Tapping Noise At Startup

[red-finder]

On my 95 se Pathfinder when you start it up after it has sat awhile there is a tapping noise that lasts until you accelerate and the engine gets warm. I don't know much about mechanic work beside the basics. Could it be a lifter or something? Is it something serious that I need to get checked out?

 

Have any you had this problem? And how can you tell if the manifold bolts are bad? I have heard alot about this being a problem. I know its a lot of questions, but I'm a newbie

 

[nige]

the ticking sounds like a lazy lifter, my miata i had befor the truck would have the same problem. As soon as the oil moves round in the engine, the noise stops. You can get the engine's lifters cleaned. I took the miata apart and found the culprit.

 

As for the manifold, you will hear a definite ticking/hissing sort of sound coming frm beneath the engine. It's easiest to hear if you drive beside a wall. You have to get at the manifold with a light and check each stud holding it on. You'll be able to see if a stud is broken or missing or if there are gaps between the manifold and the head

[88pathoffroad]

It's most likely a warped exhaust manifold or broken stud. Classic symptoms. After the manifold and engine block heat up, they seal a bit better and the noise diminishes. Fixing the manifolds is an expensive proposition, around $400 per side from the dealership. You could just buy a set of new exhaust headers and have an exhaust shop replace the factory manifolds with those, build you a complete new exhaust for about $400-$500 and get more power out of the engine.

[k9sar]

the lifters in the VG30E that you have are hydraulic and it is normal for them to tick until they get the oil pressure up and close the gap between the cam and the rocker arms. First thing to do, probably, is to have someone else start the engine and see if the noise is from one or both heads. If it's only 1, it's probably manifold related. There are a couple ways to check for a manifold leak too. You can visually inspect the studs (the bolts will be loose or missing if the stud is snapped off). My favorite is to listen around the manifold using some tubing and see if you can pinpoint the noise. Good luck.

[red-finder]

88pathoffroad if you were to replace the headers what kind would you recommend and where can you get the best deal?

[Mr. Pickles]

I'm betting 88 would recommend Thorley's, huh?

[88pathoffroad]

Yeah. Pacesetters suck.