My cams need some lotion....

[Onitsukagirl]

So, I was cruising the speed limit on the interstate and over my music, I hear a very fast tick sort of like a playing card tapping in a bicycle wheel, paused my music and pushed my clutch in and the noise stopped, not good. I got off the interstate and stopped in the parking lot of a walgreens, the ticking was very loud and there was a screeching/whining sort of like a loose belt but it wasn't the belt. Long story short, got a tow to a friends shop, he came to pick me up and before we left we decided to check under the valve cover and this is what we saw. I rebuilt this motor recently and I have put roughly 5,000 miles on it so far, everything was torqued to spec and used all oem bearings. So just from the looks of it, what the heck happened? I was guessing oil pump failure because that's the only thing i didn't replace (::bangs head::), but it's odd to me how the intake lobes on 3 and 4 are bone dry... ouch. :bash:
http://img36.picoodle.com/img/img36/4/2/19/f_IMG00065m_77f0de8.jpg (http://www.picoodle.com/view.php?img=/4/2/19/f_IMG00065m_77f0de8.jpg&srv=img36)

[jakethesnake]

same thing happened to me my oil pump strainer bottomed out on my oil pan and i had the same exact noise and ticking occur in my car so check that out maybe you hit a bump or something and bent your oil pan...good luck

[Onitsukagirl]

Thanks man! It's gotta be some oil starvation issue.. maybe some stray rtv floating around clogged up my strainer (hope not) but i guess stuff like that happens! Thanks for the reply. :wiggle:

[sleepinsilvia23]

This is the kind of thread that makes me wanna me wanna tear down the motor and replace the oil pump and pickup. What motor is this? Redtop S13 by any chance?

Let us know what happened when you figure it out

[DunG HAB SP]

looks like the oiling rails on intake side may have been clogged had a similiar problem in my sentra years ago.

[Z U L8R]

but the head was starved of oil and the lifters didn't pump up thus the ticking noise, then the cams were seizing up screaming in agony........ i concur on the oil pump... and/or the pickup sucking the bottom of the oil pan.

once you take the pan off look for a shiny oval inprint in the bottom of it >_<

hope things get better for you......
Dave =]

[Onitsukagirl]

Yes, this is an S13 Red Top. Yea, lol, the cams were screaming in agony. I think that was the screeching sound I was hearing. Today isn't going to be another frigid, cold day sooo, (yesterday it was snowing and today it's gonna be about 50 TN weather is crazy) I'm planning on digging a little further into it. Going to put a pressure gauge on it to confirm or eliminate the oil pump as the problem. I will let you all know what I find. Thanks!

[Sileighty_85]

I would go ahead and replace the oil pump while your at it that pumps about 15 years old by now might wanna replace it before your out in BFE and have it crap out

TheNismoShop.com have a new OEM Oil Pump for like $180

[lonelydrifter]

Oh good god, I hope this never happens to me, new rockers and cams would not be happy...

[steve shadows]

This is the kind of thread that makes me wanna me wanna tear down the motor and replace the oil pump and pickup. What motor is this? Redtop S13 by any chance?

Let us know what happened when you figure it out

I do that to every motor I use now.

Oil Pump and Pick up and pan upgrade immediately

[Onitsukagirl]

that's definitely smart to do. Oh and yes i'm going to replace the pump for sure, kinda crappy that it's so expensive, wish It was priced like a water pump haha. I'm looking forward to getting my front timing cover off, it was nice and pretty painted silver and I accidentally got some brake cleaner on it and now it looks like poo. :( I have found out that my apartments have 12x20 garages for only 88 a month, once I get myself a daily driver, i'm probably gonna put it there, yank the motor and sort of start all over again if I have to! I love my SR. :hs:

update : I checked the oil pressure and it is fine. I poured a little bit of oil over the dry cam lobes before i started it and it took away the screeching sound. now it's just the tick tick tick tick noise. I'm thinking that there is a blockage in the metal tube that sprays oil over the cams. Could the ticking be some lifters that somehow lost the oil inside them from no oil going to that particular location in the head? Can they do that? Well, I just rented a garage here at my apartment and that is where my 240 is going.

[Onitsukagirl]

that's definitely smart to do. Oh and yes i'm going to replace the pump for sure, kinda crappy that it's so expensive, wish It was priced like a water pump haha. I'm looking forward to getting my front timing cover off, it was nice and pretty painted silver and I accidentally got some brake cleaner on it and now it looks like poo. :( I have found out that my apartments have 12x20 garages for only 88 a month, once I get myself a daily driver, i'm probably gonna put it there, yank the motor and sort of start all over again if I have to! I love my SR. :hs:

update : I checked the oil pressure and it is fine. I poured a little bit of oil over the dry cam lobes before i started it and it took away the screeching sound. now it's just the tick tick tick tick noise. I'm thinking that there is a blockage in the metal tube that sprays oil over the cams. Could the ticking be some lifters that somehow lost the oil inside them from no oil going to that particular location in the head? Can they do that? Well, I just rented a garage here at my apartment and that is where my 240 is going.

I have been googling all morning trying to find some article about how the oil travels through the engine.. well, the SR20det circulatory system for oil.. if anyone could describe this to me, I would appreciate it because I think I have some sort of blockage and oil is not coming out of the oiling rod on the head.

[Sileighty_85]

update : I checked the oil pressure and it is fine. I poured a little bit of oil over the dry cam lobes before i started it and it took away the screeching sound. now it's just the tick tick tick tick noise. I'm thinking that there is a blockage in the metal tube that sprays oil over the cams. Could the ticking be some lifters that somehow lost the oil inside them from no oil going to that particular location in the head? Can they do that? Well, I just rented a garage here at my apartment and that is where my 240 is going.

The Ticking nosie is from the HLA's not getting any oil, pull the HLA and look for blockage. best think I can think of to clear it is a piece of wire or some strong small vacume sorce.
I got Pics of my head stripped top and bottom but cant upload then cuz of thes computers I'll uploaded them when I get home

[Onitsukagirl]

The Ticking nosie is from the HLA's not getting any oil, pull the HLA and look for blockage. best think I can think of to clear it is a piece of wire or some strong small vacume sorce.
I got Pics of my head stripped top and bottom but cant upload then cuz of thes computers I'll uploaded them when I get home


Oh thanks! I figured that was what the ticking was all about! Its weird cause just those two cam lobes are dry as a bone... :tweak:

[jakethesnake]

so what happened?? what wsa the problem? hopefully it wasnt the strainer bottoming out..

[Onitsukagirl]

I'm pretty sure my strainer is fine, I have good oil pressure. The ticking is caused by the dry lifters I think, but as you can see in the picture, #3 and 4 lobes on the intake side are dry, I am going to check for a blockage whenever I get my car towed to my garage. Working on a car outside today would be hell, it's soo cold. I will follow up on the thread as I discover new things.

[unicoladron]

I have been googling all morning trying to find some article about how the oil travels through the engine.. well, the SR20det circulatory system for oil.. if anyone could describe this to me, I would appreciate it because I think I have some sort of blockage and oil is not coming out of the oiling rod on the head.

there's sortof a diagram in the FSM. in the Engine cooling and lubrication section i think it's referred to as "EL". is that what you mean?

[Sileighty_85]

This one the oval shapes are the coolant passages and the small hole inbetween the cylinders and on the exhaust side of the cylinders are the oil feed passages to the head

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i235/Neil_85/VFSH1262.jpg


http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i235/Neil_85/DCP_1307.jpg

The H/G simplifes it a little bit the you can see only that the Head requires

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i235/Neil_85/HG.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i235/Neil_85/DCP_1305.jpg

I just read your post alittle bit more and you said the LOBE was dry? if thats the case the passage way to or from the HLA is clogged theres a passage way under the HLA and shoots oil on to the lobe so your problem lies under the HLA. when you pull the HLA's you have to be precise in the angle you pull it to come out smoothly

Hope this helps at all ^_^

[Onitsukagirl]

Hey, thanks a lot for the pics and stuff, I was looking at this thread on nicoclub (http://nashville.craigslist.org/car/580679540.html) I see how the rocker arm fits over the lifter... where are you saying that the oil squirts? The cams are only oiled by that rod that goes over them, right? I don't understand that part...

you mean when the cam lobe pushes down on the lifter, there is some sort of hydraulic action that shoots oil through a tiny passage and lubricates the cam?

[Sileighty_85]

Hey, thanks a lot for the pics and stuff, I was looking at this thread on nicoclub (http://nashville.craigslist.org/car/580679540.html) I see how the rocker arm fits over the lifter... where are you saying that the oil squirts? The cams are only oiled by that rod that goes over them, right? I don't understand that part...

you mean when the cam lobe pushes down on the lifter, there is some sort of hydraulic action that shoots oil through a tiny passage and lubricates the cam?

lol i think you posted the wrong link lol

heres a pic of an HLA http://www.thenismoshop.com/ikorb.php?func=catalog&category_id=1184&product_id=12417

Under the HLA there are two passages in the HLA "Cup" one is the supply its on the inside "side" of the wall its like oval shaped then you will see a hole towards the middle of the head which shoots oil towards the cam lobe. Its under the the oil feed
If you lookin in between the Valve and the HLA you will see a hole it leads under the HLA,that where the lobe gets its oil.

theres always oil pressure under the the HLA, while the engine is running its pushin the rocker arm against the Cam lobe to help keep the vave train quite, at the same time its shootin oil out the hole while the engine is running.

when there is no oil pressure or if the HLA is stuck it leaves a gap inbetween the cam lobe and the rocker arm. That where the tickin noise come from, the cam lobe slappin the rocker arm

[reccakun08]

clean motor.

[Sileighty_85]

clean motor.

Thanks ^_^
I put alot of time and work in to this engine. ^_^

[Onitsukagirl]

I see, that makes sense now. The same passageway that feeds the upper metal oiling tube for the cams also feeds the HLAs right? So you're saying there must be some blockage in that area? Correct me if i'm wrong. Dang... wonder how i'm gona fix that! Maybe pull the head and get a new one cause I have already made a boo boo on it anyway... I was assembling the head and broke a bolt off in the head for the cam retainer and had to drill it through.. accidentally drilled right through the head ( :stupid:) doesn't leak or anything but I drilled through it accidentally and put a helicoil in it. ahh.

[Z U L8R]

:O ............ >_< nuff said , get a head

Dave =]

[jskateborders]

invest in an oil pan protector. Saved my ass more than once.

[Onitsukagirl]

I'm going to try my best to figure out the problem before I go as far as removing the head. I really want to see what is happening under there when the motor is running, If I start the car with the valve cover off, will oil shoot out everywhere? I'd just like to see what in the world is really going on ... as far as where the oil is coming out and where it is not.

[Sileighty_85]

yeah oil will shoot everythere id advise to pull the CAS and Fuel pump fuse and just crank it and look

[Onitsukagirl]

do you mean just the CAS plug? I guess i'll still be able to see a little bit of oil coming out...

[sleepinsilvia23]

I do that to every motor I use now.

Oil Pump and Pick up and pan upgrade immediately


Sorry to jack the thread but the OP could use this info too, what upgrades would you reccomend? OEM oil pump and a S13 blacktop or s14 pickup? i thought about getting a greddy oil pan but for my mods it doesnt seem neccesary to spend $300 on a oil pan.
But when i lower my car more i am making a skid plate or oil pan protector for sure.

[Onitsukagirl]

dont thread jack, search....