Q: Car started making loud noise, oil changed prior to this

asked by on August 15, 2016

While driving the other day, my car started making very loud noise. It seemed to be originating from the top end. I had the oil changed prior to this. The noise was like there was not enough of oil, as if the lifters weren't getting enough of it. What could be the problem? Is this related to oil change?

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Hey there, thanks for writing in about your 2000 Saturn LS2. This can happen at times when the car has been sitting for a period of time. Hydraulic lifters help to operate the camshaft, which opens and closes the valves in your engine.

When your car sits for an extended period of time, the oil drains down to the bottom of the motor to the oil pan. When started up again, it takes sometimes a minute or two for the internal engine pressure to build up and circulate this oil to the top of the motor where the lifters operate.

The ticking sound is often times dry lifters that do not yet have enough oil running to them at start up. Depending on how pervasive this problem is, it could be more than this. I recommend having an expert, such as one from YourMechanic, inspect the noise in person in order to make the correct repair.

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