valve sound when cold

jojo · 10-03-2008, 09:17 PM

my aerio sx 2006 make sound (lifter or valve)when it cold for about 10 minutes .its the same in summer.the dealer told my its normal.but why the lifter is empty every morning? thank you.

greg409 · 10-03-2008, 09:41 PM

If I were to look in your oil filler cap & down thru same in your valve cover would it be clean?

Although I read somewhere that suzuki says lifter tick isn't a concern if it goes away in 20mins. or less, That's not really acceptable in my book.

Basically, there's (2) reasons for lifter noise - lots of wear & sludge (varnish).

If you change your oil regularly, varnish or sludge shouldn't bee an issue.
If it is, you can buy engine flush (NOT radiator flush!) & pour it in b/4 your next oil change. You may have to repeat several times depending on how crapped up your engine is.

If it's from excessive wear, i.e. superhigh miles, beating the poopoo out of it, & neglecting oil changes, then you're stuck unless you have it repaired.

I suspect since it stops ticking, that it's sludge.
Make sure you use the proper weight oil, also
(my '03 w/147k mi. uses 5w20 year around)

good luck, greg409

jojo · 10-04-2008, 07:34 AM

i change my oil every 5000 km at dealer my odometer as 45000km and i never beat my motor. thank you for your help!

HRCguru · 10-04-2008, 07:50 AM

Lifter tick when cold is normal b/c the hydraulic lifters require a few minutes to pump up with oil .

jojo · 10-04-2008, 08:13 AM

its sound like diesel for 10 minutes every morning in winter.i agree, maybe its normal for suzuki motor...

greg409 · 10-04-2008, 10:15 AM

As you probably know, there's a big difference between how a diesel sounds on startup and a lifter noise on gas engines.

I've always associated the diesel-type noise in gas engines as worn wrist pins @ connecting rods, but, it doesn't go away after warmup.

The collapsed lifter noise is more of a loud ticking & can be one or more lifters.
I read through the shop manuals (p.259 vol.1) & suzuki indicates that it's poss to have valve lifter noise on startup.

Reading between the lines, I believe the design of the lifter allows air to displace the oil causing possible excessive valve clearance on start.

I still don't like it, but, if it's acceptable to manufacturer, I'm in.
Mine ticks on initial start (cold) for 5-10 seconds about twice a month & goes away. (well maintained, 147,000 mi.)

If a dealer says it's normal, (especially in writing) & it goes away after a few minutes, I'm a changed skeptic.

Good luck, greg409