What are the best oil additive for noisy lifters on the market?
You are probably into cars and you know about the hydraulic valve lifters or simply filters. Perhaps, you recently went to a mechanic with a noisy engine. And he muttered, “Your lifters are all the cause – they’re bad sir/ma’am.”
So you want to know a remedy and (of course), the costs. The professional mechanic talks about cleaning and even parts replacement.
While the price he quotes for the fix to the problem is a bank breaker. “$2000 to $4000 but you can be sure the problem is fixed permanently sir,” he says.
I suppose you won’t be dead sure that this humming and droning sounds are ending for good after this guy works on it. And because faulty valve lifters can bring down the whole system with time, I have a better, easy solution for you – the best oil additive for noisy lifters.
Oil additives are chemical compounds which are added to a car engine to improve the lubrication performance of base oil. With this product, engine wear is reduced and its fuel efficiency increased.
If you see yourself in the above story, you’ll need to read with me through this article. You can afford to splash the cash like that.
What are Valve Filters?
For the sake of those who haven’t either seen or even heard of lifters.
Lifters are the cylindrical components in an engine that ride on a Cam Shaft to activate the intake and exhaust valves. Then little bars known as pushrods are pushed up with the in-motion lifters.
It’s the lifters that would then exert pressure in the system to open the valves.
Lifters come with little holes on the sides that are used to let in motor oil. Which is important when it comes to keeping the entire mechanism well lubricated for efficient performance.
There are different types of lifters:
- Hydraulic valve lifters which are used in mass-produced motor cars. They are self-adjusting and therefore don’t have a lot of maintenance work.
But they equally come with the lifter pump up problem. This where they lose pressure at high engine rpm.
- Roller Lifters; the end that rides on the Cam Shaft has a roller that reduces the valvetrain friction. This helps to reduce noise.
Roller lifters can be mechanical or hydraulic.
- Solid lifters are solid metal cylinders that are adjusted manually in given time intervals. You will find this kind of filters common with the racing applications.
And they also work well with higher spring rates. Compared to other types, solid lifters are noisier.
Well. That’s what we call valve lifters. Once your car engine starts throwing out strange noises, the mechanic goes straight to check the valves.
Why Do Lifters Become Noisy?
It’s very annoying to hear the dreaded lifter tick noise coming from the hood of your car. You can’t fancy the noise a second.
What causes this noise from the lifters?
- Bad or Old Lifter
Faulty engine lifters are a culprit when it comes to noise in the engine. Once this is diagnosed, a professional mechanic will need to replace them.
Find an experienced mechanic that knows his job well. Take your vehicle to the garage and find out more.
However, old lifters are not always the reason for the noise.
- Dirty Oil
For a layman, which includes you (unless you’re a mechanic), dirty oil should always be your first thought. If you use just any other oil from any shop, you will have to pay the price.
- Too Thick or Thin Oil
Besides dirt, this oil shouldn’t be too thick nor thin. Too thick won’t go through the lifter holes and too thin doesn’t lead to efficient lubrication of the system.
The result is intense friction in the system.
Why Would You Need to Use Oil Additives for Your Noise Lifters?
Basically, the best additive for noisy lifters is required to help improve the function of the engine lubricants. In terms of volume, additives constitute between .1 to 30 percent of the total volume of the lubricant.
Let’s say there are three key reasons why you need these products:
Oil additives are used to enhance the already existing properties of base oil. They add anti-oxidants, antifoam agents and demulsifying agents among other properties.
In case the base oil is loaded with some harmful or undesirable properties, the additives suppress them. This is made possible by the presence of pour-point depressants and viscosity index (VI) improvers.
Third, the additives also add new useful properties to the base oil. The different additions include metal deactivators, detergents, extreme pressure, and tackiness agents.
Different Types of Oil Additives for Noisy Lifters.
The type and function of the lifter noise additive are determined by its formulation. It is important that the chemicals involved are carefully and accurately mixed to give the desired products.
Here are the different types of oil additives commonly found in the market.
1. Rust and Corrosion Inhibitors
The primary function of the rust and corrosion inhibitors is internal rust prevention. They protect the metal surfaces by way forming a chemical protective layer.
This layer forms a solid barrier that hinders moisture from reacting with metal surfaces. In the process, the internal engine parts are protected.
Corrosion inhibitors are meant to protect specific metals. And most lubricants contain these components.
Archoil AR9100 (Link to Amazon) is a great additive when it comes to resisting corrosion. Besides, it ensures a quiet engine while your car is on the go.
This additive can also handle both diesel and gasoline engines.
2. Anti-Oxidants
Anti-oxidants are some of the most important properties of the oil. They prevent oxidation in the base oil.
During oxidation, the weakest components in the oil react with oxygen to produce acids and sludge. It is the acids that cause corrosion and sludge that causes surface deposits.
This will seriously degrade the performance of your base oil. Hence the need for anti-oxidants.
Generally, anti-oxidants interrupt the process of oxidation. What this means is that instead, the anti-oxidants are consumed and thus protecting the base oil.
Most oil additives for lifters contain these components. Be it grease, lubricants name them – they have anti-oxidants.
3. Anti-Wear Agents
Anti-wear agents attach to the frictional metal surfaces in order to minimize wear and loss of those metals in the engine. These additives activate when two metals come into contact.
In this situation, they react chemically, resulting in the formation of a protective film. Additionally, the anti-wear additives also help to prevent acid corrosion on the metals.
They also help prevent oxidation.
With time, the additives get used up while protecting the metals in the engine. It could still sound fine if we said they are used as the sacrificial compounds.
This Sea Foam Liquid (Link to Amazon) ensures that valves, pistons, and cylinders are cleaned properly. Any accumulated residues and deposits are dissolved for the efficiency of the engine.
4. Viscosity Index Improvers
These are large polymer additives that are added to the ‘thinned’ lubricants to retain or increase the viscosity of these lubricants in conditions of extremely high temperatures.
Most of the times, when there is an increase in temperature, base oil loses viscosity and becomes lighter. They will become dense and highly viscous once these additives are added.
Viscosity index improvers are also used for stabilizing the lubricants under low temperatures. Generally, this improves the fuel economy and ultimately reduces wear.
Have a look at the Liqui Moly Smoke Stop Oil (Link to Amazon) is a viscosity improver for all commercial motor oils. It reduces engine noise and comes at affordable pricing.
5. Detergents
The engine of the car gets hot, no doubt about that. The hot metal components of the engine are usually unstable and can degrade in quality.
Here is where detergents come in; they keep these metal parts clean. They also neutralize acids that accumulate in the engine base oils.
Detergents usually come in two forms –alkaline and basic nature. Which make them imperative reserve for the alkalinity of engine oils.
Overall, detergents are some of the best oil additive for noisy lifters when it comes to getting rid of impurities in the engine components.
Here I recommend this 32 oz. Marvel MM13R Mystery Oil (Link to Amazon) This is a versatile product that, besides freeing impurities from the engine oil and sludge, can also be added to the oil crankcase to boost your engine’s performance.
6. Anti-Foaming Agents
These additives feature properties that can inhibit foam and air bubbles that may build up in the engine oil. This is important for the suppression of base oil oxidation.
You don’t need to be told that corrosion would be much serious in such conditions.
While applying the anti-foaming agents, very low concentrations are used and you will have nothing to worry about your engine.
What Features to Look for in the Best Oil Additive for Noisy Lifters
You may want to go the extra mile and find out the best oils. But you need a guide for the same.
This is the reason I have put together the following aspects that can help you get the right oil additives that will give your car engine the expected quiet.
- Thickness
The thickness of the oil should be considered really well. It is good that you seek the advice of your mechanic or carefully go through the manufacturer’s instructions that can be found on their website.
But don’t think that thickest is the best. It doesn’t work as such – the important consideration is to get something just thick enough and therefore able to freely pass through the small engine holes with ease.
- Chemical Ingredients Composition
For any best additive to quite lifters, you must know the chemical ingredients contained in the compound. Some manufacturers, in fact, many of them provide this information.
Check to find out which ingredients are there. It is common knowledge that zinc and phosphorus are great at boosting the working of the additive oils.
So, you’ll need to have these oils. Because they boost engine performance and reduce wear and tear of the engine.
- MPG – Mile Per Gallon Increase
If you are looking for something a little extra, then it’s not just about performance but an increase in the miles per gallon. This indicates that your car engine is pulling off better performances than before.
This increase could just be a paltry 1.8 percent, and it’s still very fine. In fact, there should be no need to worry even an ounce.
Best engine additive quiet lifters that improve mileage also reduce friction and come with good lubricating properties.
- Compatibility
One of the reasons you should visit your car engine manufacturer’s website is to find out which additives are compatible with the engine.
You will notice that a number of additives can only work with gasoline. While others with diesel and some can support both types of engines.
- Optimizing Engine Performance
Always consider an additive that can also improve the performance of your engine. Things like friction should be a gone past.
It’s imperative to seek the opinions of previous users. This, alongside the information provided by the manufacturer, should be enough literature to help you know that you are buying a product you know, at least.
- Rust Prevention
The ability of the additive to prevent rusting of the metal components of an engine system should come to the forefront when shopping for these products.
The additive should ensure that no rust accumulates on and inside the lifters. It should clear oil passages and breakdown any rust elements inside the oil as well as cleaning the sludge.
- EPA Certification
EPA-Certified oil additives are eco-friendly and therefore the best for keeping environmental health in a good state. Any product labeled by this agency is harmless because they don’t contain dangerous elements or chemicals.
Final Thoughts
It is not going to be well with you if the lifters in the car engine are ticking. You won’t love this for sure.
Using the best oil additive for noisy lifters is one of the ways to counter this problem effectively. There are many products in the market to choose from but you need to really be extra careful.
Apart from my recommendations in this post, you could equally use the provided guide to do your own research and land the best product in the industry.
