Cars Under

About two years after buying a used car under $5,000 there began to occur a taping sound coming from the engine. The sound would occur when the vehicle was first started but then it would subside once it warmed up for a few minutes.

Over time the tapping could be heard while driving as well. Basically it would occur most frequently after accelerating. In other words it was more noticeable during deceleration. Obviously most opinions pointed to the lifters causing the noise however it is interesting to note how opinions varied. This included an interesting mix of opinions from folks in the sales department as well as from mechanics and management as well. My goal was to find the cheapest solution to fixing the noise from this cheap used car which was completely paid for.

One opinion came from a mechanic who agreed that it was the lifter tapping which was what was causing the noise. His suggestion was to change the oil and add some Seafoam which is a product designed to do many things one of which is quiet down the lifters. This is not an endorsement and none of the information here is a recommendation of any kind just a past experience regarding saving money on used car repair. In due time we would actually wind up going with the Seafoam recommendation with some interesting results. Other opinions from various mechanics varied and included the mentioning of such additive products as Marvin’s Mystery Oil, Slick 50, and Gunk Motor Flush just to name a few. These products all apparently offer some positive results according to the various mechanics I spoke with.

The opinions of some members of management as well as some of the new and used car sales staff included what were all fairly good ideas as you have to start somewhere when you are seeking out the best and most importantly the least expensive solution to the engine making a tapping sound in a used car. One of the most common as well as most often first suggestions people would have was to try going to a higher grade gasoline. The mid grade for a used car which was not a high performance vehicle was the most common and in my opinion most logical choice. This is a cleaner burning fuel but the highest octane should be left for high performance engines according to one mechanic.

Another common suggestion was to begin using heavier weight motor oil which some say can help to reduce the noise coming from the engine. This made good sense so I added this to my go list. Apart from the remaining suggestions which were all about actually having the mechanics get down to properly troubleshooting the used car noise issue we decided to go with a combination of the suggestions and see if the noise issue could be resolved with the least amount of out of pocket expense.

The end result of this experiment was that we went with the Seafoam, the mid grade fuel and the slightly heavier weight oil. This combination of suggestions quieted the noise and was the absolute cheapest solution to having to avoid taking the vehicle into the shop yet at the same time fixing the noise issue. This was what I wanted to accomplish because the car was paid for and I really just wanted to help extend its usability without investing in expensive repairs or troubleshooting. This is one of the great benefits of driving a used car which is paid for and which is really not worth much anyway.