Lifter Noise?

Rick deCastro

Rick deCastro

Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2018
Messages
28
Location
Tempe, Az
If this has been covered already I apologize; Occasionally when my 04 Rubicon 4.0 sits for a few days when I start it there is a light knocking sound that lasts maybe 3-4 seconds and then quickly fades. Seems like it might be a lifter check valve problem. The knock seems too light and high up to be a rod. I've owned the Rubi for about 9 months now and this has only occurred 3 times so far. The engine has 108,000 miles on it. Have others experienced this? Is it common in the 4.0 to have lifters bleed down after they have this sort of mileage on the engine? Thanks for any insights you all may provide.
 
This is a very, very common issue with the 4.0s, especially after they've been sitting for a long time.

All of my old 4.0s used to do it, and the only one that doesn't do it is my current TJ with 56k miles. Even after sitting for a month, it starts right up with no ticking at all.

It is definitely a lifter related issue though, there's no doubt about that. I'm not sure what the fix is, but I suspect it involves taking the head off and having it serviced.
 
Chris said:
This is a very, very common issue with the 4.0s, especially after they've been sitting for a long time.

All of my old 4.0s used to do it, and the only one that doesn't do it is my current TJ with 56k miles. Even after sitting for a month, it starts right up with no ticking at all.

It is definitely a lifter related issue though, there's no doubt about that. I'm not sure what the fix is, but I suspect it involves taking the head off and having it serviced.
Click to expand...

Thanks Chris, I'm new to the 4 liter 6 used in TJs. It has to sit for at least 48 hours for this to occur and it is only a single tap or light knock if you will. It clears up in 4-5 seconds. I suspect it will go a while yet before I need to open the engine and replace the lifters. I kinda wish they had taken a page from the Chevy 235 six banger. It had a removeable valley cover on the side of the block allowing lifter access without having to pull the head.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Squatch
I'm generally the type of person who would say that any sort of engine advice is 100% snake oil. However, @mrblaine and I had a conversation years back and he had mentioned Marvel Mystery Oil I believe it was. Anyways, I don't remember what he said verbatim, but the gist of it was that he did use it on a 4.0 and it did indeed get rid of the lifter tick.

An access cover would be nice, I agree. Pulling the head on the 4.0 should be easier than it is. The reason it's such a pain in the ass is because of the damn intake and exhaust manifold and how they share the same gasket (not to mention it's pretty much impossible to get tools in there to unbolt them). That really makes life a pain in the butt.

I found the easiest way to remove the head was actually to remove the entire driver's side fender and inner fender. Once you do that, you have much easier access to the exhaust manifold and intake manifold, which makes getting the cylinder head off much easier.
 
Rick deCastro said:
Oil is 5-30 full synthetic. I received no service history with the TJ when I first bought it so the first thing I did was replace all fluids, filters, spark plugs, etc.
Click to expand...

I've had your tick in the past. Same scenario. My suggestion, run a bottle of Marvel for 1000 miles or so, then change the oil and switch to 10w30 dino and get rid of the full synthetic. That cured my tick. Mine's at 165K miles, fyi.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Aloha Joe
You might consider going to 10-30, which is recommended for the 4.0. You generally want to use 5-30 in very cold environments. Some people have had positive results with lifter noise by moving back to 10-30. As others have said, MMO is a great option as well.
 
Thanks for the advice. I think I'll change the oil again, use 4 qts dino 10-30 and one qt of MMO for 1K and see if it clears up. I just don't want it to worsen and pound a flat spot on the cam. All things considered oil and filters are about the cheapest engine insurance there is. If it continues then there is probably a defective check valve in the lifter.
 
Ok guys... don't poke too much fun. "DINO" refers to mineral based oil. Is this "conventional" on the label at the store?
 
  • Like
Reactions: JMT
Rick deCastro said:
Thanks for the advice. I think I'll change the oil again, use 4 qts dino 10-30 and one qt of MMO for 1K and see if it clears up. I just don't want it to worsen and pound a flat spot on the cam. All things considered oil and filters are about the cheapest engine insurance there is. If it continues then there is probably a defective check valve in the lifter.
Click to expand...
Switching back to 10W will quiet your lifters.

I mistakenly purchased 5W last month, and lost the receipt.
Well i went ahead and used the 5w in both the 2.5 and 4.0 (since it's winter) as an unintentional experiment.

The 2.5 lifter noise increased noticeably (which doesn't bother me)

The 4.0 immediately threw a P0522 code with "check gauges" light flashing for a couple mornings, then self cleared.

You'll be fine when you switch back to 10w.
I'll be switching back to 10w at the start of summer. :)
 
I'm surprised you didn't develop a light rear seal leak using the 5W. Also you can just drain out a qt of the existing oil, then add the MMO, Rislone, or I use regular tranny fluid instead cause I'm a cheap bastard, and run it for a few hundred miles, drain it out and put back in some 10w 30. Using the MMO or tranny fluid is cleaning the top end and should free up a sticky lifter.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BadaBing0405
I recently changed my oil using DINO 10W (yes I used it correctly) and thought I would try Lucas Oil Complete Engine Treatment additive. I always have been a huge Sea Foam guy and have used it for an gas/oil additive. WELL... The Lucas engine treatment worked wonders on my check engine light (can remember the code but it was an O2 sensor) and thought hell Ill try that in the oil see if it helps my lifter issue. ABSOLUTELY not.

Options.

1. Add some MMO, Rislone, ATF NOW then drain and refill.

2. Drain the oil new filter and then add the MMO, Rislone, or ATF than rinse repeat.
 
I started getting a 2 second start-up lifter tick around 50,000 miles on the odometer but ONLY during the winter. During the warmer temps I don't have lifter tick...quiet as a mouse on start-up. Currently use Valvoline High Mileage Blend 10w-30 but will switch to a 10w-30 dino oil next change and see if it stops the tick.?
 
  • Like
Reactions: BadaBing0405
Top Bottom
Back