My Dad had an old RR and used 20/50 always and the cheapest he could find, 250,000 K and quiet. My 2003 get pampered, best oil I could find and have always sound like a pressure cooker go figure. This engine designs are primitive and to be installed in light trucks and vans, no to be used in semi-luxury cars. You can try to polish a turd and will end up with a polished turd. It is what it is........

 

My Rover did this same thing. I don't know why it got louder with thicker oil, but I do know why it was ticking. And also why I couldn't determine whether it was in the top or bottom end. One of the cam bearings had fallen out of the block and was laying on top of the cam. The engines in these trucks are an absolute joke. It's funny how even parts that look heavy duty on these trucks are super weak.

 

a cam bearing would do that, that sux

 

Wow I've never even heard of something like that happening. Was your sound loudest from the bottom? If that's the case I guess I'll just run her till she blows up. Shame since it hasn't had any other issues. I can't think of any way to check that without doing a rebuild.

 

Mine sounds like the top end. Goes away at acceleration, is only there at idle, above 1200 or RPMs there is no noise.

Is that similar to your symptoms? How long did it take to replace?

Thanks,

 

I have the SAME EXACT THING. As I noted, I have the 180 grey t-stat, new fans, new water pump, oil pump, timing gears & gears, new Power steering pump, etc. I have great oil pressure at speed & idle.

I'm now thinking (hoping) that it's the rockers.

 

Wish mine was rockers... definitely deeper though. Sucks. I'm sure I'll be in the woods somewhere when she finally pops.

 

The good thing about the bearing was, it wasn't going to do anymore damage the way it was. There is a split in the bearing. So what I did was, when I had the intake off to fix a coolant leak, I grabbed it with some needle nose pliers and took it out. It had a big gouge in it from where it had been running against one of the lifters. I put a picture of it in a post years ago. You could probably find it if you search for it. I can't remember if it was my thread or not.

I couldn't tell where it was coming from without the motor apart. Sometimes it sounded louder up top and sometimes louder from the bottom. It was impossible to tell on mine.

 

My engine sounded much worse with Rotella T.

That said, you should be running 5w-40 diesel oil because the additive package is better for our flat tappet cams than modern auto oils.

 

the noise would be louder in the top end with a spun cam bearing, the top end it the last to get oil, so if it spins it will restrict oil flow to the cam bearing, it the bearing slide out of it seat oil will just pour out of the bearing seat and the rest of the valve train will not get oil.

if you noise go away after 1500 rpm or so it is probably a line after 1500 or so the piston speed is fast than the sleeve can move, so the sleeve never bottoms out.