Hey guys/gals,

 

My 93 EA82 has a very, very loud ticking/clacking noise.

My car is all stock. It has just over 80,000 miles.

 

I am looking for a procedure to verify what is wrong with the engine.

How can I determine if the lifters are what is causing the noise?...a compression test? Do I have to remove them to know for sure?

 

thank you in advance.

i'm not aware of any definitive test. usually if it's really bad there's just one or two that are noticeably loud from either side or front/back. get a mechanics stethoscope and try to narrow it down that way.

 

how long has it been doing this? was it fine for 20 years then one day started being really loud (probably not?)?

 

have the headgaskets ever failed or has the engine ever been overheated?

 

there's all sorts of possibilities with HLA's.

 

resealing or replacing oil pumps can quiet noisy HLA's.

resealing the cam carrier can quiet things down.

replacing the HLA's can quiet them down.

 

doing all of the above would certainly solve the issue. given the age i wouldn't worry about which ones are good or bad as there's a company Mizpah Engineering that rebuilds them for like $5. given the extensive job involved in replacing it would be silly not to just replace them all.

you'll never believe this....one of the bolts on the TC/flywheel had backed out and is tapping against the case, making an awful racket!