Hey guys, I'm hearing what I have been told is valve tap on my 2000 4.2. I replaced the oil yesterday and it got a little louder. I think the new oil is heavier than what was there before. Someone suggested adding some Lucas and i found some a4 guys on here saying they used it without trouble but I have always stayed away from additives so I wanted a 2nd opinion.

 

Pull the valve cover check your cams and lifters for wear.
Oil can not repair that. Gauge the cam lobes on each of the cylinders and compare notes. Push the lifters looking for one that's collapsed. I think that thin oil would get into the lifter faster, Some say thick stays in there longer. Either way the lifter and or the ports are dirty and need to be cleaned. get one of those stethoscopes and listen for the cylinder that's ticking.

Does it go away? can you hear it all the time?

I wouldn't put that stuff in my car, Since when is engine oil sticky? Do some research on the slick 50 lie. In the late 80s slick 50 saved your engine, 4 years later all those guys were replacing their engines.

 

You prolly should have went with the same or slightly thinner oils.. The passages and holes up there are tiny and already clogging.

 

Well I'm just guessing that the oil is thicker. I have all the service records for the car and they just say that synthetic was used. Most commercial places use 30 weight oil. I went with 5w40 as recommended. I'll see about checking the litters as recommended above. Honestly I don't have a very intimate knowledge of piston engines and am afraid to try that alone. I'll try to get some assistance over the weekend and let you know. Thanks for the input.

 

You don't even need to go that far. If you don't have a stethoscope available, just get the tube from a roll of christmas wrapping paper. Stick one end up to your ear and move the other from cylinder to cylinder, along the head. That should allow you to narrow down which cylinder is tapping.

 

I used a bottle of it to seal a bit of a massive tranny leak in my STS. It worked well for that purpose. I also put some in the motor and it stopped my oil consumption. (the northstars were notorious for that) It didnt really make it any quieter, but it was not really ticking too much to begin with.