I keep hearing lifter tick is a very common issue on the 4.0. Why do these motors develop lifter tick in the first place? And when can I expect to start hearing it? I have 173k miles on my original motor and it's still quiet so I'm just wondering when I'm going to start hearing the tick. Anyway to keep it from happening? Like oil treatments or something every so often?
When does lifter tick become an issue?
- Thread starter adventureboss
- Start date
Engines can run their lifespan with a noisy lifter-
It can be the lifter has wear
There is wear on the camshaft lobe
A bent pushrod
Or sludge and contamination making the lifter stick
Your best prevention as an owner is oil changes with quality oil at a reasonable frequency.
I’m not trying to derail but a lot of the things that people think are lifter noises are things like belts and pulleys.
In other words you really have to maintain the entire engine- the little straight six will outlast every peripheral component-
It can be the lifter has wear
There is wear on the camshaft lobe
A bent pushrod
Or sludge and contamination making the lifter stick
Your best prevention as an owner is oil changes with quality oil at a reasonable frequency.
I’m not trying to derail but a lot of the things that people think are lifter noises are things like belts and pulleys.
In other words you really have to maintain the entire engine- the little straight six will outlast every peripheral component-
When your 4.0 starts sounding like a 1st generation 5.9 Cummins you might want to think about a head job and lifters !
When lifter tic becomes lifter tok, you have problems. 
The absolute best thing you can do with any vehicle/machine is stay on top of regular and preventive maintenance. Change your oils and fluids regularly. Do not run "extended" oil change intervals, and use good products when you can.
The absolute best thing you can do with any vehicle/machine is stay on top of regular and preventive maintenance. Change your oils and fluids regularly. Do not run "extended" oil change intervals, and use good products when you can.
I’m not big on snake oil, but….. I put marvel mystery oil in mine and it did quiet them down. I’m at 205,000 miles and change my oil religiously at 5000 mile intervals. It still occasionally rattles a bit but I haven’t been dedicated to adding the snake oil. Not too worried about any failures anytime soon.
I've had my 04 since new. I developed what assume is a lifter tick about 10 years ago. It only happens occasionally when I start the Jeep the first time in a given day. When it happens, it only lasts about 30 seconds or so, then it stops. It's nothing more than an annoyance, really. It doesn't do it every time and doesn't seem to affect performance at all. I noticed something interesting a few months ago though.
I keep my Jeep garaged overnight, but when I drive it somewhere, I usually park it in the driveway for the day, especially if I'm coming and going all day. In the evening, I'll start it up and pull it into the garage. What I have noticed is that on rare days when I would come home and pull it directly into the garage, I wouldn't get the lifter tick the next morning when I start it up. After realizing this, the next time I parked it in the driveway during the day, I decided to take it for a short drive before garaging it for the night to see if it ticked the next morning. It did not. I've been doing a short drive before garaging it now mostly since then. The only time it ticks now is when I don't do this and just pull it directly into the garage after it's been sitting in the driveway for a few hours like I used to.
I keep my Jeep garaged overnight, but when I drive it somewhere, I usually park it in the driveway for the day, especially if I'm coming and going all day. In the evening, I'll start it up and pull it into the garage. What I have noticed is that on rare days when I would come home and pull it directly into the garage, I wouldn't get the lifter tick the next morning when I start it up. After realizing this, the next time I parked it in the driveway during the day, I decided to take it for a short drive before garaging it for the night to see if it ticked the next morning. It did not. I've been doing a short drive before garaging it now mostly since then. The only time it ticks now is when I don't do this and just pull it directly into the garage after it's been sitting in the driveway for a few hours like I used to.
On our 04 , sometimes on start up it has a very noticeable lifter tick . If I shut the engine off wait 10 seconds and restart , no lifter tick . It works like this every time. Our 99 has never had a tick and has 70,000 more mile on it , both Jeeps have used Mobile 1 High mileage synthetic 10 W 30 for over a decade .
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