Infamous 5.3 cold start tick. Dealer says just carbon?

Mossyoakglock · January 16, 2014

So I get the infamous cold start tick randomly in the mornings but Ive had it happen the past 4 days in a row (it has never done it more than 2 days in a row until now). Temp has varied from 32(today) to 55. Ive had it in the dealer maybe 4 or 5 times for this issue and they dont really seem to want to help. Every time I take it in I let them keep it for 2-3 days to see if they can duplicate the noise and they never can (seems they can never duplicate a noise when you take it in). Either they dont hear or they do and say they dont because they dont want to fix it.

So with the help of GM Customer Service here they called me about two weeks ago and the service manager said he would talk the Customer Care Specialist. Didnt hear from him so called him yesterday letting him know it has done it 4 days in a row this week. He says the CCS has some stuff that he wanted to fax to me so hes sending that over (still havent received it). He then says that it is probably just carbon possibly causing the valve to stick. Could that be true?

There was a post on another forum asking about the tick and one person said he used either Lucas or STP and it stopped his tick all together and the engine was overall quieter. They state that the Lucas makes the oil a little more tacky so it sticks to everything and keeps a good coat of oil on there during cold starts. Somebody also mentioned using Seafoam in the crankcase, running it and then changing the oil. Ive heard for just 30 minutes for 500 miles so not sure which is right.

So I need opinions since the dealer doesnt seem to want to help much. Should I try some sort of oil additive (Lucas, STP, Seafoam, etc) to try and bust any deposits up? Im planning to run some BG44K through the fuel to clean up the injectors and combustion chambers to knock any carbon off as well. Im currently running Castrol Edge 5w-30 with PureOne filter.

Reading around Ive found a few options:

1. Use an oil additive to help clean (Lucas, STP, etc)

2. Change to Castrol 10w-30 oil (truck doesnt like M1)

3. Use German Castrol 0w-30

4. Seafoam in crankcase

5. Seafoam intake (with long hose you put in the throttle body)

mike94silverado · January 16, 2014

If its just supposed to be carbon try seafoam

STINSAN3 · January 16, 2014

Only times mine had did this, when its real cold & I'm parked on a slope/slanted hill.
Cold tick, till it warms up. Not too worried.

mattymax · January 16, 2014

Can you be there when the truck is started and warming up ? Drop the truck off the night before and get there in the morning.

Mine has this tick. Dealer sais its normal and everyone on here stated theirs does it too. Mine is the 6.0 gas.

-matt

orviskid · January 16, 2014

my old truck would do that even in the garage. always tick like crazy when i first start it. takes afew minutes to stop. wasn't even cold and it did it. oil was always topped off too. i did have the carbon cleaning down one time because i couldn't push down on the gas pedal any more there was so much stuff on the throttle body, but that didn't affect it. still ticked.

Mossyoakglock · January 16, 2014

I'm going to try some seafoam in the crankcase and run it for about 100 miles and then change it and also run some BG44K through the fuel system. They claim it cleans the combustion chambers and cleans up carbon. After that I'll try the seafoam spray with the straw to get the top end.

If that fails I'll switch to German Castrol 0w-30. I read on another GM forum that they used it and it stopped the tick completely. I run that in my wife's Audi so I'll just start buying it by the case.

NitroCherokee · January 16, 2014

Is it a tick? or a knock? I have an 06 Yukon 5.3 with 198,000 miles on it now always ran Valvoline conventional 5w30 and it has had a cold start knock since about 15,000 miles. When cold started now it knocks about as loud as my Powerstroke Diesel. These were also pretty common to have the rear bolt on the left exhaust manifold snap off and give you a cold tick noise from the exhaust till it warmed up (dad's 6.0 does this) The cold knock is basically just the teflon coated pistons and is not hurting anything. Years ago in the dealer we had a customer who complained about the cold knock from about 12,000 miles till GM gave him an engine at nearly 300,000 miles. That 300,000 mile engine was beautiful inside still and you could still see the crosshatches in the cylinder walls

jhm · January 16, 2014

Piston slap. nothing anyone can do about it. no mechanic in a bottle will remove carbon that is built up enough to cause noise. you would need to take the heads off.

Mossyoakglock · January 16, 2014

It's a tick. It goes away after about 10 seconds way before the truck is heated.

Bad Bowtie2 · January 17, 2014

I would make sure your truck has an AC Delco oil filter on it before you take her in for warranty work on something like this. I know, sounds silly, but there are steps a lone GM dealer has to check due to GM Coporate guidelines....

6.2max · January 18, 2014

Its the hydraulic lifters leaking down and ticking until they get enough oil on cold start to pressurize. My 2009 5.3 did this from day one.

No amount of additives or carbon cleaning is going to get rid of it.

They dealers see this same issue on the majority of trucks - thats why they are not doing anything.

Oddly enough - the Chevy 2500 6.0L I drive at work has never made a peep of piston slap, or lifter tick - and its had the heck hammered out of it - go figure.

redtherocket · January 19, 2014

Sounds to me like you have some piston skirt slap.

Drive on, it will never fail.

You could try 0-30 oil, but you will most likely still get the slapping...

Also,,

Motor oil Additives in a well maintained late model is absurd.... Never put any of that snake oil in your motor. Never.

Oil has everything your engine needs to keep it clean.. Especialy Dexos.

If you want to get real serious, and you think you have more than a skirt slap, I would throw the word "Cam Phaser" in the dealers face...

The new 5.3 must have one. It hass VVT.

This is a common issue on the 5.4 Ford.

Phaser failure... Major diesl like tick...

The phasers rely on motor oil pressure to operate, so if they lack oil, the engine can tick from poor timing

You need to have your start up oil pressure checked, and make sure your using the proper oil filter..

Bad Bowtie2 · January 22, 2014

GM had a TSB for an improved design oil pump for a somewhat similar concern. I do not have the bulletin # though. Maybe a GM tech on here could post it up???