The saga continues. I have invested to a degree that almost exceeds prudence with this vehicle, because I love it and I'm attached to it. I believe it has a machine Manitou -- an Algonquin "Great Spirit" manifestation that can exist even in inanimate objects. [I could tell you my own story, and how I was advised by a Shaman that "The Bear is your animal guide in the Spirit World." You could check the records at Whitefish Hospital for August to September 1972. You figure it out -- this thread is about my Trooper. When I polish it, the Manitou is pleased and the vehicle runs better!]
Since 2009, seven years following my purchase of this 1995 vehicle, it has given me "noisy valve lifter" and valve train noise. The fact is simple: I didn't possibly know, nor could many mechanics, that you would need to replace several sensors communicating with the ECM after 100,000 miles.
With continuous use of 16 oz Marvel Mystery Oil, 16 oz of Full Synthetic High Mileage 10W-40 mixed with four quarts of 10W-30 Full Syn HM oil -- preferably the same brand and product moniker, like "Edge" for instance as a Castrol product. All the sludge and varnish is gone. Just before the engine is at full operating temperature, the "tick-tick-tick-tick" would just disappear. Then later, it might come back, but filling the crankcase with exactly 8 oz exceeding the "Full" mark would really put a damper on the noise. Many times, "the noise" just wouldn't be audible at all, even if I were wearing my hearing aids.
So, on my recent trip to parts just east of Lake Tahoe on the Great Basin's edge, I noticed when I came to that altitude of 5,000+ that the "tick-tick-tick-tick" had returned. The Trooper otherwise gave stellar performance in a comfortable ride down US 395, where you will see several biker gangs on their Harley's from time to time. They like the road; they like the visual display of varied landscapes, lakes, mountains, clouds or every other thing.
And I returned home to Riverside in So-Cal evening of the 12th, pulled into the garage, opened the window and listened carefully: "Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick . . . . " and so on. But one has to listen carefully, because this engine has been treated with TLC for at least the last five years of its long life. Any other person who hadn't driven the Trooper for 22 years and the last 120,000 of its 203,750 mile life, would likely miss it, or they would miss it for just being automotively less familiar. I often would open my window when pulled up alongside a recent model car or truck, so I could hear my "tick-tick-tick-tick" echo off its door and sidepanel surface.
I researched all the possible causes -- a causal analysis, if you wish. Possible low oil-pressure? Or therefore oil-pump needs replacement? Wrong oil viscosity? Possibly even a PCV valve or fuel-injector noise? I can buy the low viscosity argument, and I had momentary panic when I considered the oil-pump factor or its likelihood. But it did not want for oil, with the extra quarter-quart topped above the high fill-mark on the dipstick.
This morning, I had an inspiration. I decided to reset the ECM: disconnect the battery at NEG; put key in ignition and turn fully as if to start the car; hold the key in place for 60 seconds; retrieve key and reconnect battery.
First thing I notice: initial startup idle pegs at 1,000 and then drops to it's spec 750 rpm as the engine warms up. There is NO tickety-tick-ticking. None.
But if you've reset an ECM in the past, what would cause it to need resetting in the present? Would it be environmental factors like barometric pressure, air density, humidity and other things? Or was this a flaw in the programming of the ECM in the first place?
It takes about five minutes, after which you need to reinitialize all the electronic gadgets and digital radio frequency to set it for a signal from the MP3 player I installed, which looks like a digital radio. Disconnecting the battery has consequences for these electronics, but only because it causes a reset to every one of them. But that's about it.
I also read somewhere that it could be a slight loosening or stretching in the timing belt. But my timing belt -- installed around 2009 -- still has 14,500 miles to go on its replacement interval of 60,000 miles. That is, this factor might cause the valve noise. But if that were true, I wouldn't have the result the Trooper gave me this afternoon after being made totally quiet.
Comment? Insight? Thoughts? I'm focused on this new discovery about the ECM, and the first half of my day was like an orgasm because of it. I think I want to go for a drive this evening -- like --- right now.
Since 2009, seven years following my purchase of this 1995 vehicle, it has given me "noisy valve lifter" and valve train noise. The fact is simple: I didn't possibly know, nor could many mechanics, that you would need to replace several sensors communicating with the ECM after 100,000 miles.
With continuous use of 16 oz Marvel Mystery Oil, 16 oz of Full Synthetic High Mileage 10W-40 mixed with four quarts of 10W-30 Full Syn HM oil -- preferably the same brand and product moniker, like "Edge" for instance as a Castrol product. All the sludge and varnish is gone. Just before the engine is at full operating temperature, the "tick-tick-tick-tick" would just disappear. Then later, it might come back, but filling the crankcase with exactly 8 oz exceeding the "Full" mark would really put a damper on the noise. Many times, "the noise" just wouldn't be audible at all, even if I were wearing my hearing aids.
So, on my recent trip to parts just east of Lake Tahoe on the Great Basin's edge, I noticed when I came to that altitude of 5,000+ that the "tick-tick-tick-tick" had returned. The Trooper otherwise gave stellar performance in a comfortable ride down US 395, where you will see several biker gangs on their Harley's from time to time. They like the road; they like the visual display of varied landscapes, lakes, mountains, clouds or every other thing.
And I returned home to Riverside in So-Cal evening of the 12th, pulled into the garage, opened the window and listened carefully: "Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick . . . . " and so on. But one has to listen carefully, because this engine has been treated with TLC for at least the last five years of its long life. Any other person who hadn't driven the Trooper for 22 years and the last 120,000 of its 203,750 mile life, would likely miss it, or they would miss it for just being automotively less familiar. I often would open my window when pulled up alongside a recent model car or truck, so I could hear my "tick-tick-tick-tick" echo off its door and sidepanel surface.
I researched all the possible causes -- a causal analysis, if you wish. Possible low oil-pressure? Or therefore oil-pump needs replacement? Wrong oil viscosity? Possibly even a PCV valve or fuel-injector noise? I can buy the low viscosity argument, and I had momentary panic when I considered the oil-pump factor or its likelihood. But it did not want for oil, with the extra quarter-quart topped above the high fill-mark on the dipstick.
This morning, I had an inspiration. I decided to reset the ECM: disconnect the battery at NEG; put key in ignition and turn fully as if to start the car; hold the key in place for 60 seconds; retrieve key and reconnect battery.
First thing I notice: initial startup idle pegs at 1,000 and then drops to it's spec 750 rpm as the engine warms up. There is NO tickety-tick-ticking. None.
But if you've reset an ECM in the past, what would cause it to need resetting in the present? Would it be environmental factors like barometric pressure, air density, humidity and other things? Or was this a flaw in the programming of the ECM in the first place?
It takes about five minutes, after which you need to reinitialize all the electronic gadgets and digital radio frequency to set it for a signal from the MP3 player I installed, which looks like a digital radio. Disconnecting the battery has consequences for these electronics, but only because it causes a reset to every one of them. But that's about it.
I also read somewhere that it could be a slight loosening or stretching in the timing belt. But my timing belt -- installed around 2009 -- still has 14,500 miles to go on its replacement interval of 60,000 miles. That is, this factor might cause the valve noise. But if that were true, I wouldn't have the result the Trooper gave me this afternoon after being made totally quiet.
Comment? Insight? Thoughts? I'm focused on this new discovery about the ECM, and the first half of my day was like an orgasm because of it. I think I want to go for a drive this evening -- like --- right now.
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