Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Collapsed Lifter?

'99 Mystique LS
2.5L V6 @ 77,000
Oil changes @ 3,000 with a dose of Techron

Hi guys! It's been a long time since I've posted! I've been too busy for my own good, which sucks, since I'm not good at being busy. So I'm giving it up.

And I got a problem!

Without going into too much detail, what I've got is a clicking/tapping/clattering (you get the idea) noise that increases in frequency with RPM coming from what sounds like the top of the engine. It just started doing this one day after I almost stalled the car by forgetting to put in the clutch when coming to a stop. The dealership says it's coming from closer to the firewall-- the back. All my reading says this is a collapsed lifter. BUT...!

The noise goes away when the car warms up! From a cold start, it's gone by the time I've driven a mile or so. As long as the engine is warm, I don't hear the noise. Other than the noise, the car is perfectly fine. No degradation in performance at all!

The "pros" at the dealership have ruled out anything having to do with the valvetrain, and say that it's either: a.) carbon buildup on the top of one of my pistons; b.) A foreign object bouncing around in a cylinder or; c.) A piston that has somehow become ill-fitting and is slapping around inside its cylider.

My problems with these theories is that, except for the slappy piston, none of them explain the noise going away when the engine is warm. And wouldn't an ill-fitting piston make the car vibrate and run like crap? Also, assuming a car driven mainly on the highway, with regular oil changes and infusions of Techron and whose plugs were perfectly clean 10,000 miles ago could GET a carbon buildup, wouldn't it eventually break away as it smashed into whatever it was clicking against?

I'm no expert, but I have a hard time believing these guys. So I humbly come to the people who REALLY know what they're talking about! If it turns out the dealership is right, I'll eat my socks.

Thanks in advance, guys. Don't know where I'd be without this forum and all the people who freely give their expertise!

--Shifty

I'd perform a engine flush and then see if the problem still exists.

Bob

Thanks for the suggestion, Bob!

By "flush the engine" you mean drain the oil, and then pour some more straight through with the drain plug out? I'm due for an oil change soon, so I'll try that. I actually heard the same kind of noise coming from my '87 Taurus when it was low on oil. Maybe there's some kind of crud stuck in there.

Update: It's definitely temperature-related. Our cold spell here in Michigan broke a little, and as the car warmed up faster, the noise went away faster as well.

I don't want to admit that I need a new engine or something. Anything but that! I take too good care of mine!

I thought that "flush" involved adding some sort of solvent, like Berryman's, to the oil before you changed it. I've also heard it as putting that extra quart down to get some of the leftover junk out. Personally, I'd do both. My car is doing the same thing as yours, although I don't hear the noise below 2k RPM. Running the Berryman's combustion system cleaner (part # 2610) reduced the noise. I've done mostly highway driving and doubt that it's caused solely by carbon buildup.

It doesn't look like the Berryman stuff is available 'round these parts unless by mail order, but how about the "Gunk" brand engine flush? I can get that at Advance Auto Parts stores. It's only a few bucks, so it's worth a shot!

If it is some crud clogging an oil passage, would that explain why the noise goes away when the car is warm?

Thanks for your time folks! I'll keep you up to date!

I personally wouldn't use any of that crap in my engine. Go here and read:

www.auto-rx.com

Then go to www.bobistheoilguy.com and read all the testemonials on how well this stuff works. They even have discussions on the more caustic (Berryman's, Gunk, MMO) engine cleaners.

Good point; I've never used the Berryman's in the crankcase of my Contour. I've only used it in the crankcase of my '86 Cavalier, which already has a bad engine that I wouldn't have minded screwing up. While it didn't screw up that engine, I'm not sure I'd use it in the Contour. I just use synthetic oil to keep my engine from sludging up.
As far as the "combustion cleaning system" from Berryman... I've used that in the Contour, and it's really the same thing as the "easy" intake manifold cleaning. It just makes the process easier because it includes the plastic tubing to make all the connections; you don't have to use pliers to control the solvent flow. That's the one that reduced the noise for me.