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SEVERE MOTOR NOISE ON STARTUP

J

jsc463

GUEST
:8:
Has anyone had any problems with severe ticking noise on cold startups and was 2 quarts low on oil. I've got an 02 Avy 2500 8.1 liter making some horrible noises. I just took it back to the dealer for the 2nd time in 1 week. They De-carbonated the motor the first time and actually made it worse, now it ticks all day rather than just in the morning.
I found these websites, check them out and let me know if this problem pertains to you.
http://www.freep.com/backindex/2003/11/14/homepage.htm
http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/knock21_20040221.htm
www.pistonslap.com
 
My 5.3 doesn't sound like that but if the truck has been sitting for a while (a couple of days or so) I get a bottom end knocking sound that goes away after a minute or so.

I attribute this to not driving the truck every day, sometimes it will sit in the garage up to a week between trips. I have had nothing go wrong with the truck that has warranted a trip to the dealer which is quite shocking given that I have an early '02 Av.
 
Mine ticks until warm once I passed 15k miles or so. Don't think it's the slap that many describe here. Sounds more like lifters (although I'm not sure how the hydraulic ones work) or valves or something.

Gurus, what this noise?
 
I had that (sticky lifter) problem with my s-10 especially in the cccold; 'put a pint of Marvel Mystery Oil in it...Gone!
Your's could be a carbon piece? - who knows but a mechanic with a good ear...
 
All you guys with the '02's with the small block V8 will be part of the huge class action suit brewing that will cover all 4.8/5.3/6.0 motors built from 1999 to the middle of 2002. The ticking noise sounds like lifter noise, but what it really is is piston slap.

There's been trouble with the big block too, but I don't know anything about those.................
 
I'm taking mine back to the dealer tomorrow. They said it was a belt that had to be ordered. Sounds like more than the belt. I won't leave there until it is fixed. Will keep you updated.
 
I started noticing the ticking noise @ startup with 6500 miles on the engine. After reading the posts pertaining to this , I also think that it's not lifters. It does go away after warm up.
It does p.o. me though...... 6500 miles, running M1, sticker of 34K+.......KNOCKING! Not right, just not right. This is easily the best truck I have ever owned, And only new vehicle I have ever owned. I am concerned about longgivity with the knock so soon. I will need 120K out of this truck. I am comfortable, but not wealthy, so we only do one car loan @ a time in this house y'know?

_-sidenote- the whole 2.00/Gal. gas is not making me happy either.

Tom
 
Both my '99 Silverado Z71 5.3 and my '01 Silverado Z71 5.3 engines have/had the 'piston slap' problem. When my '01 started doing it, I left it over night at the dealer so he could hear it and give me the 100,000 mile engine warranty. All of the first year AV owners with the small block need to listen for the noise at first start-up, and if you can hear it then take it to the dealer to get your token 100,000 mile engine warranty. The engines aren't blowing up, so the warranty is a token that isn't going to work for GM. It's the resale value that is going to be the worst of this problem. That's what the class action lawsuit is really all about. And that's why I unloaded my '01 before the resale crashed.
The '03 and newer small blocks (possibly some late '02's too) all have a redesigned piston that is supposed to eliminate the slapping/clicking/knocking sound. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.................

jse463, you may want to consider trading.. :-[
 
The 8.1l and the 5.3 are different animals as far as this is concerned. At startup, the 8.1 fuel injectors are loud. It should go away. The ticking that remained in mine was found to be the alternator, which was just replaced. The low oil is another issue. If you take it to the dealer they will do an oil study. Don't bother. They will tell you after that it is normal for the 8.1 to burn between 1-2 quarts per 3000 miles. It sucks, but as long as I know this, I just check my oil reguarly, because mine was not showing on the dipstick by 3,000 miles. I have not heard of any 8.1's with piston slap. Hope this helps (y)
 
What do you expect when you are using 5w/30...Really, I use to put 20w/50 in my Bronco...Never heard a peep from that motor...A lot of my Friends own Expeditions, all of them have the elusive piston slap upon start up (espeacially in cold)..Guess what oil is used in that motor...5W/30...When you are using such a light oil its gonna SLAP!!Do not kid yourself on what you are hearing, because it is what you think...But that just the way they are building them...
 
from the descriptions of the "piston slap" that I have read, I don't think this is what I'm hearing, unless the people with this issue are so PO'd that they are exaggerating the description of the sound. Mine is a clicking, not a knock and certainly not a slap/bang.
 
fireeater said:
I'm taking mine back to the dealer tomorrow. They said it was a belt that had to be ordered. Sounds like more than the belt. I won't leave there until it is fixed. Will keep you updated.
Click to expand...

Had the belt replaced this morning. No noise what so ever. Will be checking the sound tomorrow morning when cold out. Crossing my fingers.
 
Actually the belts (there are two) may be the solution. I had my belts replaced because they were glazed and filled with embedded dirt from off-roading. They were making AWFUL noise, especially when it was cool and damp out. One of the side benefits is when they were replaced a slight tick went with it.

My engine is doing well - only burned a quart of oil during break-in (first 6K miles) and has been fine since...
 
RichUF said:
from the descriptions of the "piston slap" that I have read, I don't think this is what I'm hearing, unless the people with this issue are so PO'd that they are exaggerating the description of the sound. Mine is a clicking, not a knock and certainly not a slap/bang.
Click to expand...

It has different levels of intensity with the 6.0 having the worst knock. My 00 5.3 Sierra started it @ about 15K miles. It sounded like a light "tap-tap-tap-tap" that matched the exhaust "glug" for about 20 seconds, and then it would go away. Only when it sat for over 4 hours or longer would it tap. I was really :8: at first, but then I didn't really worry about it. Never gave me any problems, and I traded it in for the same engine. Get the 100K warranty if you are really concerned - its free. Just don't buy that carbon build-up BS. You can't get the warranty if you had it "carbon cleaned."
 
Chief said:
One of the side benefits is when they were replaced a slight tick went with it.
Click to expand...

Chief, I went back for this ticking that appeared after my belt change. Got a new alternator and it fixed the noise ;D
 
your answer is in the Dealer TSB section...
look for Engine Knock post for Service Bulletin.
I tried to post again but it wont let me attach the same file.

I dont understand why they wont place it under Engine problems, where everyone looks for it.
 
HERE'S THE OTHER THREAD

better yet, here's the attachment :0:

Avalanche_Service_bltn_copy.jpg


 
slargent said:
your answer is in the Dealer TSB section...
look for Engine Knock post for Service Bulletin.
I tried to post again but it wont let me attach the same file.

I dont understand why they wont place it under Engine problems, where everyone looks for it.
Click to expand...
We have a section dedicated to TSB, warranty work recalls and other information to make it easier for folks to find.....

Members requested this to find TSB easier......

 
My 02 Z-71 used to just make this noise at startup, now it is constant :7: Are they still giving the 100k mile warranty? My dealer just keeps saying it is normal.
 
We have a 'No Knock" policy on our '02 AV... I don't put in cheap gas and it doesn't knock.

The only time I get the slightest knock is when there was cheap gas in the tank and I was excelerating hard. Nothing really alarming or loud. Been that way for a long time. Never better or worse. For us, the gas makes the difference. MAybe we lucked out?!?

 
I've tried moving to 10w-30, and 15w-40 on the oil and the tapping in my 8.1 just took longer to go away. I went back to the 5w-30 and it last for 30 seconds on a cold start and disappears. I used a stethescope and the tapping is definitely in the heads. I heard nothing out of the ordinary in the block. Thing is, it's coming from BOTH heads. I wonder if there is a valve adjustment on these heads or is it just the plug and play type. Any thoughts before I pull a valve cover needlessly?
 
JSC,

I too have a 2500, I have told this story on here before, but I will try to shorten it up. From new to 6000 miles no oil usage, no noise from engine compartment when cold. Then I would get "low oil" message on the DIC, I went to the dealer and contacted the GM Zone office. A $40,000 vehicle should not use two quarts before 3000 miles, I would accept 1 quart low at 3000, but not 2 quarts. So the dealer and I started a oil consumption test, every other friday I would stop at the dealer and they would check, record and top off my oil, I was having the oil changed there BTW, This went on for better part of a year, I was ranging from 750 miles per quart to 1100 miles a quart, GM spec is 100 gallons of fuel per quart. Finally when I got 38,000 miles GM replaced the motor. I now have 56,000 miles on my AV and the new motor is only a quart low at 3000 miles, I also noticed the oil pressure is one tick higher on the guage while driving. So if your in the same range on oil consumption stay with it, be co-operative and things will happen. One other thing, when I towed my car hauler, the oil consumption would go up, also, so if you tow, try to measure usage, I would check the stick on every fill up, which I know you are doing if you have the 2500, same as me.

Troy
 
I have a 1999 F250 from my Company with Piston Slap and 125,000 miles no diminished performance but Ford is going through the same thing the following is from the F150 owners site:

What causes piston slap?

? According to Ford, the noise is a result of "piston to bore clearance" issues

Will it affect the expected life of my engine?

? Ford claims that the problem will not affect the life of the engine. They claim they have thoroughly tested engines with PS ("hundreds of thousands of miles" according to one source) since the issue arose and have had no failures. One F-150 member has over 100,000 miles on his PS engine and it works just fine. No failures from PS have been reported by members and Ford claims they have had none either.

What engines does it affect?

? It has been estimated that anywhere between (1 in 500) and (1in 2000) engines will develop this problem

? Only 4.6, 5.4 and 6.8L engines built in Windsor, Canada have the problem.
? All 5.4 and 6.8L engines are built in Windsor Canada
? 4.6L engines built in Romeo Michigan do NOT have PS
 
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