I think Pennzoil Platinum

 

Any chance this is is related to the failed oil galley (rear timing cover) gasket? It would cause low oil pressure and the hydraulic lifter noise.

 

i just run mobil 1 or castrol synthetic motor oils and i change the oil every 3500 miles. some guys have preference to ester oils, redline, royal purple, lubro moly, etc etc. if you are worried about the condition of your engine go online to blackstone.com and request a free oil test sample kit. they will ship it to you and you can take an oil sample on your next oil change and they will send you results of metal wear precentages within your engine.

lifter noise depending on how badly the lifter condition is can vary from light ticking, to tapping, to knocking noise if its totally collapsed.

 

If you have the infamous VVEL ticking don't use Nissan Ester for it's not synthetic. I use Redline which is fully synthetic. Ester does help with the ticking lifter noise.

 

PP made the lifter noise more noticeable for me. PP is not ester based

 

I don't know where the idea that the recommended nissan ester oil means you have to take things to extremes with group V ester-based oils, which are expensive, and likely overkill outside of racing applications. Nissan ester oil has a small amount of an ester additive in it, which seems to be comon in many motor oils. It also has a bunch of molybdenum and other ep/aw additives, which probably do more for quieting things down than a dash of ester

Certain engines will be louder on certain oils. Buy the rotating synthetic special at yor local parts store and when you find one that keeps your car quiet, stick with it.

If it's really irritating you, change oils, but it is, as nissan says, a "cosmetic" issue. The noise isn't indicative of anything being wrong or wearing abnormally

 

any body following up with is? my car just start making the same noise now...

 

There is much talk of "hydraulic lifters" in this thread. However, I don't think the VQ37VHR employs hydraulic lash adjusters. The FSM shows "bucket"-style lifters on both intake and exhaust, which would require shimming if the valves were out of adjustment.

 

those hydraulic lifter or lifter buckets you are referring to can only be replaced. you can not shim them. the lifter buckets themselves come in different heights and you are supposed to install the lifter buckets in the head and torque the camshaft onto them and check the clearance with a feeler gauge. excessive clearance would mean you need a higher riding lifter bucket.

 

I'll make sure I post a video of my engine - not sure if I remember it making this noise but I'll do one before and after my oil change as I use Mobil 1 0W40 - I live in New England but the 0w40 has been good to all the VQ's I have owned and has quieted them down significantly.

 

Most of the examples above seem to be mechanical - valve issues, tensioners, etc. I am experiencing the classic "knocking and pinging" or secondary firing in the chambers, which may or may not be *misfires*. The sound is similar to *dieseling* and tends to happen in low RPM, either starting from a stop or just after coming to a stop for just a second or so. Usually, this is attributed to lower octane or poor gas. I use Premium 91 (max in CA) full-synthetic Mobile 1, and even changed my plugs. Only 55k, but it's a 6 yr old car. The manual says 100k or 6 yrs, so I figured changing the plugs would be A-OK. I found the original plugs to be gapped @ .038, yet the manual calls for 1.1 or .043/.044. I regapped all the new plugs @ .044, which is what multiple plug manufacturers recommend and the idle is smoother, the AT/DS downshifting into higher revs seem to be a bit smoother and not as jumpy, but I am still getting the knocking. I cleaned the MAFs and TBs. I am not sure if the car had the aforementioned TSBs or any recalls completed as mine originated in Florida and arrived in CA after its 3rd owner. Any suggestions or experience with this issue?

Thanks mucho!

 

Cam gasket fixin' to fail?

 

I have an 09 coupe w gen 3 intake, and same sound out of nowhere. I’ve read a 1000 different opinions and every g37 blog on the subject with no solution. One mechanic even replaced the timing chain. DiD nothing. Just changed to HFC and sound is gone!!

 

I had the same ticking start out of nowhere. and it drove me crazy!!!!!. 09 g37s coupe started with this ticking around 100K. (And I have a Gen3 intake btw). So, switched to Nissan oil thinking that about 3 cycles(9k miles) would clear up anything VVEL related. Also had timing chain replaced(warranty) with no solution. Then installed HFC and sound magically disappeared. Then added HKS cat back exhaust. Has never run better. That VQ37 engine needs to breathe I guess. That’s all.

 

So here's what's weird. I have a 13 G37X sedan with 45,424 miles on it. Three days ago I took my car in for an oil change amongst other things and I decided to give Redline 5W-30 a try since I heard it rids the VQ of the valve tick. I've been having the tick since I got it at 23,500 but have been using quality oil (Mobil 1) and changing it at the appropriate intervals. Brought the redline oil and Nissan filter to my mechanic, and after I got the car back it still has the tick and its still especially noticable on a cold start! Is it not supposed to go away instantly? Just curious about this.