noisy lifter

[girlfriends 04 vibe]

got one or more of them and not getting much help from anywere i look, even the on line chiltons book that i got. are they adjustable, or are the a solid lifter. anybody know?

[djb383]

Don't believe Vibes have lifters or push rods, etc . The valve train is a mechanical 16 valve dual overhead camshaft system. All mechanical valve trains make noise.....just the nature of the beast. Also, it's my understanding the adjustment is done by changing shims......similar to a motorcycle valve train and can be quite a procedure for someone that is not experienced. I'm not aware of anyone that has checked their valve clearances and found any out of factory spec. Unless the engine has run low on oil or been neglected with long oil change intervals, the valve train is almost bullet-proof.

[ramenboy...]

i could be way off here, but maybe the car is in need of valve lashing. at some point the valves get adjusted w/ shims.don't know alot of vibes who've gone through this yet

[djb383]

It's called 'checking/setting the valve lash'. Each valve must be checked and the clearance recorded and compared to factory spec. If the clearance is out of spec, the correct shim must be used to bring the clearance back into spec. Here's a valve inspection report/form used on motorcycles but it will work fine for the Vibe. Post your results, mileage, etc. Thanks.http://www.calamarichris.com/images/valveform.pdf

[girlfriends 04 vibe]

thanks i bought the Chilton book on line.

[djb383]

Good idea as it doesn't seem difficult, just very detailed. If an adjustment is needed, the cam(s) will need to come out and a good instruction manual would be a must. Post back with your results.

[swifty]

Make sure the noise is a lifter and not an issue the the VALVE COVER.There is a TSB (TechServBulliten) on the Oil Filler hole getting bent by Quick Oil Change places that use a nozzle that they poke into your oil filler which bends the filler splash tab so it will interfere with your rocker arms and make a bunch of racket... sounds like valve train problems...but its not. Make sure to check this out before u go the major expense of a valve adjustment.Should not need valve adj for a long time as these are for sure shim adjustable and kind of difficult and expensive to do.

[pljenkins]

My '03 has made a light "ticking" sound from the valve area for as long as I can remember. As someone else on here said, they all made some noise. This ain't a BMW! Unless something bad has happened under the hood (bad gas/contaminant/lead in gas, detonation problem, exceeding redline, forgetting to change the oil regularly), you should never have a problem with valves in this engine.

[djb383]

IIRC, the manual does say that a valve inspection s/b done.......not sure at what mileage though.

[ColonelPanic]

Thye call for a "valve clearance inspection" at 60,000 mi. But who really ever gets it done? Apparently on the Matrix or Corolla it must not be listed as a requirement as the Toyota dealers I talked to never knew anything about it.

[djb383]

.........talking about valve clearance inspection is not exactly "sales talk" and there's lots of things dealers are clueless about. Some valve trains are hydraulic, therefore self adjusting, and inspection is not needed. All mechanical valve trains require inspection and possible adjustment.

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by djb383 »Don't believe Vibes have lifters or push rods, etc . The valve train is a mechanical 16 valve dual overhead camshaft system...That is correct. There are no lifters in modern, overhead cam engines. Also, IIRC, solid lifters have not been used in most cars since the 1960s.