My 95 lancruiser is making a loud ticking noise when cold, it seems to diminish after driven for a bit - what can this be?
Motor oil thickens when cold- on very cold days, some grades of motor oil can be nearly the consistency of honey. It takes time for the oil to make its way from the oil pan to the top of your engine.
The ticking you hear is usually caused by the valve lifters running nearly "dry" - meaning that they are getting very little oil. As your Cruiser warms up, the oil thins and makes it "up top" much easier, so the noise decreases.
Make sure that you are following your manufacturers recommendation for the grade and viscosity of oil (example: SG SAE 10W30) for the temperatures you are operating your car in. In extreme cold weather environments, such as Chicago or Milwaukee, you may want to use an even "lighter" oil (example: 10W20 instead of 10W30) - you just have to be certain that when spring arrives, you go with the higher viscosity oil- your manufacturer normally covers this info. The grade (example: SG) is very important because it refers to the detergent content of your oil.
No vehicle manufacturer that I am aware of recommends a "straight grade" viscosity oil (example: SAE 30) in cold weather. Multi-grades, which act "lighter" in cold weather are called for.
The "W" in the oil viscosity designation means "winter" - it is the viscosity of that particular oil at 0 degrees F..... For example, "10W30" oil is as thick as an oil with a viscosity of 10 at 0 degrees F, and is as thick as an oil with a viscosity of 30 at 70 degrees F.
Pretty Cool, Huh?
It is not a good idea to use any oil thickening additive (STP, motor honey, etc...) in cold weather because they tend to add even more viscosity.
"The Court is out" regarding teflon additives such as "Slick 50" to your oil- the principle sounds good to me, and I have used them myself. Personally, a similar product has seemed to help tone down the "startup ticking" I myself have experienced.
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