noisy valves on 91 Festiva GL

[kned33]

I have a 91 FEstiva GL FI. I had a noisy valve so I read the threads on it.
Replaced oil filter with a quality one and added lucas to the oil. THe problem went away. But now it is back. I check oil level was a half quart low so topped it off. Still valve is noisy. Fortunately not all the time but it seems to be getting worse.

I do have an oil leak so it is possible that adding new oil has thinned the oil enough so valve makes noise.

What should i do now? Do I need a valve job? If so where do I get new valves? Can I take the head off my 88 festiva parts car?

Any ideas appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[GenevaDirt]

it is probably more the lifter then the valve...they will tick when the oil is low....and if it has some gunk in it it could stick and not pump back up. Theyare accessable from just removing the valve cover. They are still available at autozone if you need to replace any...not a hard job at all. Just make sure you pump them up before you reinstall them.

[ejp2fast]

for the valves, rockauto.com (try ebay too for new ones)
you should have hydraulic lash adjusters and oil is very important to get to them. Where is your oil leak coming from? Keep appropriate oil levels consistently and see what happens. This has happened to me and it has been low oil.

[WmWatt]

I'd try a chemical flush before taking things apart.

[darkdan]

#1 Lucas is bad. It's just really super thick and sticky oil (SAE 250)

#2 I wouldn't do a chemical flush. Light solvents do not make good lubricants and can possibly dislodge large chunks of stuff and block an oil passage or the pickup screen

Auto-rx fixed my HLA issue.....until winter hit. Then it came back. So I spend the $80 on new HLA from rock auto.

[ejp2fast]

speaking of hydraulic lash adjusters, my haynes manual says that when you take them apart and you can depress them, they say replace it. I was wondering about since there is no fluid inside when you disassemble, of course they'll depress.. but if there is fluid in them and the seal is good, they'll become hard again. Just curious....

[kned33]

Where is your oil leak coming from?

I was planning on replacing the valve cover gasket because I think that is where I am leaking from. However, I think I will clean the engine and see if there are other places as well. Since the valve cover is coming off, I will go ahead and check the lifters and replace any bad ones.

thanks for all the input

[GenevaDirt]

speaking of hydraulic lash adjusters, my haynes manual says that when you take them apart and you can depress them, they say replace it. I was wondering about since there is no fluid inside when you disassemble, of course they'll depress.. but if there is fluid in them and the seal is good, they'll become hard again. Just curious....

they have a little hole in them that if you take something real pointy you can release them to the point you can force the oil out of them...I did this when I changed my valve cover gasket and was just checking them out.
I forced the oil out...black and dirty and then used a bowl with oil in it and submerged them and pumped them till they became hard again. I have done this a few times and it has made a differance then when I didn't.
If they are able to be squeezed when putting it all back together I have had them not pump up at all and remain ticking and had to tear all back apart again.
Just my past experience with them. If you put new ones in...make sure you pump them up with oil before installing them.

[kned33]

Genevadirt,

I'll try cleaning the lifters out like you mentioned. It might be a few days before I have a chance to do it though. Will keep you posted. Thanks

[Glease]

Are you sure the engine is not burning the oil as well?

+1 for valves from Rockauto, what a great site.

[WmWatt]

When you take off the valve cover turn it over and look for stains. They can pinpooint leaks. When I took mine off there was a lot of carbon over the #3 cylinder which was leaking exhaust due to carbon buildup. The reason I suggested a chemical cleaning was because that's what removed the carbon buildup around that #3 exhaust valve on my Festiva. The compression came back up and I didn't need to take anything apart.

[kned33]

When you take off the valve cover turn it over and look for stains. They can pinpooint leaks. When I took mine off there was a lot of carbon over the #3 cylinder which was leaking exhaust due to carbon buildup. The reason I suggested a chemical cleaning was because that's what removed the carbon buildup around that #3 exhaust valve on my Festiva. The compression came back up and I didn't need to take anything apart.

Not sure if it is burning oil or not. Will check. Will also look for stains on valve cover. The previous owner didn't take very good care of the car and I have been slowly fixing it up while keeping it on the road. I don't think I have low compression though. I wouldn't be hard to check it. I can borrow my dad's.

[kned33]

The lifter noise has stopped on its own. I don't think I can do anything until it starts acting up again.

[jglutz]

If the noise went away...most likely not a valve...they never get better.
Would not be a bad idea to pull the valve cover and the rockers assemblies...best to do one at a time....intakes then exhaust.
The lash adjuster will pull striaght out of the rockers...they should be sprayed clean...including the bleeder hole. When they are reinserted...they should be soaked in motor oil or pushed back in place while the lash adjuster and rocker arm are submerged in a bowl of motor oil.
Also slide the rockers off and spray the oil port out. Also inspect the inside diameter of the rocker arm and look for burrs or small scabs of metal...specifically around the oil port. Be sure all of the parts go pack in the same location.

[kned33]

Thanks joe will do. The noise just came back anyways.