Ticking sound on cold start

[Shoeless]

Originally Posted by Retroman1969

Agreed, especially if it sits for periods of time. If the oil hadn't warmed up sufficiently on the last drive and then was parked, it could easily cause a lifter to stick.

That's exactly what it sounded like.

[Gelbster]

The are several causes of ticking that are not related to lifters but lets assume your situation is the lifters.
If you dismantle an M96 cylinder head and dismantle a lifter you may get a different perspective on this ticking issue.I'll try to explain in non-technical language.If you can pull up a photo or diagram of this lifter it will be easier to follow.
There are several parts to the lifter. The main 2 parts are the 'bucket' and the tappet. The tappet has a some float inside the bucket depending on how much oil has been retained as a cushion. If the oil leaks out, the tappet can get hammered up inside the bucket .The clearance then becomes much larger than spec. This is one cause of ticking. If the tappet regains it's oil cushion ,the noise disappears.
The problem is that dirty oil can lodge in the lifter assy. and block the oilway.That may cause irreversible seizing of the tappet in the bucket. So you may consider an oil+filter change ? Dissect the oil filter to inspect for debris.
If the ticking returns, try to use an electronic stethoscope to precisely locate the source of the noise. It could be a bearing,injector ,exhaust leak for example.

[10/10ths]

...it's Frick & Frack the Tappet Brothers.



Don't drive like my brother...