Noisy top end V8 - advice

[vombil]

Hi guys
Looking at a vy with ls1. Has been very well maintained but possibly driven hard. It's got 200,000 and there is a chattering noise coming which sounds like lifters. It's hard to hear at idle but you can give some revs and under load it's sounds like chattering if I had to describe it. Perhaps even noisy valve train or cam chain? It's rattly but at revs sounds like chatter.
I think it would have been serviced recently with 15/40 which may be a little light at operating temp. I haven't heard the car when cold.
Just wondering if there is an oil that anyone has had good results with and is there any chance it's not lifters? It does not have a miss or rough idle or any other issues. Thanks in advance!

 

[vombil]

cmon ! anyone?

 

[someguy360]

Sounds like worn lifters mate.

From experience you don't tend to get much more than 180k out of the stock lifters before they get noisy.

I used Penrite HPR15 in my WM which shut it up a little bit but was still there. Only real fix is to chuck a new set of lifters in.

 

[blackve76]

As above try thicker oil, uncle aunty's wh has done 250k and running 15w50 nice and quite

 

[Sean880]

1. Good time for the current owner to get rid of the car so the buyer has to cough up for some expensive engine repairs.

2.You don't solve mechanical failures with thick engine oil.

3. Don't be the guy that buys the car would be my advice.

Suggest you might like to read this..............
https://www.oztrack.com.au/2013-09-...trouble-information-ls1-ls2-ls3-3-l98-l76-l77

4. Look for a better car without potentially expensive engine repair issues and I hope you can find a good one.

 

[someguy360]

Lifter ticks are completely normal in high km LS engines (9/10 i've seen over 160-180,000km ticks), it's not usually terminal, it just means a new set of lifters before they do eventually let go completely.

It's not a huge job for a workshop to do but you'd probably be up for a full days labour.

 

[blackve76]

Lifter ticks are completely normal in high km LS engines (9/10 i've seen over 160-180,000km ticks), it's not usually terminal, it just means a new set of lifters before they do eventually let go completely.

It's not a huge job for a workshop to do but you'd probably be up for a full days labour.

most normal whack a cam in at same time!!!!

 

[vombil]

Thanks guys! Yeah it almost sounds like chattering from valve springs. I'm going to pass on it. The story of the mother dying and how he's selling up and moving back to NZ and repeats of his ignorance about mechanical know- yet was able to do steering pump and water pump with eBay parts... Warning bells. Appreciate all that took the time to respond

 

[vombil]

I should add that I have an LS1 with 300,000 that does not have lifter noise. Plenty of oil leaks but no rattle/chatter like this one I looked at