By Tate on Monday, July 02, 2001 - 08:17 am: Edit

I've got a 98 V8. 62k miles. On the first start in the morning and I pull out of the parking spot, there's some fierce clatter--it almost sounds like a diesel. This will last a minute or two until the engine is up to operating temp. Is this a normal noise brought on by the hydraulic lifters leaking down?

After the engine is up to operating temp, there's still a very slight tapping sound. Engine runs fairly smoothly. There's a slight shudder during acceleration at the bottom end of second gear, and slight vibes about 60 mph. Are these things related? No check engine light, stumble, loss of power, etc.

By pjkbrit on Monday, July 02, 2001 - 11:03 am: Edit

Oh dear.....sounds like a camshaft to me...bet the oil change history of the car is sketchy at best. See the RPI site for V8 engine diagnosis...rpiv8.com....excellent site.
Pete

By Tate on Monday, July 02, 2001 - 12:05 pm: Edit

I purchased it about a year ago with 40k on the clock, so I'm not 100% sure what the oil changes were before that. Since then, I've changed it every 3k. But perhaps the damage was done...

So from reading the RPi site, if it is indeed the cam, I'd be looking at replacing the cam and tappets, correct? How much will this cost? (I couldn't/wouldn't do this myself.) How urgent is the need to fix this?

By WrenchMac on Monday, July 02, 2001 - 02:15 pm: Edit

Most likely lifters bleeding down. Get a TRUSTED, INDEPENDENT shop to check it out: most likely an overnight stay for the truck. The stutter could be related, or just a need for new plugs or wires. Fix the NOISE first.

By Wesley on Monday, July 02, 2001 - 02:21 pm: Edit

by the way, if you do replace the cam & lifters, you don't have to get an RPI set from the UK. There are a couple of US manufacturers that list Disco cams, and if you are adventureous, you can check into US performance cams made for the Buick engine that this engine was at one time. Check out D&D Engineering in Illinois (or Michigan) for more info.

By rattle on Monday, July 16, 2001 - 02:43 pm: Edit

it sounds like lifter bleeding down over night
get some advice on oil the reason it gets better when truck warms upup is because the lifters pump up with oil