My friends 96 Formula has a bad ticking on the top end of the motor, It sounds like a collapsed lifter, but we put all new lifter's in it, and adjusted the rocker arms, and it is still there. I think the problem might be the oil pump. At start-up the car gets good oil pressure and the ticking is not present. But as it warms up, the car loses oil pressure, it sits at about 15 lbs on the highway in 6th. I am thinking that if the oil pump is going out or the screen is really clogged, then it could not be letting the heavier weight oil(5W 30) circulate through and keep the valvetrain noise down. I think it doesn't do it when it is cold because of the oil taking the viscosity of the 5W, but when it warms up the 30W can't be ciculated good enough. If anybody has any input or could justify maybe this being the problem. Please let me know. Thanks.

 

Anybody? I would like to have some input before we tear the motor apart again.

 

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but your friend *may* have a spun bearing. That would explain the loss of oil pressure after warm-up. The easiest way to check is to buy a mechanic's stethoscope and listen to the oil pan and then the valve covers to see if its coming from the crank or the valve train. If the latter, then its probbaly a loose rocker arm, etc. Good luck.

 

i had the same type of problem... it ended up being a bad head gasket. the ticking was piston number one (forward most drivers side) not firing because water and coolant was going in.

 

Before you go through all that, check for an exhaust leak. I've chased a ticking numerous times and every time it ended up being an exhaust leak. The only thing that throws it off from being an exhaust leak is that it gets louder when warmed up.

As far as the oil pressure dropping when warmed up, once the oil warms up and thins its self out your pressure will drop.

 

good luck with whatever it is, keep us informed

 

Ok, will do. Thanks for the input. The oil looks fine, so I don't think its a bad gasket.

 

well thats the odd thing about my head gasket.. it leaked coolant right into my piston and it burned up/ went out my exhaust pipes so there was no water in my oil...