Pentatonic

Well, my 2000 SS started having a bad ticking noise when it's cold, and the noise lessens when it warms up. It sounds like lifter noise. When I rev it up, the noise will go away, but then return again after idling for a little bit. Do I have a bad lifter, or are they just noisy? The car just started making this noise a few days ago. It has 23,000 miles on it, so it should be under warranty. Should I complain to the deealer and have them fix it?

99SilverSS

Might be piston slap. I had my car to the dealer twice and they confirmed my worst fears, my car had the slap. The noise I origionally heard was just a ticking and it seemed to go away when the car got hot. I was told by a guy who builds race motors that the noise wasn't piston slap but sloppy loose lifters. However the dealer said the lifters were fine but the noise is still there. I've been offered a new piston but I have some doubts about bringing the car in for that. With the dealer they usually fix something and then procede to screw up something else.

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2002 Z28 white/neutral A4 3.23
13.33 @ 104.7 - 650 miles
286rwhp/311rwtq - 1300 miles
STOCK for now!
Gone but not forgotten,
1999 Silver SS 6M #3956
1997 Black Z28 A4 3.23
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Ryan S.

ty1er

i have the same "kinda loud tick tick ticking" noise when my car is cold also. This happened with my 98, and 02. i dont think that your alone with this problem.

-ty1er

[This message has been edited by ty1er (edited July 24, 2002).]

asianice25

I wouldn't worry about this tick. it could be a bad lifter, but its not too likely. They do have piston slap, and according to my neighbor(works for GM) that worked on the ls1, there is, and will be even more piston slap. however, a lifter tick will flatten out at a certain rpm, so if yyou rev it a lil bit and it keeps on tickin, its not a lifter. what it usually is, is a bad tensioner. if you look at the top left of the motor youll see it, hold it with a pair of channel locks and see if it stops. if it does, you know the bearings are bad, and it needs to be replaced. i have already had mine in for this prob once, and the puuleys bad again after only 4000 miles or less.

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Scott Parkinson
2001 Sunset Orange Z-28
SLP Loud Mouth Cat-Back Exhaust, LS1 Motorsports Intake Bellow, K&N Filter, MTI Clear Air Lid, Mass Air, 160 Thermistat, Power Programmer, 8.5mm Plug Wires, BMR Sway Bars, BMR STB, Competition Engineering Frame Ties, Lakewood LCA's and Panhard Rod, 125 hp Shot. Runnin low 12's all day.

Camaro ChriSS

It's likely one of three things:

1. piston slap (The sleeve and the pistons are made of different materials that HEAT up differently. When cool, the piston is a little slack in the cylinder sleeve, causing it to slap until it heats up and expands to fill the cylinder. Consequently, it takes 15 minutes or so. It's not a bad thing for it redcues friction at start up, and doesn't even compare to the piston slap they used to get in older motors).

2. bad lifters - but these will be really loud if this is the case. I had two Pontiac Montanas develop this.

3. Drive and accessory belts. There was a TSB out on our cars for this, causing a tick-tick-tick noise at start up. Caused by a bad tensior pulley and bracket. The noise usually disappears as the car heats up. You canhave the dealer fix this, or visist www.installuniversity.com for instructions.

It's often tough to tell the diff between all three as the sounds approximately originate from the same general area (and with the echos in the engine compartment, its tough to sort out).

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2000 Pewter SS #C161
SLP Dual-Dual, Bilstein suspension, Eibachs, 21mm/35mm swaybars, GMAF
SLP CAI w/lower plate, !EGR, Direct-Flo, SLP STB, Ported TB, ASP Crank pulley
SLP/AAM Differential cover, SLP 2600, Powershot, MSD wires, NGK's,
BMR Boxed LCAs, BMR PHB, G2 DSL, Heavy Lead Foot...
http://community.webshots.com/user/murlynd

Marc Avery

My 2001 SS has the same problem! I'm taking it to my dealer next week to have it checked out. He wants it before they close so he can hear it when it starts up in the morning cold. I'm bringing copies of all the suggestions of what it could be from this website, as well as what I've gotten off LS1.com. A guy there said that it might be a bad purge valve as well.
This seems to be a common problem among us Camaro owners, so we need to get to the bottom of this and get Chevy to correct this problem.
I'll let you know if they get it fixed.

BamaRedZ

I've got a 2002 Z with 4000 miles on it and mine started doing the same thing 2 days ago.I'll let you know what the dealer says monday.

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2002 Z-28 Death to All Mustangs!

RobertoZ28

Typically, all LS1's have some sort of valve train chatter. That's just them. Most noticable at idle, and cold start. However, remember that the push rods can be bent easy in these things, so don't rule that out. (if you have been banging your rev limiter allot, or miss shifts).

1and4gen

a late fyi......
check out latest "Hot rod" mag (Sept 2002)
page #80 "pit stop" section. It has an article from Marlin Davis, hot rod guru, about piston slap on LS1 engines.
Bye the way, I have a 2001 Silverado HD with the 6.0L engine, and it has the same piston slap knock.....according to the dealer.
I'm not worried about it....dealer told me that several of the V8's have the knock when cold(5.3,5.7 6.0) and that GM "reaassured" them that it would not creat problems later.
We'll see, hugh!


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69 Rally Sport Z/28 Cortez Silver-- unmolested original car

2002 Limited Edition SS conv, A4 345hp

Decibles

Chris, where is the article you are talking about on installuniversity.com

was it their quest to hunt down the knock retard?....or is it a different article, and if so, where?

Thanks

Pentatonic

UPDATE: Well, I took it into the dealer, and they said the type of noise I heard is normal. They say the LS-1's make a lot of valve-train noise. They also said "wait 'till winter, that thing's gonna POUND!". Thanks guys Oh well, at least I'm satisfied with all other aspects of my car

[This message has been edited by Pentatonic (edited July 29, 2002).]