99 TJ Engine Noise

Tony D did pass the time by typing:

Your going to have to do better than stating "engine noise", that's too vague. Read this and tell us what the noise is like.

If you have a tape recorder and can make .mp3 or .wav files, make a small one and post a link to it.

It's more like "tapping or ticking". Almost goes away when the car has been driven for a while and is warm.

Tony D did pass the time by typing:

With your milage it could be a lifter or a sticky valve.

- How long has it been since your last oil change?

- What oil weight do you have in there? i.e. 10W-30

- What are the temperatures like where are you at? hi/low

Simply doing an oil change with a synthetic might eliminate that problem.

I've got to turn in.. something about getting up in the morning and having to work. And it's not on my jeep either.. :( However, there are loads of good folks here that can help.

Good luck.

I change my oil every 5,000km. Mostly highway travel. I always use 5W-30 I live in Toronto, so temp's can be blistering cold in winter and very hot in the summer.

You are hearing the top of the engine not having oil when it is cold. When the weather gets cold the oil gets harder to move. So when you start the engine, the top of the engine won't have oil until it gets a little warmer and easier to move. Selecting a different grade of oil could help, but on really cold mornings, you will hear the noise for a little bit.

Tony D did pass the time by typing:

5W-30 is a good choice, you might need a block heater to allow oil to flow earlier at startup.

Just on the odds it's something else. When you first start your car and it's ticking loud, go have a listen in the engine compartment. See if the sound is coming from the distributor, or which end it seems to be from. Helps to have a mechanics stethoscope, Canadian Tire should have one, they are cheap and help you pinpoint noises.

Try the product on this link:

96 xj with 141k miles sounded like a diesel. Yesterday with the engine ideling I was pouring one can in and before I had half of it in the engine noise stopped! I could not believe it. I went out and started it every hour or so just to see if it was still quiet. JoBo

Jo Bo did pass the time by typing:

Be careful with that stuff and follow the directions. It gets into the rings and sets up, in that way it improves comression quite a bit and cut down blowby, but the long term costs may not be worth it. It also sets up in small oil passages if you let it. Used that to keep my old C-10 alive for about 4 years till I sold it. And yes it worked well. But the goal was to keep the POS alive till I saved up enough to replace it. Cheaper than an eventual engine rebuild.

What do you guys think about synthetic oil for my jeep....would you recommend it? I have been using 5W-30 for its current life.

Thanks All for your comments!

Tony D proclaimed:

I use a synth blend, seems to work better both on cold Sierra mornings as well as crossing Death Valley. Or just puttering around town in the %#!!@# Sillycon Valley commutes.

Tony D did pass the time by typing:

Yes, I would recommend it. Synthetic flows much easier at lower temperature than dino juice does.

I run pure synthetic all the time in the ZJ. Of course it doesn't get that terribly cold in Oklahoma but up in Colorado I did have it at -15C and it ran fine once I froze my butt off getting the door unstuck. Seems the lube I put on the door locks turned to concrete.

I use Mobil 1 fully synth, changed every 3500 miles.

Dave Milne, Scotland '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ