My car is making a knocking sound. I was told it is a lifter. Is my car safe to drive. Is a lifter somethin?

Question

fixable? I don't have a lot of money to spend. Is there a solution that I can do myself to make the lifter stop knocking? Thank you for your advise.

Answer 1

usually a lifter don,t knock, they usually just tick. but if you have a knock then it could be a rod bearing. if it isa lifter then you can keep on driving it. change the oil and filter and get some treatment and put in your oil. something like cd2 works pretty good. i used it before. another thing you can do if you have mechanical valves and that,s adjust the rockers. i have driven cars a long time that sounds like woodpeckers were in the engine.

Answer 2

Valve lifters are hydraulicly adjusted in modern cars, generally requiring no maintenance. However, sometimes the oil gets sticky and causes the lifter to not automatically adjust, causing a clicking sound and preventing valves from operating at proper efficiency. Yes, it's safe to drive, but should be fixed. If you want to try on you own, auto parts stores sell a variety of stuff in a can that supposedly can be poured into crankcase to silence the lifters. Costs a few dollars, but might be worth trying before taking to a garage for repair.



If that doesn't do it, I suggest you at least take to a mechanic for a proper assessment. Lifters tend to have a clicking sound and a knocking sound is usually more serious, involving pistons and connecting rods. However, this is rare and usually only on cars with very high mileage.

Answer 3

If a valve lifter is knocking, you should not drive the car. It will cause total engine failure.

Replacing bad valve lifters means opening up the engine...a very costly repair.

Answer 4

If it's the engine pinging/knocking, you might resolve that by using higher octane fuel. A tune-up would be good too. Spark knock or preignition sometimes is caused by carbon build-up in the combustion chambers. Other knocking might be something physically bumping, like a loose exhaust pipe. A torn engine mount can allow parts to contact other parts and knock together as the drivetrain sags.

Answer 5

if you keep driving it your eventually going to ruin your engine.

id suggest start looking for a new car...

but i will add..you CAN drive the car..my dad had a little ranger tht was knockin for almost a year before it died...its just a matter of time before it goes downhill...