I have noticed in the last 6 months that the engine makes a ticking noise when cold. It lasts for approx. 3 minutes before the engine warms up. I mentioned it to Mitsubishi dealer, all they said was you should warm the car up a bit before driving. Has anyone else noticed this in their 380s. It sounds like its not getting enough oil to the top of the engine. Do the valve clearances need to be adjusted in the 380 engine?

Thanks

Do you mean something like this?
http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78695&highlight=380+ticking

No, the ticking noise I have is from a cold start up and a little louder. I notice it when the radio is off and going up hill. The ticking noise in the thread is the emission control valve which i notice when the engine is warm.

Mate,

Very likely it's the lash adjusters causing the noise, see post #78 on the page linked by chairXhat for details of the workshop manual fix for this.

Not guaranteed to work, but it might and if it does a little time & effort could save you a pile of $.

KJ.

georgegeo, both of my 380's make this sound, one slightly worse than the other. Lasts for about 30 secs to 1 min max when cold. I've mentioned it to a Mitsubishi dealer when getting it serviced, fobbed off with some bullshit excuse of "there's a valve that ticks for a while when cold".

I agree, it sounds exactly like an engine without enough oil getting to the top until slightly warmed up.. unfortunately I don't have a solution for you though...

Check is not timing belt tensioner by disc cas and crank 15 seconds then connect and start. If no noise this the culprit and can sound like lash adjusters

Either way if car is under warranty dealers response is not satisfactory which dealer is it

Its the Chadstone dealership here in Melbourne. I have been disappointed with their knowledge with the 380. I have problems with the rear windows, they did not acknowledge that it is a common fault, but all make of cars have ongoing issues with windows. They are unable to answer queries about the bluetooth system, or possible upgrading.

Its an 07 model so still warranty left. I would like to try a different dealership, one that has a bit more understanding on the 380. Any suggestions?

The reason for the post, was there has been a lot of discussion of ticking noise when engine is warm, i was not aware of anyone experiencing noise from a cold engine. Thanks for the replies.

Its been over 12 months since i brought up this topic. The ticking noise in my car is far more noticeable in the winter colder months, especially if someone else drives the car away from you. However the noise disappears after 5 mins of driving, once engine has reached operating temperature. A few months ago the timing belt was replaced and a new tensioner was replaced under warranty. I tend to monitor this forum regularly, but have not noticed whether this is a common 380 problem. Anyone else experienced this?

So you are getting ticking only when cold but lasts 5 mins or so, this would be very unlikely to be the pre tensioner. Could be a host of other things even the air con compressor if it is not consitant.

This sort of thing is near impossible to diagnose over a forum as the scope of such a thing can be huge. I know that as the motors in these cars are a lot quieter in general you do tend to hear a lot more noise such as injector tick etc etc, often because noise bounces around so much it becomes a process of elimination.

georgegeo, both of my 380's experience this - one is only faintly noticeable, the other is far louder, but the ticking only tends to last for 30 seconds to a minute in mine. The ticking is definitely worse in cold weather - it's louder and lasts longer until it goes away.

I strongly suspect it's something related to oil in the engine... After a long country trip last year, i burnt a bit of oil (or probably burnt away the condensate in the oil - my car mostly only does short suburban runs and it was due for an oil change) and the oil in mine dropped to the bottom of the "fill" range (but not below). For the next few mornings until I realised the oil was low, the ticking was way louder and lasted for a couple of minutes until it subsided.

Last time I had it serviced, I parked the car at the dealer overnight so I could drive in it with them first thing while it was cold - but still got fobbed off claiming they could't detect anything abnormal.

My plan next service is to do the same, but drain some oil so it's at the bottom of the normal range and hopefully make the ticking as noticeable as possible. I suspect I'll get fobbed off with something along the lines of "your oil is low, nothing wrong with the car". I've lost a lot of faith in service departments at dealers - your generally greeted by commissioned salespeople now trying to flog you unnecessary and overpriced extras and have to dig your heels in to actually speak to a mechanic.

If I get any favourable response at the next service I'll post back and let you know.

Thanks for your feedback ads_german, my oil is relatively fresh and the level is good. The car was serviced 2 months ago, approx 2000km.

The noise is not that loud in the cabin, you only hear it with radio off. Its more noticeable when outside the car. I was concerned whether this was a more serious problem which could potentially cost a lot of money to rectify.

I am thinking of doing the same as leaving the car at the dealership overnight. I would be interested in hearing how you go. Thanks