you may be right, and hopefully there are no major problems. My rig seems to work beter when it is used more often. It was used sparingly by the former owners, getting 80,000 miles total when I got it. I found if I drove it at least once a week, all thru the winter here, it ran quite well. I find the same with my 78 model car....when I use it regularly ( at least weekly) it runs better. The low mileage on many older vehicles may not always be a blessing, although it is sure an attraction.
You might find a few miles down the road the "tick" just goes away. ( lets hope so
To help, possibly even eliminate lifter ticking:
Put 2 or so Quarts of ATF in before your next oil change. ( you have to suction some oil out first, so it won't be overfilled. Then drive the vehicle until it is good and warm, maybe 20 miles or so. Drive normal, not aggressive. Let the engine cool somewhat and then drive it again. Maybe you've got errands to do anyways.
Then, have the oil changed, or change it your self, whichever you prefer. We have found this a very good way to de-sludge an engine and free up sticky lifters. The ATF is safe to use in engines for a short while, 50 or 100 miles or so.
We used to use this method in the shop, to free up sticky lifters in seldom used or stored Mercedes V8's.Our success rate was better than 75%.
I once tried an additive package, somethingMax i think, in my Dodge 360V8, and it worked surprisingly well. Got 14+ mpg on a long trip from Los Angeles to Nashville. ( up from 12) It too made the engine sound different, quieter and smoother overall.
I imagine that htese additives could also help free lifters and keep things lubed when the MH sits for a long time. The hardest wear always occurs during startup and warmup.
Uwe
One of the items that has been on the market for awhile is an oil pump accumulator. It is wired into the ignition circuit so that when you turn the key to the on position, a pump brings oil up from the oil pan and sends the oil into the lifter valley area. This helps prelube an area of the engine that receives a fair amount of wear on startup. I think these are available through speed and performance catalogs as well as J. C. Whitney. It seems that this would be just the ticket for a MH that has sat for a while.
__________________ Craig
AIR #0078
'01 2500hd ext. cab, 8.1 litre gas, 5 sp. Allison auto
3.73 rear end
Mag-Hytec rear diff cover
Amsoil Dual by-pass oil filtration system
Amsoil synthetics all around
265 watt AM Solar, Inc. system
Yeah, I saw one of these installed on a friend's turbocharged vehicle. It was a bladder type accumulator, with a magnetic valve, just like you said. I releases oil into the engine top via the oil pressure sensor galley through an adaptor.
In many vehicles, the oil pressure sensor is located in a crucial area of the engine, so as to monitor the oil pressure where it is liable to drop first in an emergency.
I would suggest to use only aircraft style hoses adn fittings for these, because they are in the oil circuit where pressure is present, and failure of the connection hoses would undoubtedly cause harm.
Turbos often spin in excess of 100,000 rpm. The accumulators on these engines are designed to continue to release oil to the turbo bearings after the engine is shut off and while the turbo spins down. You could modify it to hold oil pressure until engine start, but feeding just the upper end of the engine would be the problem.
Go to www.roeracing.com, do a search for ACCUMULATOR, click on Viper engine oil pre-luber and you will see one of the kits available for $269.95 plus $8 shipping. Just the ticket for your situation.
By the way, I had a '77 K5 Blazer that was hit in a near headon collision at an intersection by someone who couldn't tell the difference between a brake and an accelerator. The frame was bent and I needed an entire front clip not to mention a grill guard and new 8,000 lb. Ramsey worm gear winch. When I got the Blazer back 3 months later, there was a tapping in one of the lifters of my 350. It slowly faded after another 20,000 miles but you could still hear it. I guess just sitting there for so long didn't help it any.
__________________ Craig
AIR #0078
'01 2500hd ext. cab, 8.1 litre gas, 5 sp. Allison auto
3.73 rear end
Mag-Hytec rear diff cover
Amsoil Dual by-pass oil filtration system
Amsoil synthetics all around
265 watt AM Solar, Inc. system
The additives we used to use, other than ATF or common remedies, were Redline and Lubro Moly.
On the Mutli port injected cas, the Lubro Moly injector cleaner was superbly effective.
Porsche 911 Engines especially took well to the stuff. They have a Diesel Product, called HiTest, and it magically makes nailing noises from cold Diesels disappear. The stuff is medium priced, but well worth it. Most of the additives at Auto Parts stores are utterly useless. I don't think additives can ever replace frequent maintenance, but they sure can enhance it, if used the right way.
I remember the name of the stuff I put in my Dodge, in a flight of pre-trip shopping frenzy: Z-Max.
this actually made a difference. I never noticed any improvemens from the Slick 50 samples left with us when I had the shop. The Zmax did a good job for the trip, but it was expensive. It got me about 2mpg better in a big Dodge Van, from 12 to 14.5mpg fully loaded, at regular highway speed of about 70-75mph on a trip to Nashville from Los Angeles. Did I say that already?
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