I've owned run 10w30 so I've never
> had to use thicker but it was suggested by a neighbor. (not a mechanic, I
> trust you guys more)
>
> Troy
>
> "c" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Fist thing that is wrong is the idle speed. Idling an engine that slow is
>>bad. Many engine components rely on oil splash for lubrication. The
>>camshaft, timing chain, and valve springs are the most critical. I mention
>>valve springs because they need oil splash for cooling. You compound the
>>problem if you do indeed have a low pressure situation at idle. I would
>>suspect that the Idle Air Control valve may be the culprit. These tens to
>>get carboned up over time. It is easy to pull the valve and clean it. Also
>>check the electrical connections to the valve, they may be corroded as
>>well. To clean the valve, you just need a can of fuel injection compatible
>>carb cleaner. there is a plunger that controls the valve, and it needs to
>>operate freely for the valve to work properly.
>>
>>The ticking is more than likely something in the valvetrain, but could
>>also be a piston pin, or less probably a rod bearing. Usually you can tell
>>if it is a piston pin by starting the engine with the plug wire from the
>>suspect cylinder disconnected. If it is a pin, the noise with decrease
>>noticeably without the plugwire hooked up.
>>
>>I would most likely suspect a lifter is bleeding down when the oil gets
>>hot. Not much to do about it other than replace the lifter(s). Using
>>heavier oil may patch the problem for a while, but more than likely it
>>will resurface later as things get worse. There are downfalls to using too
>>heavy an oil, but going up one range should be fine considering you're in
>>a hot climate. First thing you need to do is fix the idle speed issue, as
>>I would imagine using heavier oil and idling that slow will cause even
>>more problems related to the parts needing splash oil for lubricant.
>>
>>Chris
>>
>>"Troy" <@ .> wrote in message
m...
>>
>>>When I start this thing its quiet, but after driving it around and the
>>>oil I suspect gets warmed up there's a ticking coming from the valvecover
>>>area, maybe under it. I can't feel the ticking but just hear it.
>>>Usually when the oil gets hot and I notice the pressure drops while
>>>idling. I know the oil is thinning when it gets hot so maybe the oil
>>>pump could use replacing? Or should I do some work on the
>>>valve/lifters/whatever? I have tools and if its something that I may be
>>>able to tackle if I get the right manual I would like to do it myself. I
>>>will buy tools if I need to.
>>>
>>>The engine has 150,000 miles on it, and I dont think its had any major
>>>work done to it. Could I maybe put a thicker oil in it to silence the
>>>ticking? Could someone out there let me know what all these things would
>>>do and suggest others I might try? Other than the ticking it's perfect,
>>>although it tends to idle around the 250 rpm mark when at a stoplight
>>>after it's all warmed up.
>>>
>>>Oh and it's hot in florida
>>>
>>>Troy
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
Next step up is 10w40, but you really need to fix that idling problem.
If it comes down to it 20w50 can do a world of good in a tired engine,
but a healthy engine shouldn't need it. I've had engines where I ran
20w50 AND STP... needless to say they weren't healthy engines!

You don't want to use STP in a healthy engine, but it can work miracles
in a sick one. I used to have a 57 Studebaker Pelham (2 door wagon),
with a tired flathead six. That engine would smoke, make ugly noises,
had no pep (not that a 170 cid flat head six had much at best!) and the
oil pressure light would come on at idle. With STP it would smooth out,
quiet down, the oil pressure would come up, it would stop smoking, and
got peppier.

But again, before you play with oils get your idle speed taken care of.

Jeff DeWitt

I'll second what Jeff said. Get the idle issue taken care of first. How loud
is the tapping/ticking? You can add no-smoke or STP oil treatment to the
oil. I had a Toyota 22RE that had 215,000 miles on it. Burned a little 10-40
so I put 20-50 in it and had no more burning issues, and the oil pressure
came up quite a bit.

You can run the engine with the valve cover off, but it will be very messy.
Overall, I wouldn't be too worried about the tapping/ticking sound unless it
was very loud. 150,000 miles is nothing to worry about with a 4.0. I would
not hesitate to buy a Cherokee with 150,000 miles on it.

Carl


"Troy" <@ .> wrote in message
. ..
> Yeah it gets idling so low after getting fully warmed up that sometimes I
> just knock it into neutral so it doesn't stall out... it stalled out once
> a week ago but hasn't since, but I haven't given it the chance.
>
> A few connections were cruddy when I got the thing, I will clean/check all
> the connections you mentioned
>
> I've never done this, but to find out which lifter or whatever exactly is
> ticking, am I able to run the engine with the valve cover off? I realize
> that must sound like a stupid question to a mechanic type who has done
> this kind of work before, but I don't know because I've never done that
> before. I don't know if the oil splash is strong enough to shoot out, or
> even where the oil splashes from.
>
> I'll save the thicker oil for last maybe, but what would be the next step
> up from 10w30? I've seen 20w50 oil in the store before, but I dont know
> if thats the next step up. All the vehicles I've owned run 10w30 so I've
> never had to use thicker but it was suggested by a neighbor. (not a
> mechanic, I trust you guys more)
>
> Troy
>
> "c" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Fist thing that is wrong is the idle speed. Idling an engine that slow is
>> bad. Many engine components rely on oil splash for lubrication. The
>> camshaft, timing chain, and valve springs are the most critical. I
>> mention valve springs because they need oil splash for cooling. You
>> compound the problem if you do indeed have a low pressure situation at
>> idle. I would suspect that the Idle Air Control valve may be the culprit.
>> These tens to get carboned up over time. It is easy to pull the valve and
>> clean it. Also check the electrical connections to the valve, they may be
>> corroded as well. To clean the valve, you just need a can of fuel
>> injection compatible carb cleaner. there is a plunger that controls the
>> valve, and it needs to operate freely for the valve to work properly.
>>
>> The ticking is more than likely something in the valvetrain, but could
>> also be a piston pin, or less probably a rod bearing. Usually you can
>> tell if it is a piston pin by starting the engine with the plug wire from
>> the suspect cylinder disconnected. If it is a pin, the noise with
>> decrease noticeably without the plugwire hooked up.
>>
>> I would most likely suspect a lifter is bleeding down when the oil gets
>> hot. Not much to do about it other than replace the lifter(s). Using
>> heavier oil may patch the problem for a while, but more than likely it
>> will resurface later as things get worse. There are downfalls to using
>> too heavy an oil, but going up one range should be fine considering
>> you're in a hot climate. First thing you need to do is fix the idle speed
>> issue, as I would imagine using heavier oil and idling that slow will
>> cause even more problems related to the parts needing splash oil for
>> lubricant.
>>
>> Chris
>>
>> "Troy" <@ .> wrote in message
>> . ..
>>> When I start this thing its quiet, but after driving it around and the
>>> oil I suspect gets warmed up there's a ticking coming from the
>>> valvecover area, maybe under it. I can't feel the ticking but just hear
>>> it. Usually when the oil gets hot and I notice the pressure drops while
>>> idling. I know the oil is thinning when it gets hot so maybe the oil
>>> pump could use replacing? Or should I do some work on the
>>> valve/lifters/whatever? I have tools and if its something that I may be
>>> able to tackle if I get the right manual I would like to do it myself.
>>> I will buy tools if I need to.
>>>
>>> The engine has 150,000 miles on it, and I dont think its had any major
>>> work done to it. Could I maybe put a thicker oil in it to silence the
>>> ticking? Could someone out there let me know what all these things would
>>> do and suggest others I might try? Other than the ticking it's perfect,
>>> although it tends to idle around the 250 rpm mark when at a stoplight
>>> after it's all warmed up.
>>>
>>> Oh and it's hot in florida
>>>
>>> Troy
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

You get ticking because you have no oil pressure because your idle is
too low. Likely no need to open anything up.

I find a spray electronic contact cleaner clean on all the plugs and
sockets, especially around the throttle body does them wonders.

Same for cleaning out that idle air passage.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Troy wrote:
>
> Yeah it gets idling so low after getting fully warmed up that sometimes I
> just knock it into neutral so it doesn't stall out... it stalled out once a
> week ago but hasn't since, but I haven't given it the chance.
>
> A few connections were cruddy when I got the thing, I will clean/check all
> the connections you mentioned
>
> I've never done this, but to find out which lifter or whatever exactly is
> ticking, am I able to run the engine with the valve cover off? I realize
> that must sound like a stupid question to a mechanic type who has done this
> kind of work before, but I don't know because I've never done that before.
> I don't know if the oil splash is strong enough to shoot out, or even where
> the oil splashes from.
>
> I'll save the thicker oil for last maybe, but what would be the next step up
> from 10w30? I've seen 20w50 oil in the store before, but I dont know if
> thats the next step up. All the vehicles I've owned run 10w30 so I've never
> had to use thicker but it was suggested by a neighbor. (not a mechanic, I
> trust you guys more)
>
> Troy
>
> "c" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Fist thing that is wrong is the idle speed. Idling an engine that slow is
> > bad. Many engine components rely on oil splash for lubrication. The
> > camshaft, timing chain, and valve springs are the most critical. I mention
> > valve springs because they need oil splash for cooling. You compound the
> > problem if you do indeed have a low pressure situation at idle. I would
> > suspect that the Idle Air Control valve may be the culprit. These tens to
> > get carboned up over time. It is easy to pull the valve and clean it. Also
> > check the electrical connections to the valve, they may be corroded as
> > well. To clean the valve, you just need a can of fuel injection compatible
> > carb cleaner. there is a plunger that controls the valve, and it needs to
> > operate freely for the valve to work properly.
> >
> > The ticking is more than likely something in the valvetrain, but could
> > also be a piston pin, or less probably a rod bearing. Usually you can tell
> > if it is a piston pin by starting the engine with the plug wire from the
> > suspect cylinder disconnected. If it is a pin, the noise with decrease
> > noticeably without the plugwire hooked up.
> >
> > I would most likely suspect a lifter is bleeding down when the oil gets
> > hot. Not much to do about it other than replace the lifter(s). Using
> > heavier oil may patch the problem for a while, but more than likely it
> > will resurface later as things get worse. There are downfalls to using too
> > heavy an oil, but going up one range should be fine considering you're in
> > a hot climate. First thing you need to do is fix the idle speed issue, as
> > I would imagine using heavier oil and idling that slow will cause even
> > more problems related to the parts needing splash oil for lubricant.
> >
> > Chris
> >
> > "Troy" <@ .> wrote in message
> > . ..
> >> When I start this thing its quiet, but after driving it around and the
> >> oil I suspect gets warmed up there's a ticking coming from the valvecover
> >> area, maybe under it. I can't feel the ticking but just hear it.
> >> Usually when the oil gets hot and I notice the pressure drops while
> >> idling. I know the oil is thinning when it gets hot so maybe the oil
> >> pump could use replacing? Or should I do some work on the
> >> valve/lifters/whatever? I have tools and if its something that I may be
> >> able to tackle if I get the right manual I would like to do it myself. I
> >> will buy tools if I need to.
> >>
> >> The engine has 150,000 miles on it, and I dont think its had any major
> >> work done to it. Could I maybe put a thicker oil in it to silence the
> >> ticking? Could someone out there let me know what all these things would
> >> do and suggest others I might try? Other than the ticking it's perfect,
> >> although it tends to idle around the 250 rpm mark when at a stoplight
> >> after it's all warmed up.
> >>
> >> Oh and it's hot in florida
> >>
> >> Troy
> >>
> >
> >

I was under the impression that the ticking happened all the time when the
engine was hot, not just at idle. Maybe I assumed something I shouldn't
have, but if the ticking is just at idle, then Mike is right, you probably
don't need to open the engine up. Definitely fix the idle problem first.

Chris

"Mike Romain" > wrote in message
...
> You get ticking because you have no oil pressure because your idle is
> too low. Likely no need to open anything up.
>
> I find a spray electronic contact cleaner clean on all the plugs and
> sockets, especially around the throttle body does them wonders.
>
> Same for cleaning out that idle air passage.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>
> Troy wrote:
>>
>> Yeah it gets idling so low after getting fully warmed up that sometimes I
>> just knock it into neutral so it doesn't stall out... it stalled out once
>> a
>> week ago but hasn't since, but I haven't given it the chance.
>>
>> A few connections were cruddy when I got the thing, I will clean/check
>> all
>> the connections you mentioned
>>
>> I've never done this, but to find out which lifter or whatever exactly is
>> ticking, am I able to run the engine with the valve cover off? I realize
>> that must sound like a stupid question to a mechanic type who has done
>> this
>> kind of work before, but I don't know because I've never done that
>> before.
>> I don't know if the oil splash is strong enough to shoot out, or even
>> where
>> the oil splashes from.
>>
>> I'll save the thicker oil for last maybe, but what would be the next step
>> up
>> from 10w30? I've seen 20w50 oil in the store before, but I dont know if
>> thats the next step up. All the vehicles I've owned run 10w30 so I've
>> never
>> had to use thicker but it was suggested by a neighbor. (not a mechanic, I
>> trust you guys more)
>>
>> Troy
>>
>> "c" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > Fist thing that is wrong is the idle speed. Idling an engine that slow
>> > is
>> > bad. Many engine components rely on oil splash for lubrication. The
>> > camshaft, timing chain, and valve springs are the most critical. I
>> > mention
>> > valve springs because they need oil splash for cooling. You compound
>> > the
>> > problem if you do indeed have a low pressure situation at idle. I would
>> > suspect that the Idle Air Control valve may be the culprit. These tens
>> > to
>> > get carboned up over time. It is easy to pull the valve and clean it.
>> > Also
>> > check the electrical connections to the valve, they may be corroded as
>> > well. To clean the valve, you just need a can of fuel injection
>> > compatible
>> > carb cleaner. there is a plunger that controls the valve, and it needs
>> > to
>> > operate freely for the valve to work properly.
>> >
>> > The ticking is more than likely something in the valvetrain, but could
>> > also be a piston pin, or less probably a rod bearing. Usually you can
>> > tell
>> > if it is a piston pin by starting the engine with the plug wire from
>> > the
>> > suspect cylinder disconnected. If it is a pin, the noise with decrease
>> > noticeably without the plugwire hooked up.
>> >
>> > I would most likely suspect a lifter is bleeding down when the oil gets
>> > hot. Not much to do about it other than replace the lifter(s). Using
>> > heavier oil may patch the problem for a while, but more than likely it
>> > will resurface later as things get worse. There are downfalls to using
>> > too
>> > heavy an oil, but going up one range should be fine considering you're
>> > in
>> > a hot climate. First thing you need to do is fix the idle speed issue,
>> > as
>> > I would imagine using heavier oil and idling that slow will cause even
>> > more problems related to the parts needing splash oil for lubricant.
>> >
>> > Chris
>> >
>> > "Troy" <@ .> wrote in message
>> > . ..
>> >> When I start this thing its quiet, but after driving it around and the
>> >> oil I suspect gets warmed up there's a ticking coming from the
>> >> valvecover
>> >> area, maybe under it. I can't feel the ticking but just hear it.
>> >> Usually when the oil gets hot and I notice the pressure drops while
>> >> idling. I know the oil is thinning when it gets hot so maybe the oil
>> >> pump could use replacing? Or should I do some work on the
>> >> valve/lifters/whatever? I have tools and if its something that I may
>> >> be
>> >> able to tackle if I get the right manual I would like to do it myself.
>> >> I
>> >> will buy tools if I need to.
>> >>
>> >> The engine has 150,000 miles on it, and I dont think its had any major
>> >> work done to it. Could I maybe put a thicker oil in it to silence the
>> >> ticking? Could someone out there let me know what all these things
>> >> would
>> >> do and suggest others I might try? Other than the ticking it's
>> >> perfect,
>> >> although it tends to idle around the 250 rpm mark when at a stoplight
>> >> after it's all warmed up.
>> >>
>> >> Oh and it's hot in florida
>> >>
>> >> Troy
>> >>
>> >
>> >

Yes the ticking is all the time, its just when its hot and idling its
somewhat loud, enough to where people ask me why it's ticking, and as I am
driving the oil pressure raises a bit, but if I stick my head out the window
I can still hear the ticking, but faster and not as loud.

I will try to get the idling problem sorted out first, maybe its so low that
it isn't lubing up whatever is making the ticking sound to begin with.

Troy


"c" > wrote in message ...
>I was under the impression that the ticking happened all the time when the
>engine was hot, not just at idle. Maybe I assumed something I shouldn't
>have, but if the ticking is just at idle, then Mike is right, you probably
>don't need to open the engine up. Definitely fix the idle problem first.
>
> Chris
>
> "Mike Romain" > wrote in message
> ...
>> You get ticking because you have no oil pressure because your idle is
>> too low. Likely no need to open anything up.
>>
>> I find a spray electronic contact cleaner clean on all the plugs and
>> sockets, especially around the throttle body does them wonders.
>>
>> Same for cleaning out that idle air passage.
>>
>> Mike
>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>
>> Troy wrote:
>>>
>>> Yeah it gets idling so low after getting fully warmed up that sometimes
>>> I
>>> just knock it into neutral so it doesn't stall out... it stalled out
>>> once a
>>> week ago but hasn't since, but I haven't given it the chance.
>>>
>>> A few connections were cruddy when I got the thing, I will clean/check
>>> all
>>> the connections you mentioned
>>>
>>> I've never done this, but to find out which lifter or whatever exactly
>>> is
>>> ticking, am I able to run the engine with the valve cover off? I
>>> realize
>>> that must sound like a stupid question to a mechanic type who has done
>>> this
>>> kind of work before, but I don't know because I've never done that
>>> before.
>>> I don't know if the oil splash is strong enough to shoot out, or even
>>> where
>>> the oil splashes from.
>>>
>>> I'll save the thicker oil for last maybe, but what would be the next
>>> step up
>>> from 10w30? I've seen 20w50 oil in the store before, but I dont know if
>>> thats the next step up. All the vehicles I've owned run 10w30 so I've
>>> never
>>> had to use thicker but it was suggested by a neighbor. (not a mechanic,
>>> I
>>> trust you guys more)
>>>
>>> Troy
>>>
>>> "c" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>> > Fist thing that is wrong is the idle speed. Idling an engine that slow
>>> > is
>>> > bad. Many engine components rely on oil splash for lubrication. The
>>> > camshaft, timing chain, and valve springs are the most critical. I
>>> > mention
>>> > valve springs because they need oil splash for cooling. You compound
>>> > the
>>> > problem if you do indeed have a low pressure situation at idle. I
>>> > would
>>> > suspect that the Idle Air Control valve may be the culprit. These tens
>>> > to
>>> > get carboned up over time. It is easy to pull the valve and clean it.
>>> > Also
>>> > check the electrical connections to the valve, they may be corroded as
>>> > well. To clean the valve, you just need a can of fuel injection
>>> > compatible
>>> > carb cleaner. there is a plunger that controls the valve, and it needs
>>> > to
>>> > operate freely for the valve to work properly.
>>> >
>>> > The ticking is more than likely something in the valvetrain, but could
>>> > also be a piston pin, or less probably a rod bearing. Usually you can
>>> > tell
>>> > if it is a piston pin by starting the engine with the plug wire from
>>> > the
>>> > suspect cylinder disconnected. If it is a pin, the noise with decrease
>>> > noticeably without the plugwire hooked up.
>>> >
>>> > I would most likely suspect a lifter is bleeding down when the oil
>>> > gets
>>> > hot. Not much to do about it other than replace the lifter(s). Using
>>> > heavier oil may patch the problem for a while, but more than likely it
>>> > will resurface later as things get worse. There are downfalls to using
>>> > too
>>> > heavy an oil, but going up one range should be fine considering you're
>>> > in
>>> > a hot climate. First thing you need to do is fix the idle speed issue,
>>> > as
>>> > I would imagine using heavier oil and idling that slow will cause even
>>> > more problems related to the parts needing splash oil for lubricant.
>>> >
>>> > Chris
>>> >
>>> > "Troy" <@ .> wrote in message
>>> > . ..
>>> >> When I start this thing its quiet, but after driving it around and
>>> >> the
>>> >> oil I suspect gets warmed up there's a ticking coming from the
>>> >> valvecover
>>> >> area, maybe under it. I can't feel the ticking but just hear it.
>>> >> Usually when the oil gets hot and I notice the pressure drops while
>>> >> idling. I know the oil is thinning when it gets hot so maybe the oil
>>> >> pump could use replacing? Or should I do some work on the
>>> >> valve/lifters/whatever? I have tools and if its something that I may
>>> >> be
>>> >> able to tackle if I get the right manual I would like to do it
>>> >> myself. I
>>> >> will buy tools if I need to.
>>> >>
>>> >> The engine has 150,000 miles on it, and I dont think its had any
>>> >> major
>>> >> work done to it. Could I maybe put a thicker oil in it to silence
>>> >> the
>>> >> ticking? Could someone out there let me know what all these things
>>> >> would
>>> >> do and suggest others I might try? Other than the ticking it's
>>> >> perfect,
>>> >> although it tends to idle around the 250 rpm mark when at a stoplight
>>> >> after it's all warmed up.
>>> >>
>>> >> Oh and it's hot in florida
>>> >>
>>> >> Troy
>>> >>
>>> >
>>> >
>
>