# Rattle at start up



## sparxx_513 (May 12, 2007)

I have a 93 HB truck, 5spd, no air or ps. When i start it up cold i get a loud ratle until the oil pressure light goes off. I hear this rattle sometimes during driving also. This is my firt Nissan...any ideas??


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## Fred S (Aug 26, 2006)

What kind of motor do you have? How many miles on it?

The V6 had hydraulic lifters, and until you build oil pressure they ill make some noise.

I don't know if the four cylinder had hydraulic lifters or not.

The oil pressure light should be going out right away when you start up the truck. Possibly your current filter has a bad check valve, which would let the oil system drain down while the truck is parked. How long does it take the oil light to go out?

The fact that you get the same rattle while driving makes me worry about your oil pressure.

Step 1, do an oil change and put in some good oil and a good filter. Castrol GTX is a good choice. See if that helps.

Step 2, Rig up an oil pressure gauge to see if the pressure is where it should be. If it's OK go to step 3. If it's not, you may want to invest in a new oil pump.

Step 3. Start checking out the lifters. They may need replacement.

Fred


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## sparxx_513 (May 12, 2007)

thanks, it is a 4cyl. It takes maybe a second for the oil light to go out. And the rattle is almost in sync with the oil light. Soon as the light goes off the rattle stops. Then i hear it at times as im driving. Not sure of the milage on the truck, the odometer is not working.

How difficult is the replacement of oil pump and lifters?


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## golfer (Aug 21, 2006)

Change the PCV.


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## dvdswanson (Nov 6, 2005)

check to see if its a Nissan oil filter. most aftermarket filters dont have an anti-drain back valve which keeps oil in the top end of the motor when the vehicle sits for a while. filters that dont have this drain back down and will cause the top end to rattle until oil reaches back up to the top end.


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## sparxx_513 (May 12, 2007)

thanks everyone for the suggestions, i know its not a nissan filter, ill change this weekend. Ill change the pcv too.


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## sharpeusn (May 9, 2007)

I am an ASE Certified mechanic and lemme tell you neither of those options will work. Sorry for the let down guys but I have a 95 that's done the same thing. The problem is caused by a dry lifter. The lifters on the 4cyl are NOT hydraulic. Depending on the amount of miles you have on it the lifters overtime DO dry out. It doesn't have anything to do with the oil filter or PCV valve or filter (although replacing them may do the vehicle some good). The problem stems from Nissan incorporating a mechanical oil pump into their HB's. There is only one solution to fix this problem. That's the total replacement of the lifters. I know I know this sounds like a mean and nasty job but its not that difficult. You can do it yourself in about a weekend with the help of a manual, or have a mechanic do it for around $200. Your choice.


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## Fred S (Aug 26, 2006)

Can you go into more detail on a couple of things? I'm not disagreeing with you (yet!) but I don't quite understand your terms.

A non-hydraulic lifter is just going to be a solid piece of metal that rides on the camshaft.

What is a "dry lifter?" Lifters are lubricated by the engine oil. How can one become 'dry'?

Why is a mechanical oil pump a bad thing? Almost every car on the road has a mechanical oil pump. There are electric oil pumps, but I think they're mainly for the hot rod crowd.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but your terms and explanations are a bit hazy. Can you go into more detail?

Fred

P.S. DVDSwanson, virtually all modern oil filters have drainback valves. However, Sparxx's current filter may have a defective drainback valve. A filter and oil change is still a good idea.


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## sparxx_513 (May 12, 2007)

sharpeusn said:


> I am an ASE Certified mechanic and lemme tell you neither of those options will work. Sorry for the let down guys but I have a 95 that's done the same thing. The problem is caused by a dry lifter. The lifters on the 4cyl are NOT hydraulic. Depending on the amount of miles you have on it the lifters overtime DO dry out. It doesn't have anything to do with the oil filter or PCV valve or filter (although replacing them may do the vehicle some good). The problem stems from Nissan incorporating a mechanical oil pump into their HB's. There is only one solution to fix this problem. That's the total replacement of the lifters. I know I know this sounds like a mean and nasty job but its not that difficult. You can do it yourself in about a weekend with the help of a manual, or have a mechanic do it for around $200. Your choice.



How much teardown is nessasay to replace them? what about the oil pump? Should i replace that also? Thanks again for everones help.


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## Oldnissanguy (Jan 6, 2005)

Try the Nissan filter first. It may not fix it but it's worth a try. I had the same start up rattle with my 97 and a Nissan filter solved the problem.


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## sharpeusn (May 9, 2007)

*The "dry lifter"*

Sometimes holes are used to bleed off any air lock in the front of the lifter galley oil passages. This air lock can cause the front lifter to get air in it, starve the oil to the rocker arm and, of course, make noise because the lifter will not become lubricated making a diesel like chatter noise otherwise known to most mechanics as being a dry lifter. However relatively not harmful, the chatter you are hearing is an engine starved of oil in the top end. Which leads to another problem with "cold starts". Metel wearing against metal is never a good thing. Over time if not fixed the lack of oil will cause your engine to break down. My suggestion for a "quick fix" use Slick 50's Engine Oil trestment. Its basically higher viscosity oil thats sits in the lifters longer that way they are not "dry" when the engine if first started after sitting for any length of time. The WILL NOT cure the problem but should help till' you can get it fixed. REMEMBER AS WITH ANY TUNE-UP IN A BOTTLE READ AND HEAD THE MANUFACTURERS SUGGESTED WARNINGS AND GUIDELINES BEFORE USING, OTHERWISE MAY CAUSE MORE DAMAGE TO YOUR MOTOR!!!


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## 88pathoffroad (Jun 6, 2004)

I suggest that it may be timing chain rattle due to the hydraulic chain tensioner not pumping up. It's a common problem.


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## sparxx_513 (May 12, 2007)

any ideas on how bad of a job it is to replace the lifters, and timing chain tensioner.


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## sharpeusn (May 9, 2007)

Lifters are easy. they are on the top and require very little strain to replace a manual will help a lot. The timing tensioner is a little more difficult because the radiator, fan shroud, fan, water pump, and timing case cover as well as the oil pan if you are going to do it right will all have to come off. This means all those gaskets will have to be replaced.


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## golfer (Aug 21, 2006)

As a point of interest ... the lifters *are* *hydraulic *at least for the 94 KA24 engine ... see page from FSM.




[URL=http://imageshack.us][/URL]


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## mossman (Jul 10, 2005)

*timing chain tensioner*

man, don't worry about it. my truck is ka24e and has a billion miles on it. use lucas oil stabilizer on next change. it helps........


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