'96 MPV 3.0 Valve Tick

1996 MPV 3.0 (115k miles) has developed a ticking from what appears to be
the valves. Oil/filter has been changed every 3500 since new, vehicle
runs great other than ticking.

Sound is heard mostly when engine is cold, but also comes and goes once in
a while when warmed up. Using Seafoam has helped a bit, but issue still
persists every so often.

What kind of job/money are we talking for fixing this? Is it even worth
it? TIA.

I had decent luck using "Marvel Mystery Oil" in small amounts. Seems that
the itty bitty hydraulic lifters are prone to sticking.
Automatic Transmission Fluid in small amounts may also help if added to the
oil. (Just a few ounces)
I had one lifter that, when everything was just right, would collapse
overnight. Startup was a bit noisy, until it pumped up again.
The treatment I mentioned would clean things out, and the problem would go
away, at least until the next oil change.

"Joe" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:Xns9B0C5C40E5CA9nospamforme@216.77.188.18...
> 1996 MPV 3.0 (115k miles) has developed a ticking from what appears to be
> the valves. Oil/filter has been changed every 3500 since new, vehicle
> runs great other than ticking.
>
> Sound is heard mostly when engine is cold, but also comes and goes once in
> a while when warmed up. Using Seafoam has helped a bit, but issue still
> persists every so often.
>
> What kind of job/money are we talking for fixing this? Is it even worth
> it? TIA.

The funny thing I've noticed is that after an oil change, the ticking is
more pronounced and takes longer to go away. The Seafoam helps but
doesn't cure the problem. Now that the oil's been in for about 1500
miles, the ticking has gone down quite a bit.


"Chuck" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:VpVyk.2749$(E-Mail Removed):

> I had decent luck using "Marvel Mystery Oil" in small amounts. Seems
> that the itty bitty hydraulic lifters are prone to sticking.
> Automatic Transmission Fluid in small amounts may also help if added
> to the oil. (Just a few ounces)
> I had one lifter that, when everything was just right, would collapse
> overnight. Startup was a bit noisy, until it pumped up again.
> The treatment I mentioned would clean things out, and the problem
> would go away, at least until the next oil change.
>
> "Joe" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:Xns9B0C5C40E5CA9nospamforme@216.77.188.18...
>> 1996 MPV 3.0 (115k miles) has developed a ticking from what appears
>> to be the valves. Oil/filter has been changed every 3500 since new,
>> vehicle runs great other than ticking.
>>
>> Sound is heard mostly when engine is cold, but also comes and goes
>> once in a while when warmed up. Using Seafoam has helped a bit, but
>> issue still persists every so often.
>>
>> What kind of job/money are we talking for fixing this? Is it even
>> worth it? TIA.
>
>

In article <Xns9B196FFD8CD62nospamforme@216.77.188.18>,
Joe <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> The funny thing I've noticed is that after an oil change, the ticking is
> more pronounced and takes longer to go away. The Seafoam helps but
> doesn't cure the problem. Now that the oil's been in for about 1500
> miles, the ticking has gone down quite a bit.

I had this with my '99 MAZDA 626 with the V6... or was it my even older
'91 Ford Escort wagon... Whichever, it was a problem that cropped up in
the first or second year of ownership.

It started to happen while I was still under warranty, and the fix was
that they replaced all the lifters... I think there was even a service
bulletin for it. The problem never returned, which makes me think that
the original lifters were different somehow. The replacement ones were
possibly surface-hardened.

Looks like you are out of warranty, but the same fix likely is needed to
truly resolve the issue permanently.

Anonymous <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:anonymous-9662E0.09120615092008@[74.223.185.199.nw.nuvox.net]:

> In article <Xns9B196FFD8CD62nospamforme@216.77.188.18>,
> Joe <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> The funny thing I've noticed is that after an oil change, the ticking
>> is more pronounced and takes longer to go away. The Seafoam helps but
>> doesn't cure the problem. Now that the oil's been in for about 1500
>> miles, the ticking has gone down quite a bit.
>
> I had this with my '99 MAZDA 626 with the V6... or was it my even
> older '91 Ford Escort wagon... Whichever, it was a problem that
> cropped up in the first or second year of ownership.
>
> It started to happen while I was still under warranty, and the fix was
> that they replaced all the lifters... I think there was even a service
> bulletin for it. The problem never returned, which makes me think that
> the original lifters were different somehow. The replacement ones were
> possibly surface-hardened.
>
> Looks like you are out of warranty, but the same fix likely is needed
> to truly resolve the issue permanently.

Well, with over 100k on the clock, I'm (a) definitely out of warranty
and (b) probably not going to invest in a new set of lifters, as it's
cost-prohibitive. Guess I'll just baby it along the best I can...

Joe <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:Xns9B0C5C40E5CA9nospamforme@216.77.188.18:

> 1996 MPV 3.0 (115k miles) has developed a ticking from what appears to
> be the valves. Oil/filter has been changed every 3500 since new,
> vehicle runs great other than ticking.
>
> Sound is heard mostly when engine is cold, but also comes and goes
> once in a while when warmed up. Using Seafoam has helped a bit, but
> issue still persists every so often.
>
> What kind of job/money are we talking for fixing this? Is it even
> worth it? TIA.

Valve ticks are a known problem on Mazda's with high milage engines.
The solution for me was to go to a heavier oil. I started by
replacing 1/2 Quart of the regular oil change with 30 weight. Later
it became one quart.