Clicking, Tapping Engine Noise? Try This Trick Before Replacing AFM Lifters!
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Do you have a GM V8 engine that's starting to make that rattling, tapping, or clicking noise that tends to come from lifters that need help? If you're lucky, the lifters are just dirty, and haven't collapsed or failed yet, so you can try this easy fix! Andy shows you how to briefly run transmission fluid through your engine, which has additional detergents in it to help clean out places like the tight oil passages in Active Fuel Management lifters. This trick should help if the AFM lifters aren't damaged yet. If they are, you'll probably still need to replace them. Also, this trick doesn't work for bearing noise, and other engine problems.
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If the next used car I buy develops a tick within a few weeks, you and I are going to have words my man.
If you buy it from a used car dealership, they already know all these tricks
If you buy it as is with no warrenty then there's nothing the dealer will do for you.
And those words are going to fall on deaf ears as there is a class action lawsuit against GM right now and they still are doing nothing about it.
This is why you run substitute a pint of marvel mystery oil on every oil change. It will keep things freed up and it shouldn’t come back.
Haaa .ask for that 30 RETURN
Didn’t think mechanics nowadays knew about these types of techniques that we used to do back in the day. It’s refreshing to see that at least some mechanics still value some of the things done before that worked then and still work now.
I would say he either had a good teacher or did some research. Most people are about that money so quick fixes aren’t on the menu.
Doesn't work with modern fluids nore is it worth it.
We used kerosene
I’ve been doing this since 1998 it works most of the time.
Ya almost all mechanics know about this lol, its not some guarded secret only know by older technicians.
This truly does work well only thing that I've seen happen with dirt motor is the gunk comes loose and gets stuck somewhere else. But this trick definitely works when done properly
Hi
Yup
Frequent oil/filter changes prevents these issues. Dirty oil destroys engine and parts..lifters have just a small hole that oil gets into so when it get dirty with varnish and sludge it does not get the oil and it will tick.
I've done quite a few afm lifter replacements on trucks with less than 10,000 miles, model year 2021 suburbans and pickups
Unfortunately most people get used vehicles and have to deal with the previous owners maintenance which is most of the time unknown so these tricks can really help someone
I also believe that having low oil pressure doesn't help either
@@RCLBWD yeah my dad never changed oil in Lincoln la 3.9 jag v8 and is giving me it and it has so many fucking issues and trade in value is only 250 but it’s a specialty car LOL
Hi
Forgot to mention. Only allow to idle. Don’t give it throttle while atf is in the system
Just before you change your oil. I will add transmission fluid to the engine oil. Run the truck 3 or 4 days change the oil. Every oil change. Truck has 288645 miles and no knocks runs great.
I am a service technician for a fasteners company. Yes, transmission fluid will swell the o rings and stop the noise. It soften the o rings in the lifters to the point of seizing. If it’s just noisy, diesel fuel will help.
Transmission fluid has an additive that helps swell rubber parts (orings/seals) and keep them flexible. Hydraulic lifters rely on internal seals to hold/maintain pressure (Hydraulic cushion). Transmission fluid cleans debris off of them and swells them to help them seal. Very similar to how brake fluid works in the master cylinder, calipers, and wheel cylinders. That's why it helps quiet noisy lifters. It will not help solid lifters, rod, main, or cam bearing surfaces.
Most oils have such conditioners these days.
Hydraulic lifters do not have any rubber or any type of “seal” to swell. Its just close tolerance.
Buddy ,hydraulic lifters DO NOT have "seals" in them ,its all metal to metal
Yes but being extremely hydro phobic.. It can also store water near rubber parts... ( chemistry and ASE cert here.) Don't use ATF.. Best bet .. And I need you to trust me on this. If you just rebuilt your engine and it makes this sound, which means I'm assuming your running conventional oil.. ( you shouldn't don't his without a zinc additive..) Royal purple, sub 1 qt Lucas oil...( either syn or non syn ) Run for 2000 miles change.. And put in your synthetic oil of choice. Royal purple is the most common synthetic oil with the highest amount of detergents and zinc next to , mobile ( don't know the exact model but they do make one) Or valvaline VR1..( VR1 is high in Zinc, lower in detergents tho).. Trust me. I've built and destroyed many Custom engines.. This is my data.. The ATF trick can work... But its like he said.. A bandaid.. This oil sequence is a actual fix...
I used a mix of Marvel Mystery Oil and it got my lifter unstuck on my wrangler after it sat for a year. Did a few changes after 100 mile intervals and it worked amazingly! Idk how much better it is than transmission fluid but my Ljs 4.0 sounds happier then when I first bought it around 10 years ago!
+Aimless Parasite Thanks for the feedback!
Didn’t even know you could do something like put transmission oil in the engine . Very cool , been working on my own car now 3 years but i really enjoy watching the masters at work
This is awesome, I completely forgot about this. My Gramps taught me this back when I was just a wee laddy
Back in the 60's my stepdad (an ace mechanic), told me that every time you change the oil, add one quart of transmission fluid because transmission fluid can get where motor oil can't. I've done this on every vehicle I've owned and I have gotten 277, 000 miles on my Nissan Pathfinder, so far, and it still runs great......
Is that safe if you have turbo?
This also is great when flushing an engine after a minor head gasket leak. Gets all the chocolate milk outta there. 3 quarts diesel and 2 quarts engine oil also does well for internal cleaning. Been doing it for years with fantastic noticeable results.
Hi
Do you drive it for awhile or run it for a couple of hours
@@artlopez2404 idle it for ten or twenty minutes. Don’t rev it, don’t drive it. Idle speed allows full enough oil flow to let circulation clean without damaging the bearings or clearances.
Add one guart of transmission fluid, when you're a guart low, leave it in until your next oil change. It also works if you add half a guart to about 10 gallons of gas to clean your fuel injectors. I've done this to many different cars for over 50 years works great , never had any adverse reactions. Some times I would replace a guart of oil with transmission fluid at an oil change and leave it until the next change.
Sorry how much?
Before doing any of this and freaking out thinking your engine is falling apart, focus on your fuel rail. It's probably just your high-pressure fuel pump and injectors.
Marvel M O all day I just changed my oil and replaced 20% with MMOs. What a difference I stay by MMO all day.! 2000 ford explorer 5.0 V8 135k miles everyday driver btw.
I'm 69 now but when I was 18 I worked in service station we used to do this to clean engine out we used two quarts trans fluid to three quarts cheap motor oil run for 15 to 20 mins then change oil to good motor oil some times we would use two quarts diesel fluid instead of trans fluid for really dirty engines
I’m 59 and worked at service stations in my teens, we did this all the time.
I did the oil pick up tube o ring and it solved my problem
Transmission fluid is very useful for so many cleaning projects
Been doing this for a while now. It definitely cleans the crap out. Especially old school engines.
The problem with this technique is that if somebody didn’t maintenance the engine well You Will just break up all the gunk in the motor and send it into the oil pump pick up screen And clogging it up and burning up the motor asked me how I know
There was a guy that posted this trick and was attacked by all the keyboard mechanics.
I hate keyboard mechanics this man either had a really good mentor/teacher or he did a lot of research
Hi
This is a scam tactic for used car dealers.
@@MWilk098 exactly, this will work for a little while, but the issue is still there. It will eventually fail.
@@dbstherollers8106 good mentors don’t teach band aid fixes. The only real fix is to replace the afm lifters.
1A auto is my resource for help diagnosing problems with my cars and trucks. Thank you 1A.
Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 to everyone 🙏
I like to replace the filter first then do it. This way I can rip the new filter apart and see what I cleaned.
+Joe Kyser Thanks for the tip!
Hi
Awesome tip man!
@@josefelix4152 thank you, it really gives good insight into whats going on in the engine. Its actually protocol on high end sports vehicles. Its a must to inspect the filters
ATF it last longer... I start using ATF oil in the engine at 200 k to clean it. And I been using ATF for the last 250k miles... So yes I do have 460k miles on it.. f150 V6 4.2 stick shift..
That truck is a fucking beast!!! Great job on taking care of it and the maintenance push for 1,000,000 miles
I have a 89 Ford F-150 4x4 with the straight 6 4.9 liter engine with 235,000 on it so far and still runs like new. Replaced a water pump the only thing I’ve had to do to it so far other then normal tune ups and oil changes. People can bad mouth Ford’s all they want, but these engines are as bullet proof as they come. If you take care of them and don’t abuse them too much. The wheels will fall off before the engine dies!
I use a few ounces of mystery oil in my 91 b2200 they are notorious for their ticks
The difference between a technician and a mechanic. A technician is told what to do and a mechanic knows what to do.
A mechanic can turn nuts and bolts. A technician does the same but diagnosis fault instead of guessing and hoping for Lady Luck.
I think you got that backwards lol
Transmission fluid in the engine? Fascinating 👀 .. Never heard of this.
It used to be more common it's not used much anymore Machanics used to put trans fluid in the engine to clean it of course that was before oil had so many cleaners in it and not every car had a filter for the oil
Yeah because if you do that! Your engine is toast
An old hack from way back.lol first turned wrenches at home on brothers 56 chieftain in 1962 at 7 years old .Tune and brake job. First paid tune and repairs at 9 working at a gas station and next door at a body shop after school and weekends. No dad around to buy groceries.
Also works to clean differentials
@@antfbi have you tried it?
This is an old school trick, glad to see it still getting some love
One tip no one should try in my opinion. It may appear to help temporarily but as someone else commented it has to be the right type of lifters/engine or you will likely just cause other issues. The rubber will deteriorate quickly after and there is potential for port blocks. You are also likely to have leaks ones any seals exposed start to harden up again. Transmission fluid has a different viscosity. Id imagine this would mess up a diesel because the film strength wont be enough to prevent interference. Correct me if I'm wrong..
This can get you by for about a year or so depending on the lifter damage..we tell our customers to bring it back in 3 months so we can listen to engine and change oil & add Lucas Engine Helper ..
When the dealership finds out , your engine warranty is voided
By the time this happened you're way past the warranty dude.
My father did this a few times in the 80s👍🏻👍🏻
As a mechanic I don't recommend running a 50% trans. Fluid mix for more than a couple minutes . The reason is you will be washing lubricant off Bearings thus causing more damage. Just long enough to fill the engine with the mixture and let it set then drain and change filter. Bring engine up to temp before draining oil.
I am 65. Tried them all. RESTORE IS THE BEST MECHANIC IN THE CAN.
Yeah it does work well. I had a SBC that would always foul the number 1 plug with oil. Rings must have been going bad. But anyways it fixed the issue and that little 350 ran for many years after.
I think the key point is to remove all kinds of deposits/gunk from engine oil. It doesn't matter if what u use, many method would work. My Tahoe started to develop a ticking noise couple of years ago if the weather is cold or it's parked for some time. It also happened more and more frequently. After I changed oil with AMSOIL SS, that ticking noise was gone and has never come back. I heard AMSOIL SS has tons of cleaner additives in it compared to many other oil so I guess that's why it helps. I've also heard great results from some lifter additive (which also has cleaning agents). So my conclusion is either to use really good oil or try some cleaning additives.
Usually replacing your current engine oil with a full synthetic will fix this problem also! Been there done that, engine runs completely quiet and gets better gas milage too with a synthetic!!
This won't help with bad rocker arms/worn roller bearings on the lifters or broken valve springs either. Literally only if there is sticking inside the lifer body itself will this do anything.
I was going to comment this. Most of the lifter failures are mechanical not sticking
@@gorillawrenchin Psu baby! I graduated in 90s. My buddy graduated the mechanic school & another from the auto body school. A lot of crazy times & good memories A nephew & niece graduated & another nephew currently a student there.
My dad taught me this along time ago. It’s a great trick
People say I’m crazy but I do it and it works 🤗🤗🤗👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼
Great tip thanks, good sound ( I have a hearing problem)
Old school when the had carbs we started the engine and poured trans fluid down the carb
The next owner will never know I did this 🤣
Do this right before ya trade it to the dealer lol
Don’t do it to some regular guy, do it to the dealership!😉 Perfect advice Matt!
A regular guy will buy that car from the dealer though
I'd recommend marvels mystery oil, always gets rid of ticks for me
Will also unseaize any engine as well
Had a 1950 ford custom that had been up on concrete blocks since the 70s and back then someone filled the block(flathead) with marvel mystery oil, drained it out and sorted out all the tuneup stuff and added fresh oil, started up and ran like a sewing machine. Also had a 94 corolla that had seized up from sitting in a moist environment for a few years and developed a little rust ridge, poured some down the cylinders and worked it back and forth till it free'd up, ran a quart of MMO in the oil and let it run for about half an hour, shut it off, did another oil change and it ran happy for the rest of its life until my brother drove it into a pole lol I've also heard of people using Kerosene instead of ATF to do what this guy was doing to clean out any gunk that may be in the lifters and flush the oil system in general
I knew this as a teen-ager... automatic transmission fluid..cleans.i used it on older cars..that we're not in use..for year's...good tip..!
"HOT FLUSH" works great
Nice nice, also fun fact, if you wanna really really clean your carburetor have the car running and dump some automatic transmission fluid in it. You will never see so much smoke anywhere else, but that carb is gonna be damn near factory clean. My auto tech teacher did that, I was working on a door lock actuator on a 04 excursion and I heard him say "Its smoking!" And then like 2 seconds later I couldn't see an inch in front of me. I loved auto tech, only think that got me through those last 2 years of school 😅
Project Farm guy did an old ford ranger that sounded like a bag of wrenches being shook. Seafoam fixed that
Seafoam fixed it temporarily I assume?
@@paulriversred7052 yeah bro seafoam can actually refurbish your rotating assembly!! Rod knock? No problem the sea foam will actually grow the rod bearing back using black magic and snap on science. Buddy trust me there is no engine in the world that knocked and was fixed without a rebuild. No engine. Knocking is not normal in anyway. Ticking is not normal. Some engines tick without serious damage but no engine knocks without serious damage. There is a reason knock sensors exist. Seafoam is garbage might clean your piston top a bit and valves slightly who cares? You think dodge doesn't know your engine makes carbon? That 1% power loss is not going to make your engine any more reliable. Just do preventative maintenance before it happens like not changing your oil every 10k
I love Seafoam. I had a VW Passat that would surge and hesitate. Put seafoam through vac line(s) and problem gone.
@@wr450sm5 LOL, knock sensors have nothing to do with engine wear detection !
If you are having a low engine oil pressure issue, bg 109 is by far the best solution. It will bring an engine back big time. Transmission fluid is a good cleaner for sure good video. You can put transmission fluid in the spark plug holes as well to bring back a little compression if a cylinder has a little lower compression then other ones.
And just let it sit there for an hour or two?
Many people swear by a high ester content motor oil to alleviate lifter tick. Same premise with the cleaning properties of the ester oil.
I use BG EPR before an oil change and I run amsoil and it works great. You can actually hear the motor quiet down. Never done ATF in the oil before or the gas... Might need to try that.
What is the above you mentioned where can i find ot
Bg trans flush works really well too
My Uncle used to replace one qt of oil of transmission fluid every oil change
As a automotive technician that has retired after being in the business for almost 50 years, I have to say the most important thing to do is to purchase a vehicle that doesn't have lifter issues.
Is lifter replacement hard
I love 1a auto, not for parts but diagnosis, you guys are brilliant.
I was given a car with noisy lifters, smoky exhaust, and a fair amount of blow-by. I did the ATF trick, drove it around for a day, changed the oil and filter… it was like a different car. Apparently, the rings were stuck and they freed up!
Replacing Up to 20 % Of Motor Oil Spec Fill Capacity With Marvel Mystery Oil Will Help As Well Over Time
That stuff works great but so does Lucas oil treatment
@@chadjay828 hahahahha lucas is garbage. Google the analysis reports and wait for panic attack to kick in :)
I did this just recently. Lifter was making a ticking noise it would go away after 10-20 seconds after start up. I added 1/2 quart of transmission fluid, drove it about 2 weeks, probably 300 miles and changed the oil and filter. So far so good no more ticking noise. Oil was definitely nasty when I drained it.
Did this a few months back on my "new" suburban. Ran it about 100 miles with the ATF an a thinner oil then did a proper oil change. Never had to do it a 2nd time with any of my other vehicles.
Great tip. Will file. Muchas gracias
Dextron fluid is a detergent that cleans oil gunk. It works as he says😉 I also use vinegar to flush radiators 😜
What exactly does vinegar do and the radiator and the rest of the vehicle??? Really would like to know the answer to that
@@chadjay828 Neutralizes scale.
@@TheBasstead1 Would backing soda do the same?
This works if it’s a crappy afm lifter. In my case at 80k my cam took a crap in my 13 Tahoe. I changed the oil every 3 k with full syn oil. So the whole top end came apart and all new cam, lifters, head gaskets, etc.
I thought I was the only person that cleaned a motor with TF. People used to look at me like I was crazy.
Thanks for this trick, seriously. I'm not about to go rip my entire engine apart just to replace a loose valve lifter that'll probably be fine for years before actually failing lol but GOD I hate that ticking sound, and it makes it annoying to try and hear OTHER problems
So this is the kind of thing that scammers do when they sell a truck…
Thanks for the tip
Not sure about anybody here knowing what they're doing. I'm amazed at the number of people doing this longterm without problems, if truthful. Adding right before an oil change, 5 minutes or less, ATF/Mystery oil/kerosene/diesel, is good to clean out an engine ONCE in its lifetime. All those chemicals mentioned will strip the little particles at gaskets, that you now will have leaks at, for the exact same reason you should NOT start using synthetic oil over 60,000 miles, very detergent. YES it does clean an engine, no argument there. YES it does POTENTIALLY remove enough gunk that you develop leaks at seals.
wait ur not supposed to put sythentic oil over 60k miles?
This absolutely works,it cleans the sludge out of the small orifices.
if you run engine oil that’s meant for a diesel engine you will keep all your internals clean and sludge free ! plus it’s usually a higher grade oil so it’s better for your petrol engine
Been doing this for over 25 years
That’s a real mechanic talking. Thanks.
My Grandfather in law taught me that trick about 10 year's ago.
I'm old, and still could learn new things...
Ive done this.1.8L Vvti corollas are known for wrist pin sticky/piston slap issues. Dump .5-1L ATF in it and cold starts are like a new car. Drain and replace oil and replace filter.
Good way to clean gunk too!
A good mechanic on a noisy tick will always pull the valve covers, readjust the valves, do a compression test then tell you what's wrong with it.
There is a video.. on how well ATF and gasoline mixes .. awesome video.
This is a very very old trick. Talking about over 50yrs old trick. I was taught to drive gently for about 20 miles. Also to only do this trick on dirty engines. You could tell by removing the oil fill cap. If sludge was on cap. Check oil. If oil low. Add transmission fluid till oil is max full. Go for 20min drive. Change oil. With 10w30 high mileage oil. Or back back in the day. Add 1 STP. I changed that to Lucas oil additive.
Instead of taking 3 quarts of oil out, take just one out, and replace it with L.A.’s Totally Awesome APC. It’s like adding a concentrated detergent package, and will remove deposits and engine plaque in just 10-15 minutes of idling. Be aware, sometimes removing gunk causes leaks, so this will also help you identify bad seals and gaskets.
+Seth Martin Thanks for the feedback!
Will it fix the HEMI TICK?
Thanks!
I’ve done this before with cars or trucks with loud lifters, and ones that burned a lot of oil because oil rings Were plugged. I used Reslone Buy it at any auto parts I mixed it 50-50 ran it for a couple hundred miles never burned oil again and 90% of the lifter noise is gone I put a lot of miles on that truck afterwards
This is what my grandfather told me about back in his days working on cars and my father and his days are used to do this back in the 70s and 80s I’m really surprised that they still do this today. But it’s a lot cheaper than buying a quart of marvel mystery oil which there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that works excellent
That's an old school trick. I actually just did that in a old 90's bmw 2 weeks ago. tick went right away so I ordered a set of lifters
+ryan Cohen Thanks for the feedback!
ryan Cohen, so atf didn’t work?
This man just taught somebody how to dope up engines just now 😂😂😂
I've got 3.8 in a Monte Carlo that just recently started a lifter clatter. I'm going to try this. Thanks.
Hi
Did you try it and did it work? I also have a 3.8 with lifter clatter
I knew of this 30 years ago my uncle from mex taught me this trick to charge the lifters it worked then im not sure now on this new engine but all good
I used marvel mystery oil to quiet that sound until I found the right oil that has the best combination of additives to get better film retention using a thinner oil . Surprisingly it's not the most expensive s*** on the shelf .
What oil do you use then?
What oil are you using with the additives?
And what was that exactly? Also which type of vehicle and motor?
Hi
I've driven old chevys my whole life in-between oil changes I top off with atf usually a week or so before the lof
Great tip I am never doing this
What about engines with turbos?
Straight ol skool trick. Change your oil more often.
Used to do that before the oil change, old school mechanic taught me that trick many years ago. 😂
Or thats how you make the enjin sound nice and sell it quick🤣
Enjin??
That sounds like a procedure that you’d want to do annually as maintenance!
Nope not at all trans fluid is not designed to be run in the engine It may work but just fix your lifters I doubt this trick really makes a difference for all the risk of putting the wring oil in
Just change the oil at the correct mileage and correct spec and you will never have lifter knock
I use to add a quart of trans fluid a day or two before changing the oil. But now I use hot shots secrets stiction eliminator
We used to drain the oil out and fill up with diesel fuel. If we didn't have diesel fuel would put kerosene and two quarts of Marvel Mystery Oil in
Wow this is awesome thank you 🙏
We use sea foam when we have heavy deposits at 300 miles before oil changes
Prior to overhauling my 327's I always drained the oil and replaced the filter.. Filled it with ATF And ran it for a week or two.. Changed the filter and topped off the crankcase with more ATF.. When disassembling the engine, it looked as if it was steamed cleaned.. I did that for a college course, engine rebuild and the youngsters asked how I got the inside so clean.. I educated them in what ATF is good for besides hydraulics..