Valve tap or lifter tap
 

How can you tell the difference between valve tap or lifter tap ...I have a very light tapping sound around 2k and 3k rpm ...I have tried several different oils which made no difference ...there isn’t any tapping at idle and there isn’t issues driving or in performance ....the tapping is very light and can’t be heard on a video , is this something that is normal with vq engines ?

Tapping can be common. A remedy I know others have had success with is adding the correct amount of Seafoam to the oil. Ester oil also helps to quiet it down. Such as Red Line.

I have tried Amsoil..royal purple...and mobile 1 ....haven’t tried any sea foam ....wanted to get more info on the sound

Check this thread:

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/top...ink_source=app

Doesn’t really sound like that .....at idle it’s smooth and no sign of any sound ...only time I really hear it is between 2k-3k and even then it doesn’t sound as loud as those vids...one thing I did noticed was on my 2016 nismo ...I have the BP turbo kit and after install from a cold start I could hear more tapping sound and it would fade away after about 30 secs ...on my 2015 nismo which had a supercharger I didn’t have that sound until I removed the cats and went with test pipes ...after doing that both sounded very similar ...so I thought maybe the valvetrain noise might have been resonating more through the pipes ... it idk

The Z engines are noisy AF. Redline quieted mine down a bit. My 2 cents would be, dont let it get to your head. Took me a month of fretting to figure out that was normal.

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Whatever you do, Do not put Seafoam in it. What weight oils have you ran. A 5w30 works best. If you are using 0w40 you will get some noise until the car warms up a bit. That's what most boosted guys use. I do the same. It is more noticeable after an oil change. I have been looking to try some Motul X-Cess 5W-40.

Not to hijack this thread, but what's your issue with Seafoam? I've never added it to the oil, but I've been using it as a gas additive in all of my engines (cars, tractors, lawn mowers, snow blower, etc.) for years with no issues at all. I've also used it to clean out the intake of an old lawn mower and the difference it made was tremendous.

Sorry, I don't believe all the hype about Seafoam. I don't care about what it is made with. Just me, do what you want. The only fuel injector cleaner I have ever had work is BG 44k. That's it, and I have used many a product. Their intake cleaner also works very well. I went from getting 200 miles to a tank on my 300zxtt to getting 350 miles to the tank consistently. BG products flat out work.

Never heard of BG 44k, but I'll check it out.

There are a lot of independent tests which prove that Seafoam actually does work, but to each their own.

I run 5w30 and oil is changed every 3k miles ...car has 30k miles I didn’t go to 0w40 due to the BP kit using the oiless comp turbo

Was running 5w30 Amsoil...tried 5w30 royal purple ...( May have been slightly quieter ) then mobile 1 5w30

I kinda feel it may be normal but I rather look into it now just in case .....i Haven’t tried redline ..I think the royal purple may have been slightly quieter but hard to tell

Nissan's Ester Oil is supposed to quieten the valve train. Might be worth a try.

I thought that The ones I was using had ester in it as well...would there be a difference

There will probably be a difference due to the differences in formulae. No idea if there will be enough difference to matter.

I’ll try the Nissan ester oil next change ...I guess the main question would be when or what should i look for to be a concern ..if it even is anything

:iagree:
Seafoam cuts down the viscosity of the oil. Makes it watery. Doesn't allow the oil to stick to the rotating parts. Creating dry spots on the bearings.

I got some vids ..but had to actually set the phone in the engine bay to hear it .. I’ll post them soon

https://youtu.be/nB1wSazQUQI

This video I was able to get the sound by putting the phone in the engine bay so it sounds louder than it really is

I had this same condition in my 09 Z and is original operating for our VQ37HR engines to be noisy. I was paranoid for some time for nothing thinking I would have no choice but to rebuild or replace my engine. I started using the 5W30 Nissan Ester motor oil and 5W30 Royal Purple motor oil and in turn it quieted the drivetrain a lot try it. Also I went back to using the Genuine Nissan oil filters and the Genuine Nismo oil filter not sure if it helped quiet it down.

You can use Seafoam in our cars it works well but I highly recommend changing your motor oil and oil filter after you Seafoam though. The only fuel injector cleaner I used that actually worked was the Chevron fuel injector cleaner using the Chevron with Techron gasoline at the same time.

That stuff is flat out junk and does nothing. You always give bad advice, ALWAYS...

Know your facts before you go spouting off at the keyboard. You’re opinion is biased to Shell gasoline (French oil) and you only care about boosting your post cost. Chevron/Texaco gasoline is top tier gasoline and Techron is a great additive for keeping vital internal engine parts clean. I have stripped down two Nissan 2.5L and 3.5L engines that used nothing but Chevron gasoline,Chevron fuel injector cleaner, and Chevron fuel system cleaner the whole life of them. Both the 2.5L and 3.5L had 300K+ miles the combustion camber, intake valves, and cylinder heads were quite clean and had no caked on carbon deposits as what a lot of fuels that I seen leave on an engine after 300K+ miles says a lot about Chevron fuel injector and Chevron fuel system cleaner it has been proven to work time and time again.

I've used white vinegar and a handful of coffee grinds to clean my fuel injectors and never had a problem...

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I plan on switching oil ... was thinking royal purple .. redline ... or Nissan ester oil not sure which would be best

I'd go with Redline. Worked wonders with my chatter. Anything OEM is price gouging, and as for Royal Purple - your engine oil should never be the color of alien blood.

Agree... I've used Seafoam (both in oil and mixed with fuel) in most of my engines for years (2 stroke, 4 stroke,...) and have seen the difference it makes. I can't say the same about other additives.

Yeah, that works great too when you're running low on funds. :tiphat:

So while changing the oil and refilling ....I noticed filling the oil takes 5.12 qt oil and that fills it to full on the dip stick ....I didn’t take into consideration the the oil cooler takes .55 qt and with the length of my braided oil lines they take .35-.40 qt to fill so I added oil to compensate for the added cooler and lines ....no more tapping sound ....don’t know what I was thinking. Everything is running smooth and quiet now.