lifter tick, runs rough maintanence questions, story

[JordanT]

I had some maintenance and repairs that I meant to do about 3 months ago had saved up the money to do them and was about to buy parts, my mother in law got very sick I used the money to relocate my family to where my wife and I grew up so that we could spend her last months with her. I now have the money to do some of the things I wanted to and need advise on what damage may have occurred due to waiting on these repairs and what parts/tools I should purchase. I am also wondering if performance parts from intense would be more durable then the parts I was going to get last time from rockauto. My wife will now be driving this car, not just me so it needs to be in good safe smooth running condition. My previous experience is limited to oil/transmission filter changes, spark plugs/wires, oxygen sensor, wheel bearing replacement, maf replacement and brakes. My tools consist of a basic craftsmen 220 peice socket set but can probably borrow most any tool from a friend who is loaning me his garage to work on my car. The car is a 2001 SE with 130000ish miles, I love this car and want to keep it a long time, I will need to figure out how to do these repairs on my own as my buddy will be at work. I live in an apartment so cant work on the car here.

Brakes
About 2 years ago I did my brakes, ceramic ones from napa, (had done them previously, that is just the most recent time) and got new tires later that day. The tire installer told me my front left rotor was warped and needed to be replaced or that pad would wear much faster then the other three. I didn't have the cash then so decided to just replace the rotors when that pad wore enough to start squealing. It reached that point about 5 months ago. I figured I needed to replace both front rotors at the same time and should probably replace brakes on all four wheels. Is this the correct way to do it? Are there any parts that are likely damaged by waiting this long?

Tires
I havn't kept up on getting my tires rotated and the fronts are more worn then the backs by maybe the thickness of a penny. Can i just swap the front wheels to the back and the back wheels to the front or do I need to have a tire shop do this to properly align he tires or something? They are yokohama avid with about 38000 miles on them and I was hoping to get another 20000-30000 out of them.f

Lifter/rough running
About a year ago the car started running rough and getting horrible gas mileage. Through some threads on here and advise from a friend I decided to try changing the oxygen sensor. At the time I was broke and only could afford to get the bosch sensor. I read on here that they were bad for our cars and should not be used but I couldn't afford the alternative so decided to go with it and replace it when I had the money. My gas mileage didn't go back to where it was when I bought the car (around 28mpg highway)but it went from 13-15 highway mpg to 22-24 mpg highway and ran smooth again. As a student and father money is pretty tight around here usually and I kept putting off replacing the sensor that seemed to be working good enough. I now think this may have led to my currant problem.

About 6 months ago I got gas and when I started the car it ran really rough and set off the check engine light (cylinder 6 misfire) I had to drive it 350 miles like this in 5-25 degree whether as I got gas on the way out of town in the middle of the night to go be with the inlaws the first time my mother in law had a heart attack. I would normally have gone home and figured out what it was before driving the car further. Once I had time I pulled the cylinder 6 sparkplug and sooty looking is the best way i can describe hte trip. Since it happened after putting 17.8 gallons in the tank from a gas station that was currently being filled (never do this it stirs all the crap off the bottom of the holding tank) I figured it was bad gas had fouled the plug. I replace the plug with backup plug I kept int he trunk that matched my other plugs. They were nkg iridium plugs. I cleared the misfire code and it didn't come back for about 2 months but the car felt like it was running just a little
rough after that. About 4 months ago I started the car and got out to get something I forgot and noticed a very light metallic tapping that I couldn't hear from inside the car. I asked my buddy about it and he said not to worry about it for now its a lifter ticking and it will get much louder before it damages anything other then the lifter that's doing it and just to start saving now so that when I replace it I can replace them all. The tick gradual got louder and noticeable inside the car as he predicted. I had the money to order the lifters when we were informed my mother in law would not be getting better and would need a much higher level of care then she was receiving so the lifters got put on the back burner and that money was spent moving across the state from Pullman Washington to Tacoma Washington.

About 2 months ago I started getting lots of cylinder 6 misfire codes so when I had time I pulled the plug, I have napa beldin blue wires and use dielectric grease (if im remembering what its called right) to slip them on. This time that plug wire instead of sliding off with a good strong pull the sheath slid up the plug wire and the metal part of the boot was stuck and had to be pried off with some pliers. There was no sign of the grease I had put on there previously and the plug required almost no force to brake it loose. When removed the metal part that sticks up out of the center of the ceramic part was melted down to a pit in the ceramic instead of sticking up towards the metal electrode.

I replaced the plug with another spare and the engine smoothed out some but still ran pretty rough. I couldn't focus attention on the car at that time and that was all I had time for. A week or two after this my mother in law died.
The last few weeks I've been tryin to figure out what exactly I needed to do once I had money for repairs and I now have said money. I read some other lifter tick threads on here and the sound coming from my car sounds like the lifter tick I heard in the youtube videos linked in some of the repair threads here. I then came across a thread I can't find now about a person who's car was running rough and someone recommended checking where their spark plug wires were routed to make sure they wern't touching the oxygen sensor. I got up right then and went and tried moving around cylinder 6 spark plug wire and starting the car and it seemed to make a minor improvement to how it ran but then would go back to rough again. I started it up and used a zip tie to pull it as far from the oxygen sensor as possible and it ran smooth like it hadn't in months. This is what made me think I may have caused all these problems by using the bosch sensor.

Could the oxygen sensor have caused any of my problems? If so what one should I order?

Do I need to replace my spark plug wires? The boot slid back over the metal part and it appears to be fine.

I have NKG Iridium plugs, should I replace these with regular plugs, if so what ones would be best?

Unless I am wrong about whats causing the tick I need to replace the lifters. Are there any special tools I will need or any parts I need to order in addition to the lifters in order to replace them? I was thinking the lifters sold by intense would be the most durable so that this doesn't happen again, any fault in my thinking?

I don't think the lower intake gasket was changed on this car before I bought it and I haven't done it. As I understand it this can fail due to the coolant in the car. I don't see any sign of coolant in the oil. Is this a repair I need to be doing right now/could this have helped caused the problems I've had?

My friend mostly has experience with v8 firebirds and wasn't sure but said that with how loud its gotten and how long its been doing this I may also have damaged a rocker. Is this likely and if so are there other parts I should order to fix at the same time. I would like to do as much of an engine overhaul that I can do by myself right now to avoid future problems.

If I do end up replacing engine components can I replace them with upgraded performance components, I've always wanted to make the car faster but have never done anything expensive. If I'm buying lifters and possibly rockers anyway would it be a horrible idea to get upgraded rockers even though the car isn't running well yet? I cant afford to buy parts to make it run smooth and then re-buy them to upgrade.


If you are in the Tacoma area and are good at diagnosing this kinda stuff a second opinion would be awesome.

Sorry about this being such a long post, wanted to get everything into one post where I can keep track of stuff. Any advise about any of this is appreciated.

[00Beast]

Brakes: I would replace just the fronts, rotors and pads. Check the rears, but they should be fine. The fronts do 80% of the braking anyways, so the rears don't get much use.

Tires: Wheels just get bolted to the hub. The suspension is what's aligned, and the wheels are balanced. But, the wheel is balanced to the tire mounted on it. Unless you have a bad shaking or vibration from the tire, it should be fine. If the tires are directional, you want to keep them on the same side, but if they're non-directional, then you move the tires that are on the front straight back, and cross going forwards. IE: Left rear goes to Right front, etc. If they haven't been rotated, they might not give you as many miles as they could, but as long as there's a decent amount of tread you should be able to get some more miles out of them.

Rough Running: It almost sounds like your fuel filter may have gotten clogged when you filled with the bad gas. I'd replace that, then inspect the other 5 plugs and wires, and just give it a general inspection. Here's the site maintenance list, so if you're over any of the intervals, get to them when time and money allows. Also, I'd run some seafoam in the oil for about 100 miles before your next oil change, then drain and use a good oil and filter. A lifter may just be gummed up.

Brand Suggestions are in the parentheses.

• 1987-2005 Bonneville / Buick 3800 Maintenance List
  
  Run Seafoam through gasoline and intake every 5,000 miles. One pint of Seafoam in a half tank of fuel is a good mix. The intake is optional, but recommended.
  
  Grease: Ball Joints, Tie Rods Every 8-10k ( Green Grease recommended)
  Air Filter Every 15k (Amsoil EaA, Purolator PureONE)
  PCV Valve Every 30k
  MAF Sensor Element Cleaning/TB Cleaning Every 50k viewtopic.php?f=48&t=1661
  Fuel Filter Every 15-25k (Purolator, AC Delco, WIX)
  Spark Plugs Every 30-50k (NGK TR55 or Autolite 605) (Never Bosch)
  Ignition Wires Every 30-50k (Napa Belden, AC Delco, Autolite Pro, NGK) (Never Taylor or Bosch)
  Oil & Filter Every 5-6k or Every 6 months (Mobil1 or Amsoil)(Mobil1, Purolator PureONE, Amsoil EaO or WIX) (Never Fram) viewtopic.php?f=45&t=214
  *Conventional Oil Every 3k/3 months(Pennzoil with a WIX (Napa), Delco or Purolator filter)
  Transmission Flush Every 15-20k (Always make sure filter is changed when flushed)
  Cooling System Flush Every 25-50k or 3-5 Years (Peak or Prestone Green Coolant Only) (Never Dexcool)
  Oxygen Sensor Every 80-100k (30k for non-heated) (AC Delco or Denso) (Absolutely never Bosch) viewtopic.php?f=48&t=794
  Accessory Belt Inspect every 15k, replace every 100k, or as needed
  Cabin Air Filter Inspect and Replace every 15k, or as needed in dusty conditions. (Note: 00+ Only)
  Evap Core Cleaning Whenever Needed (Note: 99 and older only) viewtopic.php?f=45&t=2432
  
  *Special Considerations*
  All 3800s, LG3, LN3, L27, L36, L26, L67 & L32, especially important on vehicles factory installed with orange Havoline Dexcool Antifreeze/Coolant: http://www.dex-cool.net/
  Lower Intake Manifold Gasket Replacement, every 80-100k (ignorance of this can allow coolant to enter your engine oil, this happening can cause irreversible lower engine damage, requiring replacement of subject engine)
  
  Series II, Naturally Aspirated, RPO:L36:
  Upper Intake Manifold Plenum Replacement, Every 80-100k (ignorance of this can allow coolant to enter your intake manifold, possible damage to occur can be hydrolock, irreversible damage to emissions devices, misfires, etc. Most times, engine replacement is required if ignored long enough.) viewtopic.php?f=53&t=1061
  
  Series I, II, III RPO Code L67 & L32:
  Change Supercharger Oil; Every 30-50k. (Intense Racing or GM Dealer) viewtopic.php?f=56&t=1690
  Supercharger Belt; Inspect Every 15k, Replace Every 100k or as needed.

[JordanT]

Thanks, doing just the front brakes will save me some money. I was up later then normal when I posted and forgot to mention I tried fixing the tick without posting here when I did I changed the fuel filter ran seafoam and lucas oil in the gas, marvel mystery oil in the oil and changed the oil then went 500 miles and changed it again. both oil changes with mobil 1 oil and if I remember right a purolater filter. I checked all the other plugs/wires and they came off relatively easily and the other plugs still looked almost new. the engine ran smoother but the tick didn't improve. If this didn't work is there another thing I should try before replacing the lifters?

Grease: Ball Joints, Tie Rods Every 8-10k ( Green Grease recommended) I bought a grease gun and green grease to do this but can't seem to get it to connect to the zerk fittings correctly. Is there a trick to it My father in law said i was doing it right but grease just oozed out between the fitting and the gun nozzle.

Air Filter Every 15k (Amsoil EaA, Purolator PureONE) Have a K&N filter cleaned/reoiled last about 10000 miles ago

PCV Valve Every 30k Did this at 90000 miles, I will order a new one and do this

MAF Sensor Element Cleaning/TB Cleaning Every 50k viewtopic.php?f=48&t=1661 Did this about 25000 miles ago. Have an extra TB gasket so I'll do again just in case.

Fuel Filter Every 15-25k (Purolator, AC Delco, WIX) Did this about 5000 miles ago, they are fairly inexpensive so I think I'll do it again just in case.

Spark Plugs Every 30-50k (NGK TR55 or Autolite 605) (Never Bosch) I think the NKG Iridiums have been in about 35000 miles, should I replace them with one of the ones recommended in this list?

Ignition Wires Every 30-50k (Napa Belden, AC Delco, Autolite Pro, NGK) (Never Taylor or Bosch) Napa Belden wires are about 35000 miles old, they have a lifetime warrenty so I figured they would last the life of the car, should I replace these?

Oil & Filter Every 5-6k or Every 6 months (Mobil1 or Amsoil)(Mobil1, Purolator PureONE, Amsoil EaO or WIX) (Never Fram) viewtopic.php?f=45&t=214
*Conventional Oil Every 3k/3 months(Pennzoil with a WIX (Napa), Delco or Purolator filter) This is already done more often then this.

Transmission Flush Every 15-20k (Always make sure filter is changed when flushed) I changed the filter about 25000 miles ago and changed the fluid required for that, is there something more I should be doing when I change it to get more fluid out?

Cooling System Flush Every 25-50k or 3-5 Years (Peak or Prestone Green Coolant Only) (Never Dexcool) Is there enough of a benefit from using one of those pressurized systems to flush it that the shops advertise that I shouldn't do it myself?

Oxygen Sensor Every 80-100k (30k for non-heated) (AC Delco or Denso) (Absolutely never Bosch) viewtopic.php?f=48&t=794 Replacing this with a non bosch

Accessory Belt Inspect every 15k, replace every 100k, or as needed. It looks fine but I am at 130000 miles (bought the car at 60000) should I order this?

Cabin Air Filter Inspect and Replace every 15k, or as needed in dusty conditions. (Note: 00+ Only) Looks like the spot for the filter is empty, I'll order this.
Evap Core Cleaning Whenever Needed (Note: 99 and older only) viewtopic.php?f=45&t=2432

*Special Considerations*
All 3800s, LG3, LN3, L27, L36, L26, L67 & L32, especially important on vehicles factory installed with orange Havoline Dexcool Antifreeze/Coolant: http://www.dex-cool.net/
Lower Intake Manifold Gasket Replacement, every 80-100k (ignorance of this can allow coolant to enter your engine oil, this happening can cause irreversible lower engine damage, requiring replacement of subject engine)

Series II, Naturally Aspirated, RPO:L36:
Upper Intake Manifold Plenum Replacement, Every 80-100k (ignorance of this can allow coolant to enter your intake manifold, possible damage to occur can be hydrolock, irreversible damage to emissions devices, misfires, etc. Most times, engine replacement is required if ignored long enough.) viewtopic.php?f=53&t=1061
I think I will do this following the guide in techinfo.

Series I, II, III RPO Code L67 & L32:
Change Supercharger Oil; Every 30-50k. (Intense Racing or GM Dealer) viewtopic.php?f=56&t=1690
Supercharger Belt; Inspect Every 15k, Replace Every 100k or as needed.



Should I do all the maintanence before ordering the lifters?

[00Beast]

Yes. Do all your maintenance. Run seafoam through the oil this time. Seafoam is a solvent, and can do more cleaning than oil can. Run it through about 100 miles before changing your oil.

With the grease gun, sometimes you gotta hold it on there pretty tight, especially if it hasn't been greased in a while. Might want to spray some penetrating lube on, change the oil, then go back and see if it will take grease. If not, you might want to replace them. They're fairly cheap. You could also use a grease zerk rejuvinator, which forces penetrating lubricant in. Only use it on zerks that go directly in, not ones at 90* to the part.

On an N/A motor, the NGK TR-55Ix's (Iridum's) should be fine. They're not recommended on modded S/C motors, however. If you want to change to the standard copper plugs, some members have seen improvements in mileage and power on N/A motors, but some others have seen drops, so it's up to you.

Your Beldin's should be fine, unless they're coming apart. If you want to replace them, do it in the NAPA parking lot, and change them out one at a time, under warranty, lol.

On the transmission, a pan drop and filter change is fine if you are having no issues. Repair shops have machines (most do, anyways) that flush all the fluid out of a transmission and replace it with fresh fluid, so all of your fluid is 100% new. But, doing a pan drop, and using a product like SeaFoam TransTune before, and adding some Lucas TransFix with the new fluid can help keep a transmission on good shape.

On the cooling system, a normal flush kit, or even just draining and refilling with fresh, mixes-with-any coolant can do a lot of good. Do NOT mix standard, green coolant with Dex-Cool. It will cause a sludge that will plug up your cooling system.

If your belt looks cracked on the ribs, it wouldn't hurt to replace it. It'll keep you off the side of the road.

[JordanT]

Yesterday dumped a can of seafoam in the oil and 2 in the gas before going for a short trip, gonna change it today at around 145 miles with it in the oil. Doesn't seem to have done anything for the tick yet but something definitely happened right after I put it in. My tank was almost empty when i put everything in and then added 17 gallons of 93 (I ussualy get 87 but always get 93 when I use a gas additive dunno if there is actually a reason to do this) I started the car as normal it turned over and started with just a quick turn of the key but then it ran about 5 seconds got super rough and died. I figured the seafoam hadn't mixxed in properly so started it and stuck my foot on the gas, had to really gun it to keep it from dieing and it was actling like it was getting almost no feul and then getting surges of fuel even though my foot was steady. After about 40 seconds of that it smoothed out and while the tick is the same the car is much more powerful and smooth running then it was minutes before that. Pre gas/seafoam if I stopped the car and then let my foot off the brake it would just sit there. Now it idles up to around 7 miles an hour but the rpm are the same at idle as they ever were.

I ordered everything off rockauto last night except the fluids that i'll get local when the parts come, the oil filter, and the parts to do the uim.

Is the K&N HP-2001 the correct filter if I want to run an oversized filter? I was planning to use mobil 1 0-30 synthetic for higher mileage cars, I think I can get it for 19.99 at walmart for a 5 quart jug. Also If I run this filter is it larger enough that the engine will take 5 quarts instead of the 4.7ish it takes now to get on the full mark?

Is this http://www.ineedparts.com/auto-parts/in ... 17806.html and the and the "buy with this item" lower intake gasket kit linked at the bottom of that page still the best option for this procedure since the guide was written?

[00Beast]

I run the HP-2001 filter on my 03, it's the oversized one. And yes, the car will now take 5 quarts.

That's the proper UIM kit, and you can get the LIM Gaskets from Intense Racing or a GM Dealer. Make sure to get the aluminum framed ones. They won't go bad. Also, I used Ultra Copper RTV when I did my LIM's.

[JordanT]

So I changed the oil and still had a tick, the car was cool by the time I started it back up and I started it and was spacing out watching the engine and noticed what looked like exhaust puffing out of a spot, now I'm kinda tired and don't know the names of many engine parts I haven't worked on so I'll have to describe where it is. Off the front of the engine come 3 tubes that all lead into one tube that runs along the front towards the drivers side then through a spot (maybe a gasket) with a ring and bolts around it then through what seems like a heat shield under the TB to the back and down into the exhaust system from what i can see. Now when I first noticed the tick I searched and searched for an exhaust leak and could not find one but that was with the engine hot. I watched for about 10 minutes while exhaust puffed out from either under the front part of that heat sheild or the ring with the bolts that im thinking is a gasket. I tried tightening up the bolts a little on that spot but it didn't seem to help anything. After the fans turned on I could no longer see the exhaust leaking. I will watch when I first start the car in the morning to double check that it isn't something burning off.

I considered the smoke I was seeing possibly being from some spilled oil during the oil change but iI don't see how I could have spilled it there and it didn't smell like burning oil. Could that be the cause of the tick and lack of power? How hard/expensive would a leak in that spot to fix, is it more likely that it is a leaking gasket or a crack in the tube on one of the sides?

[00Beast]

Could be EGR?