# engine noise after oil change? very strange, question...



## 2500hd (Feb 29, 2012)

ooookay... 1995 nissan pickup 2wd, 5-speed, 2.4L with 115k original miles... so i bought this truck not too long ago and today decided it was time to change the oil. keep in mind i drive this to work and back eveyday down the interstate without problem. i remember going through a drive through today at lunch and my truck was still nice and quiet as the sound of the engine/exhaust echo'ed off the wall of the drive through restaurant... so fast forward to after work... i get home and decide to change the. so i drain the old oil (seems normal) and take off the fram oil filter. then change the oil with some valvoline 10w40 and a Bosch oil filter... start the truck up and get the usual fresh oil change rattle for about 3 seconds and then it clears up and let run for about 10 more seconds... shut truck off, check oil level and its good. start truck back up and notice its making a loud "clicking" sound! it goes away if i rev the truck up above 1,500rpm or so... so i thought, well maybe i got shafted and they put really thick oil in the truck to quiet it down... so i drained the oil and put some 20w50 in there with a quart of lucas and a new fram oil filter.... no change at all!! what gives!!!?? ive driven the truck all around town trying to "work" the lucas in... no change still. just seems too coincidental that something else would happen right at the same time i change the oil... ive unscrewed the oil fill cap and could see the oil spurting up to the top so i know its got good flow to the top...


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

I can't speak to what was in the engine previously, but 5W30 is the correct oil viscosity for a KA24E engine. Thinner oil is preferred over thicker, due to the small oil ports in the hydraulic lifters. It's possible that it could be the filter, although Bosch filters are made by Purolator and similar to the Purolator Pure-One filters and are generally very good. You could try getting a genuine Nissan oil filter and change the oil to 5W30 and see what happens. Also, make sure you don't overfill the engine, which can cause the oil to aerate due to 'whipping' by the crankshaft fillets. Oil capacity is 3-5/8 quarts.


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## tomit (Jul 2, 2004)

I've got the same year, tranny, & engine. I use 5W-30 Walmart synthetic oil and ST filter.

Sticky lifter? Is much gunk visible through the oil fill hole? Remove Engine Sludge ?Detox Your Engine at Auto-Rx has a slow cleaner that might help. I've used it without problems.

Good luck.

Tom


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

I used to use the Walmart Syntech in my 04 Tacoma; it's good oil and a fraction of the cost of name-brand full-synthetics. It's made by Royal Shell, the same company that makes Rotella. I've heard the ST filters are made by Champ Labs; I've never heard any problems with people who use them. I've always preferred genuine Nissan filters, but have used a lot of Purolator Pure-One and Motorcraft oil filters (also made by Purolator) without problems. I've also used Advance Auto's "Driveworks" filters without any issues. I avoid Fram oil filters, though, ever since I read the oil filter comparison done at minimopar.net:

Oil Filters Revealed - MiniMopar Resources


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## 2500hd (Feb 29, 2012)

well im going to try one more filter... i bought a cheapy STP filter. the reason for trying different filters is i asked a buddy of mine who is a mechanic and he told me he has had this experiance on a few different occasions where an older vehicle has a harder time (due to lower oil pressure at idle) opening the rubber diaphram under the "drilled holes" around the edge of the filter. at higher rpms he says it has enough pressure to open the diaphram and the noise goes away... i dont know if this is complete malarky or what, but im going to try it before i do any tearing down of the engine. i did pull the vavle cover off yesterday and did not find any loose rockers or sloppy timing chain... everything seemed tight.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

The ticking that you hear in the valve train could be caused by low oil pressure. You can check the pressure very easily by installing a temporary mechanical oil pressure gauge. You would remove the oil pressure sensor which is located next to the oil filter and install the mechanical oil pressure gauge in it's place; you may need to get an 1/8 BSPT to 1/8 NPT adapter to hook up the gauge.

With the engine fully warmed up, the pressure should be as follows:
idle - at least 11 psi
3000 RPM - 60 to 70 psi

If the oil pump needs to be replaced, it's easy to do so on a KA24E engine as it bolts on externally.


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## TheRepairMan (Jun 30, 2009)

I'm going to go against the grain here and say it may be a small piece of debris or carbon has worked its way into the rocker arms and is partially blocking oil flow through the tiny passages of one, or more, of the hydraulic lash adjusters (lifters). This becomes a very common problem on some engines, especially if the oil change intervals have been neglected. I've got to say, I've even seen pieces of an oil filter element itself scattered throughout an engine. The only symptoms were very noisy lash adjusters.

If that's the case, just some dirt or carbon, running a bottle of Valve Medic or CD2 Valve Lifter Cleaner through the engine could clear up the problem in a short period of time. Instructions may ask you to run it up to 100 miles of normal driving to give it a chance to do some cleaning. Top end cleaners are a lot like gun barrel solvent, and break down the gum and dirt deposits, but they can also break down lubricating properties, so you want to carefully follow the instructions and get the cleaner back out of the engine as directed.

I've had real nice results on lots of different vehicles over the years, often making them as quiet as new again. It's always worth a try since it doesn't cost that much.

Hope this helps!

-Roger


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