no oil need help!

[RollinBishiStyle]

So my girlfriend tells me that her galant is making a clicking noise. When i listen to it it sounds like a friggin deisel. Theres a loud clicking. Any ideas what that is???? Is it the lifter ticking or a bent rod? Please help me here.


Oh yea when i checked the oil there wasnt any. She skipped an oil change. Should it be that bad just from missing 1 oil change?

[luxcrusr2000]

That noise is probably from it having no oil in it. Fill the oil to the proper level and then check for the noise. If it's still there, she may have done some damage to the engine.

[RollinBishiStyle]

i just filled it up and when i started it it was still making the noise. Would it take a little time to go away or would it be immediate?

[luxcrusr2000]

It should take a couple of minutes but nothing more. If it still makes the noise after that get it checked by a mechanic ASAP.

[pinoyesv6]

my car had lifter tick. i switched over to synthetic and the ticking went away. but yea, if your car is under warranty, the dealer will replace your lifters. they did mine for some reason.

[99TBP-ES]

If the I4 Galant motor is anything like any other I4 motor I have been around, there are no lifters. You have A single cam that has lobes on it, that as it rotates, hits the valve stem which in turn opens the valve and lets in fuel/air or lets out the exhaust. After time, the distance between the valve seat and the opening will grow either due to normal wear and tear, or low on oil for an extended period of time. Just do a valve lash adjustment on the car(or have a mitsu tech do it) Most I4 motors usually have this service done at either 30 or 60K miles.

Here is what it looks like
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/engine-cam.gif

Go here for more info on camshafts and valves
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/camshaft.htm ('http://auto.howstuffworks.com/camshaft.htm')
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/camshaft1.htm ('http://auto.howstuffworks.com/camshaft1.htm')

Here are the different arrangements of heads out there
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/camshaft2.htm ('http://auto.howstuffworks.com/camshaft2.htm')