OK, so who else . . . ?

Lifter Noise (my story)

WTF causes these lifters to go bad so prematurely? I cannot really blame maintenance becaue this engine has had regular oil changes, about every 4,000 miles signed by a dealer.

I've also read a couple things about newer (like '96-'97) B6304's having "knocking" or loud "ticking" noises so it doesn't seem like one of those things you can really say "oh they at least fixed that later" or that it's extremely isolated. It's not very encouraging.

At 92,000 miles, I've tried two engine flushes hoping they were gummed up, the first removed all kinds of crap because I had "just" changed the oil and filter 200 miles prior and man did all kinds of black sh** come out. So now my engine is now spotless internally, the flushes seemed to have helped a little, the noise is less of what sometimes would turn into a "knocking" like noise and is now more like a loud ticking/tapping. Before, the noise was actually sometimes occuring even after warmed up when at idle.

I purchased a warranty with the '94 960 and they declined to cover the lifters so I immediately cancelled that sh**.

McKevitt Volvo first did an oil pressure test hooking up a gauge. They thought it was the Sump/Oil Pump O-ring issue they say often causes lifter noise. They claimed that oil pressure was fine and actually slightly higher than normal specs.

They then diagnosed the noise as bad lifters and quoted $2100 labor, which is completely insane being the shop manual from what I read calls for 8.4 hours labor, even if you were charging $100 per hour that's still only $840, even at $150 per hour that's still like $1250. The lifter set cost is $340. What's scary is they told me that they've actually replaced the lifters in attempt to remedy the noise and sometimes they still make noise after where the whole engine needs to be replaced!

I don't think it's going to get any better. I've researched the issue and read about getting the RPM's up there for several minutes to free sticking lifters etc. I've done this, it get's better for a little while but is still there, then seems to unexpectedly come back harder. Sometimes you can hear the faint noise when driving. I guess I might contact European Automotive in Modesto, they are usually extremely reasonable and have been good to me in the past when I needed things done. I have a feeling they'd do it for around $1000.

If the Oil Pump O-Ring was bad causing low oil pressure wouldn't the oil pressure light come on? This sounds like a fairly common issue, should I have just also have these o-rings replaced while it's in, it sounds like a good idea to be safe?


Really sucks this thing wasn't making this lifter noise when I looked at it, just my luck. Anyway, right now I'm not too crazy about white blocks . . . .

Just wanted to thank everyone for the replies . . . .

I put a half quart of Marvel Mystery Oil in there, using 10w40 Castrol Syntec, I'm going to put another half quart of MMO in there, continue to drive it and see what happens. If the noise isn't quited down significantly in about 7,000 miles when it's time to do my timing belt I'm going to have the Oil Pump O-Rings and Lifters done.

I just got an actually fairly reasonable quote, Volvo Lifter Kit + Labor $1044 from a good sized indepdendant european service shop that has done good work in the past. They said they've done lifters before but they almost always come back still making noise where they ended up having to do the Oil Pan O-Ring. For $1444 I could have the Oil Pan O-Ring AND lifters done.

Not sure why McKevitt Volvo quoted $2100 labor just to do the lifters when the Volvo shop manual only calls for 8.4 Hours of labor. I can see any dealer charging a little more but that's just ridiculous.

Maybe I should just take it in and have the Oil Pump O-Rings done anyway, seems to be a fairly common issue?


Again, thanks for all the input, really appreciate it!

Hi, I know how annoying it can be. I have used Marvel Mystery oil in a regular dino oil change, just 1 quart and in 2 weeks the noise went away. If it doesn't, change the lifters! I get the German light weight replacements for 180.00. Never had a problem afterward. You must make sure that the oil holes to the lifter are clean and open before you install the new lifter. Pipe cleaners and CRC throttle body cleaner will do wonders, plus it cuts the gasket goop off the gasket surfaces. I charge between 6 and 9 hours depending on how dirty everything is. I also like to soak the new lifters in 5w -30 oil overnight. Hope this helps. Pauli

Replacing the lifters is not an easy job; I've done it. It's an all weekend job for a hardcore driveway mechanic.

I don't know that you can rely on the oil pressure measurement as a good indicator of the oil pickup tube o-ring seal. It only take a little stream of bubbles in the oil stream to make noise in the lifters.

I've done the oil pickup tube replacement also, and it's not real easy. It's a one day job for the hardcore driveway mechanic. The parts are real cheap.

The price you cited on the lifter service kit is WAY high. I can tell you a dealership where you can order the kit for ~$170 and this is the Volvo kit.

Keep in mind that you want to have a good mechanic who has the right tools to install that top head section and one who will do a goo djob in dealing with the chemical gasket do the job. You don't want to be finding yourself in the situation of the poster in this board who has a cracked top head section which almost certainly resulted from a 'not so good' mechanic.

I did the oil pickup tube o-ring first, then the lifter kit. Because of the cost difference in the jobs, I would reccomend doing them in that order, but you'll probably end up doing both to fix it just as I did.

my 94 does it at startup.when i bought it a couple yrs it was very loud and got worse while driving.a couple high rev sprints down the hwy cured the very loud ticking.at my last oil change i experimented with castrol 20/50 to see if the startup tick would go away,it didn't.back to 10/30 or 40 at the next change.i think i'll throw in a qt of marvel a couple hundred miles before the upcoming oil change.
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92-965-225k, 94-965-223k, 92-944t-216k

I've got a 98 S90 w/76K and a 95 964 w/152k and they both make the noise at times. I've used, M1 10W30, 0W40 and 5W40 as well as dino 10W30 and the noise will show up with any of these oils.

I find that the 'ole Italian tune-up works for both these cars.... but only for a while. If I drive like a granny for a while the ticking will come back until I blow the carbon off the valve guides again.

Since your Oil pressure checked, it's probably not the O-rings in the sump.

DEWFPO
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1998 S90 071,245 and 1995 964 154,100

I blame 10w30 oil. Its just too thin for this application especially when you start getting close to 100k miles. I had noisy lifters from the day I bought the car at 70k miles. Switched to M1 5w40 at 90k and it never happened again. I think putting things other than engine oil in the crank case is unnecessary when the solution is so simple.

I have a similar lifter tick in my 98 V90 with 107K. In fact it has been there since I bought it with 88K on it. Also, I have the service records for the vehicle and the previous/original owner had the problem going back to the 45-60K range. The Volvo dealership treated the problem with Marvel Mystery Oil.
I have tried that and it seems to work. It is so intermittent I have stopped worrying about it. The car runs perfectly otherwise and does not burn or lose oil at all. I do not think it will effect the longevity or performance of the engine.
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94 940 106K ,98 V90 96K

Check the wbsite for Auto r-x, it may help and then again it may not,fortunatly haven't had the problem you are talking about, some mild ticking just on occasional start up. I have used the auto r-x treament a couple of times at the 100k and two more times at 200k,225k on her now and running strong.
Hope that helps
Poolman

Don't waste your money on the AutoRx snake oil for this problem it will do nothing but set you back $25. Been there, done that...wish I had the $25 back.
The effectiveness of that AutoRx stuff is fodder for a seperate discussion.

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94 940 106K ,98 V90 96K

The Auto r-x is good for one thing-cleaning the system out-it's a damn good laxitive for yor engine-before switching over to synthetic motor oils. If you have mechinical problems due to ware-this stuff is not going to help-if you are having problems due to oil build up and varnishing Auto r-x will help,Fodder that
Poolman