My KJ GTV has 90 000 on the odometer and the engine is starting to make a tapping sound as the engine heats up, I know that it is most likely caused by valves or the hydraulic lifters but is there an alternative to replacing them completely?

just sounds like a tappet, usually does this when its cold though, maybe some one alse can shed some light on this a bit better

or wens the last time u changed the oil ???
it may be low or need some new oil in it

Trust me, if they are tapping replace them. They should not do this after just 90k however I assume you purchased s/hand, may have been some neglect from a previous owner.

They are not hard to replace, just a little exxy

Some will give you magic crap in a bottle, avoid this

i get the same thing with the tapping as the engine heats up but i know mine isnt the oil but its gotta be a tapit or valve but yea ill have a look at mine one day when i can be bothered with it:cool:

or wens the last time u changed the oil ???
it may be low or need some new oil in it

oil was just changed, prior to it it only did 1000 km on the oil that got put in it 12 months ago, still was bronze but i thought i might change it all the same when i bought it just to be sure that i'm using good quality.

A Bottle of Nulon Worn Engine Treatment should fix it.

Trust me, if they are tapping replace them. They should not do this after just 90k however I assume you purchased s/hand, may have been some neglect from a previous owner.

They are not hard to replace, just a little exxy

Some will give you magic crap in a bottle, avoid this

why replace them if they are tapping? why not just wait till they die?

why replace them if they are tapping? why not just wait till they die?

It takes a lot of self control when I read a question like this one.....

Think about it on a logical basis for just one minute.

They are tapping now, they are telling you it is time to be replaced as they are blocked. Even if they are cleaned they will tap again.

If they are tapping, you are not getting full lift thus valve is not opening all the way thus less power, more fuel

If one fails, it can break the rocker, the lash adjuster fall out, gets jammed between the cam and the head and all of a sudden a 15 dollar lash adjuster is now a head and cam as well!

My theory with MY engine is that it is 200,000+km old, so if **** wants to break, let it as I can get a 30,000km old 3.5 for $790 with warranty. Hence why I havent bothered with the timing belt, cost me more to prolong my aging engine rather than replace it with a younger model.

However your engine is 90,000 old, so its your call. Spend to fix or put up with it/mask it with a bottle of additive.

It takes a lot of self control when I read a question like this one.....


it takes alot of self control? why? i have no bloody idea what a noisy tappet means so im asking why you would replace something thats just noisy not broken..

a logical basis? how can one think about something on a logical basis when they have no idea what the noise even means?

if it takes you so much effort and self control to answer my question then forget it... sorry to put you through so much grief

Perhaps the questions could have been phrased a little differently to avoid misinterperetation of motive. :slap:

Theres another thread on this currently it may be the pcv valve is clogged up and needs cleaning. Other thread is in 3rd Gen.

Perhaps the questions could have been phrased a little differently to avoid misinterperetation of motive. :slap:

meh whatever...

They are a spring, a ballbearing valve and a piston inside a cylinder bore. Take your tappet covers off, bleed them by pushing the BB in, clean them with carbi cleaner while still in the car and bled, change oil, see how you go.

Although its not as easy on a FWD to do this, I have done it a billion times on RB's, astrons, camrys etc, and 9/10 it works and it just takes you a few hours to do.

Either that or take the rocker rails off and really clean them up, check the springs for compression and inspect the bores of the tappet.

Your not going to hurt anything driving it with a ticking rocker, but it will anoy you.

If I were you, I would put some 0w30 in it, and give it an italian tune up, that works the other 1/10 times :)

Your not going to hurt anything driving it with a ticking rocker, but it will anoy you.

so its not doing any damage if there ticking?? what would eventually happen if left?

so its not doing any damage if there ticking?? what would eventually happen if left?

They would penn the valves.

how much would it cost to get the tappets done?

Sorry Turbo, but you are wrong here.

A slight ticking will be fine, when it gets worse is when the damage can occur and I have seen it on several occasions.

Don't put carb cleaner in the top end of the motor for goodness sakes, this will also screw your stem seals as rubber reacts to the solvents.

If you want to attempt to clean them, which some times works, remove them, grab a container of kero, bleed them (instructions and pics are in your workshop manual) and then bleed them with oil and see how you go

You said you changed the oil recently, maybe whoever put it in used the wrong type.

I know when I just got my car back from the mechanic once it was ticking quite loudly after about 500km because that particular oil was too sticky (i think it was castrol magnatec). I don't know much about the whole grading system but when I took it back to the mechanic told me he must of put the wrong oil in, so he changed it free of charge. That fixed the problem.

A slight ticking will be fine, when it gets worse is when the damage can occur and I have seen it on several occasions.

If it were that bad, he'd take it somewhere instead of asking a question on a forum.


Don't put carb cleaner in the top end of the motor for goodness sakes, this will also screw your stem seals as rubber reacts to the solvents. Carbi cleaner gets sprayed on carburettors, which have rubber seals, boots, o rings, grommets and plenty of other rubber things. If you read carefully, carb cleaner and throttle cleaner will be rubber safe. Plus it is only a hydrocarbon based solvent, hydrocarbons are ingrediants to your engine oil.

I think the factory manual says to clean them in diesel? I remember something crazy like that. found it in the manual:

Diesel will work, kero is just another grade of thin oil, like diesel. Which ever you have lying around will do.

You said you changed the oil recently, maybe whoever put it in used the wrong type.

I know when I just got my car back from the mechanic once it was ticking quite loudly after about 500km because that particular oil was too sticky (i think it was castrol magnatec). I don't know much about the whole grading system but when I took it back to the mechanic told me he must of put the wrong oil in, so he changed it free of charge. That fixed the problem.

I used valvoline 20w40, the stuff that comes n the bronze bottles, it should be ok, don't think it has crap put in it like magnatec, had that same problem with my old 929, turned me off castrol straight away.

USE NULON WORN ENGINE TREATMENT!!!!

TRUST ME, IT WORKS. USED ON 5 OTHER 3.5s WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND IT FIXED THEM PERMANENTLY. BEST $10 BUCKS YOU WILL SPEND.

USE NULON WORN ENGINE TREATMENT!!!!

TRUST ME, IT WORKS. USED ON 5 OTHER 3.5s WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND IT FIXED THEM PERMANENTLY. BEST $10 YOU WILL SPEND.

MotorOne branded carby cleaner will destroy ISC motors in magnas, hence they released " throttle body cleaner", exacly for that purpose.
All rubbers are different, some take oils,fuel etc ok, others wont.
Try and throw a litre or so of auto transmission oil in the motor to help with cleaning sludged lifters.