I have a 1995 firebird with the 3.4L V6. It has a constant tapping noise from under the hood which my brother identified as a valve tap. Its constant at idle and taps faster the higher my car revs. The tap doesnt go away when it warms up and my Oil Pressure Guage pins and says 80psi most of the time.....somtimes at 60psi and as soon as i touch the gas it goes back to 80psi.
Any advice? If i do an oil change should i use thicker or lighter oil? synthetic or not? whats the best way to go? should i try replacing the oil pump? should i flush the topend?
MOST IMPORTANT can i damage it driving it around like this??? i checked the oil and its fine.How can I get rid of this Valve tap my car has?
You may check and see if they are adjustable.... if not then for now you can run an oil additive that adds some thickness to cushion the contact. Lucas oil stabilizer work pretty well, and so does %26quot;motor honey%26quot;.How can I get rid of this Valve tap my car has?
Drain your oil, fill with ATF, run for 5 mins, drain and refill with slightly heavier oil.How can I get rid of this Valve tap my car has?
First off ... don't run ATF in the engine. It will fix the problem temporarily and then cause the seals to start failing.
Second, figure out if you have hydraulic lifter or not. If they are non-hydraulic you can check the shims on the cams/valves to fix the problem.
If they are hydraulic pull them out and bleed them in a bowl of oil and reassemble.
