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Jim Grant's Tech Tips
87
Dodge Caravan, Engine Clicks
Q: I own a 1987 Dodge Caravan with a 3.0L V-6
engine. It has 85,000 km on it. I have faithfully maintained the vehicle
with oil and filter changes every 5,000 km along with the recommended
service. The engine has developed a fairly loud noise from the valves(?)
on start up. The noise goes away when the engine is warmed up. Any ideas?
A: The
first step is to have your technician determine that the noise you're
hearing is, in fact valve related. If this is the case then generally
there are a couple of possible causes for the noise; worn parts or lack
of proper lubrication. For you non converters 85,000 km is approximately
56,000 miles and 5,000 km is just over 3,000 miles.
If my math is correct, your vehicle gets its oil changed about 1.7 times
per-year. That's a real problem, and if you're driving short trips even
more so. Short trip driving causes oil deposits to form that will make
the valve lifters noisy. One solution to your problem may be as simple
as stepping up the oil change intervals to every four months.
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