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Chevrolet Tahoe 2003

WHY IS MY LIFTER MAKING THIS THICK NOISE AFTER I CHANGED TO SYNTHETIC OIL?2003 tahoe HELP

WHY IS MY LIFTER MAKING THIS THICK NOISE AFTER I CHANGED TO SYNTHETIC OIL?2003 tahoe HELP

Jr

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117 Answers

Travieso

U probably did it wrong

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William

How many miles I thought synthetic is only good if you used that from the begining

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JrQuestion author

@William 146xxxx

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JrQuestion author

Can i go back to regular oil?

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Logan

@William myth it’s fine to change back and forth

7
William

@Jr yeah I would get that out of thete

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William

,there

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William

Synthetic creates a coat on the parts and if you change back and forth I herd it can start burning oil

2
William

Mobil 1

1
Jack

Logan ??said it right

1
William

If you started with synthetic then after 100k I would think it’s ok to change

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Jason

There is nothing wrong with switching back and forth with synthetic oil or conventional oil. You probably have a collapsed lifter. Add some marvel mystery oil and see if the noise goes away. Ignore all the bullshit about switching oils, it’s bullshit. I’ve been working on GM engines for 25 years professionally.

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JrQuestion author

Its my first synthetic oil change im going to chnage it to convetional right after work

0
Kevlar

I recommend nobody ever take car/truck advice from @William.
Synthetic lasts way longer and will treat your engine way better than conventional.

4
Jason

@Jr you’ll be throwing money away

1
Darren

Maybe

0
William

@Jr I would just put 5 w 30 I had a vortec for 15 years it runs great

2
Jason

What weight oil did you use? That matters more than brand or type.

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JrQuestion author

@Jason 5w30

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William

There’s a reason why people work on things professionaly it’s cause their fucked up

0
Jason

@Jr good, you used correct weight. Go to Oriellys or Napa and get a bottle of marvel mystery oil, add it to the engine and crank it up and let it idle for 10 to 15 minutes. I’ve used this trick a ton of times to help out my customers who couldn’t afford lifter replacement.

1
Jason

@Jr also try to only use a wix or ac Delco oil filter. They have an internal check valve to help prevent dry starts. Stay away from Fram filters. No real reason to waste money on mobil1 filter or k&n. This matters more than oil brand.

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JrQuestion author

@Jason i used wix

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William

If your truck was fine before the oil change you shouldn’t have changed anything

1
Jason

@Jr good. They’re excellent filters

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JrQuestion author

@William i should of just use the same convetional oil fucked up?

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William

@Jr yeah I wouldn’t put that shit in my truck after being ran it’s entirely on conventional

1
Dent

@Jason so is using 10-30w bad for a 5.3? Ive been using that because its a little thicker seems to run okay just wanted your input

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Jason

@Dent not at all. Its dependant on temperature. 5w30 is a broad spectrum oil, meaning it covers a broad temperature range. 5w30 will achieve a little better fuel economy than 10w30. The reason GM switched to 0w20 is fuel economy. Engines are also being built with much tighter tolerances than they use to be.

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Jason

The more oil viscosity, brand, and weight you research in forums and Facebook pages the more confused you will become. Opinions are like assholes, everybody’s got one and at the end of the day most people are just talking out their ass anyway. Take everything in these groups with a grain of salt. Most of the guys on these pages don’t really know what they’re talking about. Some do, but most are regurgitating crap they heard from someone else.

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JrQuestion author

@Jason will thicker oil make this go away?

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Jason

Not necessarily. Try Marvel mystery oil first. If that doesn’t work take it to a mechanic. The hydraulic lifters get weak over time, that’s usually the cause of noise in the upper valve train. It’s happens more on the “dod” motors though.

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JrQuestion author

@Jason so i add 5 quarts of oil nd then the mystery oil? Or the 6 quarts nd then the mystery?

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William

All thicker oil does is cover up the noise it don’t fix anything and makes your engine work harder

1
Jason

@Jr it’ll tell you on the bottle. Just get the small bottle and pour it in the crankcase. Check oil level first and see if oil is high or low. No need to change the oil again if you just did it. If you’re in the middle on your dipstick you can just add a bottle and call it good. If you’re high on the dipstick you may need to drain out a little.

1
William

Yeah that’s good I got 188k and my engine runs great so no need o put it in

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Rex

@William myth

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Daniel

Mine does the same thing, after about 10 minutes of driving it starts to tick for about 5-10 minutes then goes away. Does yours go away after a few minutes of driving?

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Nick

@Daniel that’s not lifter….that’s manifold leak

1
Daniel

@Nick really, that’s better then what I “self diagnosed ” right

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Nick

@Daniel yes. It is. The tick goes away because the block and manifolds expand to fix the leak. They are known for breaking bolts in the rear. They even make a piece to fix it

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Daniel

@Nick thank you, I have been googling how to replace the lifters and it seams a bit over my pay grade lol.

1
Nick

@Daniel https://youtu.be/VsxiLUUWndw

1
Rich

@Nick I hope your correct on that brother. Mine does that ticks after about 10 minutes of driving and then goes away after some time.That is a load off my mind. How can i be sure that that is the issue?

0
Nick

@Rich I’m certain thats what it is. Check the condition of the studs securing your manifold to the block. Especially the back ones. They tend to break or come loose

1
Rich

@Nick Thank you ill check today

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Nick

Make sure it’s not a manifold leak. Sounds similar but goes away after warming up. Rear manifold studs tend to break off over time. There is this bracket to fix it

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Shon

@Nick I think I have this problem

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Nick

@Shon https://youtu.be/VsxiLUUWndw

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Nick

Here’s your solution

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Matt

What type of oil? Ive had royal purple do that

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JrQuestion author

@Matt i used valvoline

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Matt

@Jr 5/30?

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JrQuestion author

@Matt yes

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Matt

type oil filter ?

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JrQuestion author

I used wic

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JrQuestion author

Wix

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Matt

@Jr shit man thats weird.

1
Kenny

@Matt recently started to happened to our 07 tahoe wanted to try royal purple. Itll tick when truck isn’t fully warmed up. But after 15-20mins driving the tick will go away.

Gonna do a oil change this weekend with a different brand.

1
Matt

Yea ive had good luck mobile 1 synthetic, just dont use fram oil filter

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Paul

Did you use the correct weight and do you have the DOD

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Paul

It would really help to know what year you have

1
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JrQuestion author

@Paul 03

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Austin

Make sure ur topped off and not a quart low

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Branden

Its fine. If it ticks at start up and goes away when warm, thats a exhaust manifold, if your driving and it sounds like a bearing but goes away and comes and goes, its lifter. If its constantly from cold start to turn off flexplate. Synthetic oil cleans more, so more of a likely cause of lifter issue as it removes the gum up and can slightly block oil passages. I have always done 5qts whatever oil, and 1qt trans fluid. Trans fluid will help break down any sludge. ?

2
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Jacob

Just swap to a hawg ass cam and change lifters

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Jacob

Lucas is almost always the solution. Thickins the synthetic up a bit

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William

@Jacob you can go ahead and try that but my Tahoe didn’t like it it burned away I drive 200 miles a day and the best thing for my 350 is Pennzoil 5 w 30:

0
Jacob

@William burned away? Lol
I run lucas in everything i own and I’ll sware by it. Just my opinion though.

0
William

I thought t was going to be good but it wasn’t

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Jacob

@William and how do you know that? Just curious

0
William

@Jacob I like the Lucas transmission fluid but my engine don’t need it

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Jacob

@William i love their atf additive to but that still doesn’t tell me why the oil additive isn’t good

0
William

@Jacob tell me what good it dd

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Matt

on 1st gen tahoe they had issues with to thick of oil causing lifters to tick

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Jacob

@William eliminate dry starts and reduce friction, heat and wear in any type of engine. It allows motor oils a higher degree of lubricity which reduces oil consumption and operating temperatures.

0
Jacob

@Matt i use half synthetic and half regular Lucas in the winter to keep the pressure down for cold starts
my first gen with 240,000 miles sounds like a brand new engine still.

1
Matt

@Jacob nice, ive had a few over the yrs people put 10/30 n stead of 5/30 and started tickin

1
Jacob

I set this up to for those extra cold nights

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Bryce

@Jacob Lucas Oil Stabilizer is a gimmick. It’s nothing more than an obnoxiously thick olefin copolymer with a little bit of tackifier thrown in. The OCP has very poor shear stability (losses >50% of its viscosity after 100 hours of use) and is highly susceptible to aeration and oxidation. It serves no useful purpose. The tackifier in it is also useless in an engine with a pressurized oiling system. It’s only in there to cling to the little plastic gears in the gimmicky displays which is the epitome of deceptive marketing. Engine oils don’t contain tackifiers as tackiness is not something you want in an engine. Tackiness is only important in applications that use splash lubrication such as manual transmissions and rear gears/diffs.

It contains no anti-wear, no EP, no detergents, no dispersants, no anti-foaming, no anti-oxidation, no anti-aeration, absolutely nothing useful. It will quiet a collapsed lifter but not in a good way. It does so by clogging the lifter bleed, forcing it to pump up, but essentially then turns it into a solid lifter and proceeds to beat the rest of the valvetrain to death. If you were to pull a UOA on it after use, you’d find an increase in iron wear. This has been consistent across 14 different tests and samples of Lucas Oil Stabilizer over the years.

Here’s the virgin analysis of Lucas Oil Stabilizer showing an obnoxiously heavy viscosity of 124 cSt (7x more viscous than 20w-50) and no beneficial additives whatsoever. If you add this to your oil, it will dilute the additives in your oil by that same amount.

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Jacob

@Bryce like i said its just my opinion, he can take it or leave it.

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Bryce

@Jacob and I’m offering facts, not opinion. Lucas Oil Stabilizer is just a bottle of goo that does more harm than good.

2
Andrei

Bryce is absolutely correct. Ignore him at your own loss. He’s already forgotten more about tribology than you’ll learn in your lifetime.

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Corey

@Andrei your here to! ? your everywhere lol

1
Joey

Drain it and put thicker shit in ??‍♂️?

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Bryce

Synthetic is not thinner than conventional.

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Joey

@Bryce I know. I’m just saying put thicker shit in to quiet the noise. ? usually helps.

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Bryce

@Joey Gotcha. That’s still not advisable though. The ideal viscosity/grade is set by the operating temperature and bearing clearances. Higher viscosity may slow the lifter bleed, allowing it to pump up again, but the bearings usually pay the price with decreased flow and higher temperature delta. The best fix for a noisy lifter is to replace the lifter.

0
Travis

Weak lifter.. Changing to synthetic just pointed it out better. When my lifters went noisy, I added a whole bottle of marvel mystery oil (drainage quart first) , run it 500 mi and then change it. Lifters have been quiet every since. If ya haven’t ran synthetic and it’s high miles it’s fine, just know it may cause a few issues but I always switch..

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Stephanie

One of the best investments I’ve ever made. I’ve used this stuff in anything I own with a motor….gas or diesel. Even our semi with a Cummins isx has over 600,000 miles with no breakdowns(except def system bullshit). For anyone who owns a motor… use it!

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Nick

@Stephanie what ratio do you use it

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Bryce

It’s nothing special.

75% pale oil
23% isopropyl alcohol
1% naphtha
1% chlorinated parrafins

It has a KV100 of just 2.6 cSt which is a straight 0 grade so a 20% blend with a 5w-30 oil will knock it down to a 0w-16.

It’s also highly acidic and the chlorine can react with water in the crankcase (pulled from atmospheric air) to form hydrochloric acid which will cause corrosion. If you do put it in the engine, it should only be used as a quick 15 minute flush and then get it out immediately. If your intention is to flush the engine, there’s far better products out there for that purpose.

0
Samuel

@Bryce that’s probably why it cleans so well. Lol. I’ve stopped using anything but oil in my vehicles. If it was necessary, the big brands would spend millions on research to prove it worked by using standardized ASTM tests.

0
Bryce

Right. lol That is what allows it to clean. It just doesn’t stop at sludge and varnish. It tries to eat everything it touches and provides practically no oil film for lubrication.

Esters are ideal for cleaning as they are heavier solvents than MMO with a proper viscosity and lubricity. Red Line HP 5w-30 is an excellent oil for slow cleaning an engine since it’s 15-20% polyol ester.

0
Stephanie

@Nick I use 1 quart in our automobiles.
If your auto takes 5 quarts substitute 1 quarts of oil with marvel

1
Stephanie

But I’m no expert with oil just giving you my personal experience with using the product. Use at your own risk. Never has done my vehicles wrong yet. Harley has 43,000+ Altima has 32,000+ Tahoe has 148,00+(owned it since 23,000) semi has over 600,000+.

0
Stephanie

Many hours on yard tools also

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Stephanie

Image may contain: sky and outdoor
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William

@Stephanie we got 15 motorhomes with V10s and never used anything other than regular oil and never had and engine issues

1
Stephanie

@William congrats to your success.

1
William

@Stephanie Thanks

0
Joseph

Pull it apart and put new lifters in.

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Jackie

You have to change the lower lifter. You have a lifter Jammed like I did in mine. These are common issues in the Tahoe. And it’s an expensive price to fix. Otherwise you can do a DOD aS an option

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Rick

I run mobil1 10w30 on mine no issue switched it just switched at about 250 k. Find i burn a quart at first 300miles but that was it. But only when i drive it.. No oil added when my girl has it.. I guess i drive like an asshole

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Frank

The first oil change I did when I bought mine and took it to 100% senthetic the motor didn’t seem to like it all that much . But after the second she was loving it

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JrQuestion author

@Frank did it do that tick after you changed to synthetic?

0
Frank

@Jr for a short time . Never did it again

1
JrQuestion author

Hell yea just did a conventional oil change nd my truck is back to normal no more weird noises ? im done fucking with synthetics lol

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William

@Jr don’t listen to me

1
William

Their probably right the truck would be ok but it will tick like a Bomb they’ll here you coming but that’s ok

0
Frank

@Jr told ya lol . I would have done the same but my 11 is recommended for full senthetic .

0
Jeremy

Yea i did that stupid shit 2 it cleaned out so much carbon build up it bent a rod so the lesson is if it ant got it dont change 2 it

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William

@Jeremy I wouldn’t doubt if it sends all the sludge to the oil pump and cloggs it

1
Jose

You should have never done it

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JrQuestion author

@Jose why

0
JrQuestion author

How bad is that

0
Jose

@Jr once yoi go synthetic itll never run the same.

0
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