stuck lifter?? PLEASE HELP

[HondaHater]

For a while now my 94 GA GT w/3100 has had a ticking noice at idle...sometimes gets louder when the engine revs.....last night and this morning when i started my car (it was cold both times) it sounded like compression was excaping somewhere....then after about 5 mins it died off slowly and back to my ticking noise (which isn't too loud...but i notice)....It sounds like it's comming from the 1,3,5 side of the engine under the head....that would be lifters under there.

What is wrong??? is it a lifter??? if so...does that mean its sticking?? what are the consiquences of leaving it that way and not fixing it??

Thanks for any help ahead of time

[rixGAphx]

I think you have two different problems:

1. A sticky lifter.
The *usual* noise of a sticky lifter is a light ticking. It's most often caused by a miniscule grain of sand or carbon lodged in the tiny orifice of the lifter, preventing proper pump/leak action of the lifter.
Off-the-shelf bottles of oil additive are made to dissolve/dislodge the grain. Use according to label directions.
The ultimate cure is to remove the intake manifold and replace the lifters and pushrods.

2. Piston Slap
BUT, the 3.1 is also prone to 'piston slap': Because pistons are aluminum which expands more with heat than the iron block, pistons are made slightly under-sized.
As they heat, they more-fully fill the cylinder.
But, they don't heat evenly (skirt is cooler than the crown, etc.) so the casting is a compromise between adequate fit when cold and ideal fit when at proper operating temperature.
Result: The piston skirt 'flaps' a little, maybe only 1/10,000 of an inch, against the cylinder wall. This happens especially when cold, and diminishes as the piston heats and expands.

Actually, the pistons of nearly EVERY gasoline production engine have this condition.
It's just that on some engines, like the 3.1, the slap can be audible and bothersome.
It really isn't a problem, until the cylinder bores wear so much that the 'flapping' becomes great enough to actually bend the piston skirt, which increases the effect even more.
This may have happened with your older, high-milage engine.
Also, a massive overheat (like loss of coolant) could have warped one or more pistons, which is now making serious slap and noise.

Still, as long as the noise continues to diminish as the engine warms, and assuming that a compression check (PITA for the back three cylinders on a GA 3.1) is OK, this engine should serve well for many miles.
The only cure is a complete rebuild, with cylinder re-bore and new pistons.

Hope this helps, sorry for the run-on.
-Rick

[Wraith]

Get it checked right away. Last time I had a mysterious ticking sound that didn't sound like the usual and common one that I got in the winter it turned out to be my intake gaskets. Your description sounds a lot like the sound I got. Intake gaskets are a common thing to go on a 3.1 for the GA's so it could be that. Get it checked asap though. I let mine go for a couple months before the real trouble happened.

-Ryan-

[HondaHater]

what was the real trouble.......BTW thank you guys for your help

[Wraith]

Well, the ticking got louder one day and when I went to drive it she was shaking pretty badly and could barely move. Luckily I live in a small town so the mechanic is just down the street so my not being able to go above 5kms didn't annoy anyone or hurt my car more. Coolant and water mixed in with my oil as well to make a nasty looking milkshake. I don't think the two are connected it just seemed to have the ticking and louder when my intake gaskets started leaking more. Not saying that's the problem with yours, just I recommend getting it checked asap in case it is something like the gaskets leaking. My car gets taken apart tomorrow and if the intake gaskets are all I need replaced then I'll keep it but if there's more I'm selling it to the mechanic. He offered to buy it already. Good luck.

-Ryan-

[HondaHater]

oh wow...i dont think i have a head gasket leak....no chocolate milk that's for sure.....i'm sorry to hear your story though....hope it is just the gaskets...wouldn't want to lose a club member for something so small

[Wraith]

Well, I got the verdict today and it is just the intake gaskets but I am going to be trading the car in. I love it but there are other things on it that I know have to be replaced and aren't cheap. It has 347,000 kms on it so it's been around the block many times. I've gotten 2 years out of it and it's been just lately that the more expensive things have been starting to go so I think it's time to move on. I've got a bright red Grand Prix GT lined up and I'm going to be testing it out tonight. Don't worry, I won't be leaving this board, still will be a Pontiac family member and I'll always be a Grand Am owner at heart :P

-Ryan-

[HondaHater]

right on....as long as you know GAs are better...hehehehe....sorry about your ride though