My first AutoX event today. Good, but not good.

[exitspeed]

Well I ran my first run, EVER and took it easy cause I was told the course was more technical then they usually are. I ran a 71(which doesn't mean much to you). I got the hang of it and my second run was a 63(BTW this was with a completly bone stock 240). Towards the end of my second run the engine started ticking very loudly :Ownedd: So when I was done I popped the hood and like I said, LOUD. It sounded like it does when the oil gets low(engine leaks oil). But I checked the oil and it was cool. So I desided not to chance it and I didn't run it the rest of the day. But then on my way home the ticking complelty went away :wtf: . Any theories on why this would happen? Is it cause of the turning and that that the oil was pulled away from the lifters and then later on it was dispersed again?


On another note, my uncle was there and when I said I wasn't gonna run it anymore, he said, "Do you wanna race my Boxter?" I'm like "Yea, if it's cool with you" He totally trusts my ablilties so he let me drive that the rest of the day. I ran a 67 on my first run and ha a harcore spin out. That was the first time driving it and it put me in my place. But then I got the hang of the car and ran a 63, then 61, 60, and finally broke into the 50' with a 59! :Ownedd:

[A Spec Products]

awesome, sounds like you had fun, which is the main thing.

anyhow, sounds like normal timing chain rattle, here's a link:

http://www.240sx.org/faq/articles/timing_belt_questions.htm

it's been covered to death and if you want you just can just remove the timing chain guide all together.

[Pank]

i'm thinking its probably the lifters, Miatas click like a bitch after a few runs, and if it went away soon after, thats just another sign.

AFAIK the timing chain rattle is constant, not after hard driving. (unless the chain expands from heat enough to hit it, but I doubt that)

[exitspeed]

Yea it's not the timing chain rattle(plenty familiar with that). It does sound like a lifter to me. Could it be if the oil is a little low this would happen more often then not?

Oh, and would changing my oil to synth or going to a heavier weight make a difference?

[m0rex]

God its happening to my s14 too i get pissed because sometimes i make myself think its just the timing chain rattling louder but sounds like the lifters. I got royal purple 5w 30 on minei might need 10w 30 for the summer though.

[exitspeed]

Yea I think I'm gonna do an oil change and go to mobil 1 synth to see if that does anything. I know this is a super dumb question, but the higher the weight the thicker the oil, right? I think I need to be running thicker oil. Right now I'm just using cheap Castrol High Mileage.

[SpdElemts]

yea the higher the weight the thinker the oil. Becareful switching to synth if you have a shit load of miles on the engine or if its already leaking. IT will leak more with synth.

[Rennen]

If your car is still KA24E, its air bubbles in the hydraulic lifters.

It happens to my car every time there is a long steady state corner put in the course. I have installed an oil pressure gauge and if they are ticking superloud, I have found that I can get it to diminish by giving it a constant rev after each run for a few minutes to build up oil pressure and get fresh oil back up to the head.

Welcome to the addiction of autocross! :)

-Matt

[exitspeed]

If your car is still KA24E, its air bubbles in the hydraulic lifters.

It happens to my car every time there is a long steady state corner put in the course. I have installed an oil pressure gauge and if they are ticking superloud, I have found that I can get it to diminish by giving it a constant rev after each run for a few minutes to build up oil pressure and get fresh oil back up to the head.

Welcome to the addiction of autocross! :)

-Matt

That makes perfect sense. There was 2 really long steady turns in the course. I feel better now. I can't wait til the next one. I was told this one I just did was the most technical one they've had. So I think it was good for me to get out there and do so well on it. I didn't hit a single cone the intire 6 runs and bever DNF'd.

[JDMark]

seafoaming your engine will help a little. my sohc does the same and it quieted down a little after seafoam (in the oil). dont worry about it too much, i beat the shit out of my sohc and it just keeps goin.

[exitspeed]

seafoaming your engine will help a little. my sohc does the same and it quieted down a little after seafoam (in the oil). dont worry about it too much, i beat the shit out of my sohc and it just keeps goin.


Wht exactly is this seafoam stuff? I never heard of it.

[WongFeiHung]

Its right up there with zipties, ducktape, and velcro... :werd:

[JDMark]

search for it, its just this liquid you put in your engine or thru a vac line or into the fuel and it cleans it out pretty well.

[exitspeed]

Its right up there with zipties, ducktape, and velcro... :werd:


Hmm, so it'll go good with my ductape on my coolant resivoir :rawk:

[Rennen]

I would caution against seafoam... while many claim it works miracles on their car, cleaning the carbon out of an engine with very high milage may lead to oil leaks or other complications.

I ran seafoam through mine and all I got were leaky valve seals and this lousy T-Shirt

-Matt