Reasons for Lifter Ticking Issue in an Audi

High performance vehicles usually have powerful and efficient engines to ensure that they live up to their owners’ expectations. These engines have many smaller components in and around them to ensure that they perform at optimum capacity. One such component is the hydraulic valve lifter that is tasked with ensuring that the valve clearance in the internal combustion engine is always at 0.

Audis have over time improved on the quality of their engines to ensure that they are as quiet as possible, yet completely efficient. This is one of the reasons why the hydraulic lifter was fitted into these cars; to ensure that there is zero clearance within the valve train.

Part of the advantages of these hydraulic lifters include improved longevity of engine life, reduced noise pollution, and the elimination of constant adjustment and servicing of the valve clearance.

In as much as the hydraulic lifter will normally have a long life and may not require replacement as often as other car parts, it may still develop problems along the way. These problems may put a damper in the otherwise smooth rides that an Audi assures its owners of. A common problem that many drivers have had regarding the hydraulic lifter has to do with a ticking issue.

Causes of Lifter Ticking Issues

Hydraulic lifter ticking sounds are produced when the internal piston within the cylinder does not make contact with the camshaft. While the sound may not necessarily be loud or distinctive, having to listen to it can be very annoying, especially if it is constant the entire time you are driving. Any unusual noise coming from your car is often likely to be unsettling and the lifter ticking noise is no different.

Some of the causes of this noise in your Audi include:

Old age

When the car has accumulated lots of mileage, it becomes very easy to experience the lifter ticking noise. Even if the car has not been in use for a long time, the internal piston that is constantly in motion can become worn down, causing it to malfunction and trigger the ticking noise.

Maladjusted valve

The hydraulic valve lifter is in constant motion, and this motion is affected by pressure changes. This can cause the valve’s original position to change and fall out of its regular beat. This means that the piston in the cylinder will not be in constant contact with the camshaft and as such the lifter ticking noises will be produced.

How to Deal With Lifter Ticking Issues

The lifter ticking noises coming from your car can be occasional or continuous, depending on the magnitude of the fault in the valve. The lifter ticking noises are a general indicator that there could be a looming engine problem that can interfere with the overall performance of your car. Fortunately, there are solutions to the ticking problem in your Audi.

Some of the possible solutions to your Audi lifter ticking issues include:

• Using oil additives to clean out the car’s lifters. Over time, dirt can accumulate in the valves and block regular movement and this will impair the lifter functions and result in ticking. When these contaminants are cleaned out using oil additives, the noises can be eliminated completely.
• Hydraulic valve lifters are extremely sensitive to the quality of oil used in the engine. Poor quality of oil may be causing the ticking noises. If that’s the case, changing the oil will easily restore the quiet in your engine.
• In case the hydraulic lifters in your car have gone out of adjustment, the solution would be to adjust them and bring them back into the right position. Adjusting the position of the valve only requires that the initial position be restored as it was at the point of manufacture. The manual will help you identify the spot and a few tweaks using a screwdriver will help.

If you are unsure of how to go about stopping the lifter ticking noise coming from your Audi, you need not be worried because a qualified technician will know exactly what to do. Landmark Motors has skilled technicians on call and ready to help you restore the silent and tranquil driving that you enjoy in your Audi. We have vast experience in servicing and repairing European brands such as the Audi. For Audi drivers in and around Seattle and Bellevue, WA, we are only a phone call away from your next appointment and all you need to do is dial.