Serpentine idler tensioner (and serpentine related items) Nope, I pulled the serpentine belt today and ran the engine with out it, noise was still there. I checked all of the pulleys anyway and did find the alternator pulley to be some what loose, but any noise from that is minor. Atleast for now.
The water pump is fine, no leaks, no wobble, and no I didn't replace it. Now that I know what I'm doing I can have it replaced in an evening.
I also changed my oil tonight no signs of any shavings, looks like normal, except maybe a little thin (sea foam). No signs of any other contaminants. Pulled 4+ quarts out, so thats a good sign as well.
One thing to note, when I started up after the oil chage the lifters were extremely loud until the engine regained oil pressure after 1-2 seconds.
If it turns out to be valve adjustment then you need to ask why. A sudden change in valve lash would suggest the possibility that a valve isn't closing all the way. Either that or something's changed in the geometry between the cam and the rocker.
True, which is why I am digging into this. I AM concerned. One thing to keep in mind is the lifters are adjusted using shims rather than a screw type of mechanism. I've seen other types of shims break/fall out. Would it really be impossible for something like that to happen in this case? I would certainly like it simply need a valve adjustment ( which the more I listen to it is what it sounds like ). If its piston related, repairs are going to be a bit more $$ Even if I do them my self.
I may pull the rocker covers tomorrow and look around, I'm out of town next week and won't be able to do much until I get back anyway.
-Mike
