engine valve tick
 

The 300e with 161k has this.... seemed like during the winter it was only there on startup....we were using rotella 15-40 synthetic...recently switched over to 20w-50 dino for the summer...

would it likely be mitigated by thicker oil or thinner oil....?

also what is the likely longer term repair, valve guides? I am a bit in the dark on this type of work....

you may be using too heavy of oil. on my 84 500sec when i used rotella it would tick for a good ten minutes until i had maybe 1500 miles on the oil. i switched to mobil 1 10w30 and it stopped.

tom w

I'd think 20w50 is way too thick for your engine. I'd go 10w30 or 10w40 in the summer, 5w30 in the winter. Unless you have VERY badly worn rings or leaks and are trying to limit oil consumption, 10w30/40 is the best for your engine in the summer.

Ticking is usually caused by sticky hydro lifters/studs. Thicker oil makes them stick more.

Consider it done.... i think i will try another round of synthetic...got it in the garage...