Hi All :

Hey my first post !!!

I have a 1999 TL with 73K on it. It seems to have developed a ticking noise that is quite loud when the car is cold and first started then reduces as the engine warms. In the OLD days of rockers and tappits, you would correct this by adjusting the valve clearances. With the OHC engines, can you adjust the valve clearance ?

I'm afraid if I do nothing I'll beat the top off the valve and suck it into the engine causing a nasty engine implosion !

Taking it to the dealer is the right answer, but I'd like to understand the mechanics before I engage them.

Thanks for helping !!!!

 

Lucas engine stabilizer will take care of it. I swear by that stuff, mis it with your oil, transmission fluid, anything that requires lubrication.

 

Hi Andy :

Thanks for the response.
I'm a british car nut from wayback.....anything with Lucas give me nightmares !

Seriously, I'm not a fan of oil additives.....causes varnishing in the engine and in some extreme cases will block oil ports. No, I need to get the root cause.

 

you can do valve adjustments on our cars. its supposed to be checked from time to time. while a few have had noisy valves most dont. bring it into the dealer and let tehm adjust them for you..

and im with you on staying away from additives. ive seen them do more harm than good.

 

Whaa--?! I've been told to get the Lucas engine stabilizer before I get the mechanics to fix it because it may solve the problem and save alot of $$$ to repair. I have the exact same problem with my 99 TL and I have encountered this tick ever since the beginning of winter. Now I've been told to that the TL have common problems with this and it goes away during the summer. When I bought my TL back in Nov. 2004 I didn't hear none of this annoying noise but as the winter cold weather begun, the noise couldn't be ignored.

As spring rolls in, I will get my oil changed and I'll add the Lucas stabilizer and see what the outcome for the solution. I'm hope it'll fix the problem otherwise I will have to find alternate ways to fix it. Let me know what your mechanic does/say and how much, I'd really like to know.

Thanks for any feedback in advance.


JQ.

 

The valve clearences should be check/adjusted when replacing the timing belt & water pump at 105K miles or when they make noise.

 

Can enyone verify if the valves can be adjusted and what that might cost ?

Smartypants

 

I have my 2000 TL at the Dealer as we speak, same noise (tick) worse when cold. They have torn down the top of the motor and discovered that this ticking noise is actually piston slap caused by excessive wear on the #3 cylinder. I am getting the run around from Acura because my car has 72K on it and I am the second owner. I went to look at the engine before committing to $5K in repairs and noticed the valves on the #3 cylinder combustion chamber were white (burn to a crisp). This is the cylinder that was worn and causing the slap noise. What is interesting is that this cylinder was running lean (too much air, not enough gas) which causes combustion chamber temperatures to significantly rise which in turn breaks down the viscosity of the oil. Once the oil has broken down the cylinder starts to wear and eventually cause piston slap (engine noise form the piston hitting the side of the cylinder). I am fighting for an answer and for Acura to pay. My next step is to have the dealer pressure test the heads.

Any other ideas on this issue would be much appreciated.

 

might be something as simple as a belt my friend
i doubt is rods/bearing considering you have 73k on your engine

i would recommend dealership, specially if you have an extended warranty
welcome to a-tl and keep us posted!!