Anybody solved lifter tick at cold idle
 

It seems that my Boxster has a lifter tick when cold at idle. I believe this started after storage this winter. One lifter was hammering pretty good for awhile after initial start-up. I'll probably try something other than 0W40 next oil change but I'm wondering if anybody has ever had this problem and solved it.

15w 40 synthetic oil. And a pint of Marvel Mystery Oil. YMMV, but it works for me.

I might try the Marvel. I bought a lot of Mobil 0W40 on sale so it would be nice not to have to switch oils.

Amsoil 5W40.

Did that fix the issue or is that just what you run? I'm not sure I want to pony up for the Amsoil stuff :)

I had developed a lifter tic several years ago. It started one winter and continued into the summer. It was especially bothersome during the colder months. I finally read a post by Jake Raby saying that he had used MMO and saved "many an engine" so don't knock it. Anyway, did my research and discovered MMO a petroleum based naptha distillate that is essentially a solvent. Obviously, I was hesitant to put it in my engine but decided to try it as the tic was getting worse. I always change my oil at 3,000 miles and use Motul 8100 x-cess 5w-40. So, I drained about 1 quart of oil, put 4 oz in a full gas tank and the remainder in the oil. I ran it for 500 miles and then did an oil change. Amazing, but there was NO ticking sound after the oil change. I repeat this process about every third or fourth oil change and have had no problems at all with ticking reoccurring.

I've been using this (or other variations of it to include ATF or diesel fuel) for decades to solve issues, including sticky lifters. It's a great "last ditch" effort, haha. It's not the first thing I do.... because I'm very aware of the risks. But I've had much success.

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Got my 09 used that was ticking pretty loud, did an oil change with Amsoil and the sound went away.

Lifter tick...
 

...is very common on many engines.

Assuming you don't have a REAL problem, lifter tick always comes down to some sort of oil issue. Either the lifter does not "pump up" with oil because it doesn't like the oil formula or viscosity, or the oil passage inside the lifter is gummed up with varnish or has an actual small bit of debris blocking the passage.

The above solutions are very viable.

Marvel Mystery Oil has been around this long because it actually does work in many of these cases.

FWIW, I use the Driven oil Jake Raby recommends and change it every 3,000 miles and I have had no lifter issues.

Good Luck.

Could be some dirt in the lifter -- I had one Boxster that did that and used Seafoam.
Didn't think of MMO or I would have tried that.

Went away after about 2-3min of idle, dumped the oil, and it never came back.

Mike

Is it a requirement to dump the oil after?

Sea Foam...
 

....also does wonders for clogged fuel injectors and carbs.

I have “fixed” many a “broken” motorcycle with Sea Foam.

I found some MMO which seems to be rare around here. Canadian Tire just got it. It wasn't even on the shelf yet. The instructions said to use the whole bottle based on the Boxster sump capacity but I just dumped in half a container. I let it idle and the ticking went away after 5 minutes. The test will be when I start it cold the next time.

Well no luck. The cold start ticking is still there.

Try putting the recommended amount of MMO in, and give it some miles to work.

You also self admitted you only used half the amount the bottle said to. Add the other half and see how that does for a bit?

Using 1/2 the bottle is like taking 1/2 your prescription medication. Remember this is a lubricant/solvent so it needs time to work. I ran mine for about 500 miles or so after adding and then did the oil change. I'm not saying this will fix your issue but it did take care of mine. I also remember using this stuff wwaaayyyy back when I was a teenager and had an MGB. It worked wonders for the carbs and other moving parts to keep them clean. Good luck...

Guilty although I probably dumped closer to 2/3rd of it in. With all the years of reading posts about fretting over what oil to use it seems like dumping 12 oz of "mystery oil" (ok petroleum distillates and solvents) into an engine is risky business :eek:
I put on 5-600 km/week so if it doesn't work over the next week or 2 I'll just dump the oil and replace the lifter.

I hear you. But I have used it in the past with good results and no discernable damage to the engines. Also, when I read Jake's response to similar questions, that kind of sealed the deal for me.

I feel your pain. It's a very frustrating issue and I wish you luck whatever route you take.

Unfortunately this is the only way to permanently fix it if the solvents aren't helping.

This is true. It is "risky". This is why I said earlier that it's never my FIRST effort.... it's usually (for me) kind of a "last ditch" effort.
However, in spite of the risks, I'd do this LONG before I'd use Wynn, or STP, or any of those other "oil additives". Frankly, I'd remove and tear-down a motor long before I'd use those other additives. (there's another recent thread about this)

FWIW: at various times over the years, I've used MMO, ATF and straight Diesel fuel, each with success. But not ALWAYS with success. And yes, ALWAYS follow-up with an oil change. You are not just changing the lubrication properties when you add this, you're also TRYING to break-up deposits in the oilways... so if you're successful, you want to get those OUT of the crankcase... not let them circulate around through the motor some more.

Ok so a 50/50 mix of Mobil 20W50 and 0W40 just makes the noise louder (yes the Mobil tech guy didn't see an issue with this....I've done it with air cooleds before). I've thus resigned myself to changing the offending lifter/s. After having a look at access for an "engine in" job I thought an engine drop might just be easier until I watched a 3 part series Youtube video of the whole procedure :) There is a lot too it. I'll spend a couple of hours and see how it goes.

So.... ymmv.... but I've been known to put a quart of diesel fuel in the crank case, get the motor hot, let it cool, repeat 4 or 5 times, then drain and flush. Oil change again in 250 miles.
This has saved many hydraulic lifters for me over the years.

Ymmv.

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Tick went away shortly after doing the oil change a month ago. Was it the dose of MMO, an oil change (not that it was due) or did it just clear up on its own? Who knows?

As posted earlier, I’ve used a quart of MMO for years now just before the oil change. I drain a quart and replace it with a quart of MMO, Drive for 500 miles and change the oil. I change oil every 3000 miles. Just got my latest Blackstone analysis and it said, “Your Boxster is producing some great wear trends. Once iron settled down after the early analysis, metals have been low and quite consistent, and that’s a healthy trend. Silicon is staying low for the fourth repot in a row. The thin viscosity persists, but given these great wear trends, the engine certainly isn’t bothered by it. No water, coolant or fuel present. And insolvables at 0.1 show oil filtration is working well.”

Viscosity is at 64.2 vs range of 65 - 78. All I know is that my lifter tick went away and never returned using this process and that was years ago. Is it the MMO? My vote is the frequent oil changes but I give a definite nod to MMO.