Decades ago, when cars and truck engines used solid lifters, a cacophonous drivetrain was to be expected. However, solid lifters were phased out not only to reduce maintenance requirements but also to reduce noise for vehicle owners and their passengers. And mostly, it worked. Unless you happen to own a third-gen Hemi afflicted with the infamous "Hemi tick,"
that is.For those who may not be super mechanically inclined, lifters ride on the lobes of an engine's camshaft(s) and actuate the intake and exhaust
valves. In a pushrod engine, the lifter pushes up on a, well, pushrod to open the valves via a lever called a rocker arm. Inside overhead cam engines, the "lifters" — perhaps more properly termed "hydraulic lash adjusters" or "cam followers" — push directly on the valves. Hydraulic lifters are both spring-loaded and pumped full of oil, thereby making them self-adjusting.
Like we mentioned earlier, solid lifters — which are basically solid metal cylinders — can be noisy on their best day. But if your solid lifters are even louder than usual, the problem is typically quieted by adjusting the valve lash. In the olden days, such an adjustment was a regular requirement for car owners or mechanics. However, owners of most modern vehicles won't get off so easily. Quieting your noisy hydraulic lifters might be accomplished with an oil change. Otherwise, you're at the mercy of your auto parts store's shelf of snake oil elixirs. Failing that, there could be mechanical damage that no miracle cure from a can will fix.
Read more: These Are The Worst Transmission Recalls Of The Last 5 Years
Replace Your Oil Or Add Fluids
Besides an annoying noise, bad lifters can also lead to misfires, rough running, and the dreaded check engine light. Before panicking and assuming that one or more lifters require replacement, it's worth trying a few DIY remedies first, beginning with fresh engine oil. Old oil can get mighty dirty, and those contaminants can plug tiny lifter passages. Other oil-related pitfalls include using the wrong viscosity oil (too thin or too thick), or the oil level may just be plain low, requiring a quart to top it off.
Check your owner's manual or online to determine the proper oil viscosity for your vehicle, and if your ride has over 75,000 miles, consider purchasing oil that's formulated for higher-mileage vehicles. Such oil has detergents and other additives that keep sludge and deposits at bay. Another option for vehicles with any amount of mileage is to try an additive that's specifically marketed to quiet noisy lifters. A few popular "mechanic in a bottle" options include Sea Foam Motor Oil Treatment, the aptly-named Liqui Moly Hydraulic Lifter Additive, and Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer.
Some mechanics of both the professional and shadetree variety also swear that adding a quart or two of automatic transmission fluid to your engine oil will work miracles to get noisy lifters unstuck. Regardless of which additive is chosen, be careful not to overfill your engine's crankcase with the oil/additive mixture, since too much oil can be as harmful as too little.
Don't Keep Driving With Noisy Lifters
If performing an oil change and possibly some additives didn't clean and lubricate your lifters to the point of being quiet again, it's possible that one more has failed. A worn internal spring or collapsed hydraulic lifter that won't pump up full of oil will create slack between the lifter and its related pushrod or valve, which is a bigger problem than just being noisy.
Replacing lifters isn't necessarily an easy chore in any vehicle, but at least overhead cam engines have access from underneath the valve cover or cam cover. Old school pushrod engines, like Chevy's uber-popular small-block V8, will require removing the intake manifold in order to access the lifter valley. Depending on your vehicle, replacing its lifters could easily cost $1,000, $2,000, or more.
Prior to splashing out the cost of a rent or mortgage payment on new lifters, it's definitely worth attempting to clean and lube them via fresh oil, with or without additives. However, if that miracle cure doesn't work fairly quickly, don't be tempted to crank your tunes a little louder and just keep on trucking. One or more damaged lifters could grenade other components like your camshaft(s) and even your catalytic converter, which we all know isn't exactly cheap to replace.
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