After being out of town for two weeks, I started my 94Z and was greeted with a fairly loud ticking noise from primarily the driver's side of the engine. The ticking did not go away after a 20 min trip.

Here is a short vid
I'm no mechanic, but that doesn't sound good. Could it be lifter..valves...help!

-Thanks

 

wow i wish my engine was that quite,,,, not really. could not hear it, had both volume up all the way. could be a unhappy lifter or an exhaust leak.

 

Yea. I just listened to the video, and my wonderful iPhone muffled the sound. It's really quite loud. If it is a lifter, how difficult is it to remedy? I live in a high-rise and must take my car to a shop for most work.

 

what is the oil pressure at, at operating temp. at idle

 

The aftermarket gauge barely shows any oil pressure at start up or warm idle - though since I didn't install the gauge, I have no idea how trustworthy it is. The same gauge showed 50-70 immediately after the last oil change - if that means anything. The engine runs very strong. Would sea foaming the engine help? It has 186,000 miles on it.

 

what oil filter are you using? some fram filters will go to pieces and plug stuff up. also what oil are you using?

 

I'm using 20w 50 synthetic oil and a Royal Purple oil filter.

 

The sound stops momentarily at :17, then at :19-:22 I hear more than one lifter ticking. Better verify your oil pressure before driving it any further. If your gauge is right, you have a problem that driving will only make worse.

 

yep with that oil you should have 20 to 40 lbs at a minimum. got something goin on. might try changin oil and filter and see what they look like. cut filter open and check for metal. that is thick oil for a lt1 it may be part of the problem.

 

What oil and filter should I use? Should I run something through the engine to get the gunk of 185k miles out? If it is the lifters, is that an expensive job for a shop to do?