Strange noises during start-up...

Ok so My wife gets a new car and my car goes about 4-5 days without being started. This morning I start it up and it sounds like there's no oil. Fairly loud tapping....

I freak out and turn it right off. I waited a few min, decided to start again to let it idle for 30 sec...if it doesn't improve I'll get it taken in (towed) and looked at.

Well after about 10-15 sec it stops and starts running fine.

I was worried oil is low (which I'm pretty good about), but it's been about 4-6 weeks since I checked it. I add a quart just in case and go to work.

I pull the stick and let it sit for 4 hours and check it at lunch. Now I'm bit over. If I were to guess the car was at most 3/4 quart low which means I'm 1/4 quart over.

Ok few details....

4-6 weeks sounds like a lot between checks, but I don't put many miles on the car. It's an '06 with 58k. I do less then 1,000 miles per month. I work 3 miles from my house. It's a daily driver, and except for a few situations (merging mostly), I don't run it hard at all.

I'm running Shell Rotela T6 5w-40

The car sat on a city street which is fairly arched. That is, it's not flat. One side of the car was about...Ummmm 5" or so lower right to left (not front-to-back) then the other side.

Did the oil drain out of one side of the engine sitting on the side-to-side incline?

Never happened before, but I don't remember letting it sit for so long....

Otherwize the car is in perfect shape. Never abused, never raced and I keep up on maintenance (just about to do 60K maintenance).

Thoughts?

Never raced it...yea we all tell the cops that...LOL

A little over on the oil is not bad.

My 05 did that once a few years back and I'm pretty picky about keeping my oil full. Last summer it sat on jacks for most of 4 motnh's and only started it a few times after long breaks, it never made a sound.

I'd say your fine as long as the next day it starts fine.

You do know that you should change your more often if you only drive short distances.

Never raced it...yea we all tell the cops that...LOL

 

A little over on the oil is not bad.

 

My 05 did that once a few years back and I'm pretty picky about keeping my oil full. Last summer it sat on jacks for most of 4 motnh's and only started it a few times after long breaks, it never made a sound.

 

I'd say your fine as long as the next day it starts fine.

 

You do know that you should change your more often if you only drive short distances.

Thx for the input...

First, I really don't race it, but every once in a while ill get in the gas a bit.

Funny you mention the short trip....

To be honest about the drive to work, it's 3 miles though town, about 8-12 stops, or I can take a rout that's closer to 9 miles, but there is only 4 stops and I can get to highway speed. I take the longer route to work cuz I figure it's better for the engine and only adds 2-3 min to driving time. I usually go home though town, but usually drive the car after work....

But yes, I'm aware short trips, especially in the cold, can have an effect on oil...

i get on my car everytime I drive it, everywhere there is an open road, on every road I'm familiar with. I have since I bought the car, and it has not affected start up sounds.

 

are you referring to piston slap? Because I, and a lot of people on this forum, have that during startup.

Well putting a sound into words is tough, but it was a lot different then any sound the car had ever made. Even if it was "piston slap" one wouldn't expect that it would go from non-existent to really loud over night.

I don't drive my car like you do, but I know exactly what your saying, I had a 93 Probe GT and 1997 Integra Type R that I drove balls-to-the-wall everywhere I went and I never had issues with those engines. I was just saying that you could eliminate hard driving as a potential issue. I'm 42 with 2 kids and I just don't feel the rush like I used to, but I like having a car that will give me power if I need it.

Only 42y/o, I got 15 years on you. I did blast past a sti on the highway driving to work today. At the bottom of a long hill on northbond 91, traffic was pretty light, I dropped it into 4th and rolled into the throttle.

I guess there are different types of hard driving.

I listen to my 05's engine a lot. It doesn't sound like there's any slap or bearing noise.

Sometimes lack of hard driving can cause you problems

 

Seriously though, some engines / parts just don't like to be babied.

Truth is, my car was very under driven, to the point I think it has caused problems.

The car was driven by an older woman whose son went to Iraq about 4 months after buying the car (she sold her car and paid and drove his) when he got back 4 1/2 years later he decided he wanted something new. She put 40k miles on it in 5 years and judging by the stock tires (that I changed at 56K), lack of a single paint chip on the front end(I've noticed more paint dings on the front end, 4-5, then was done in the 5 years before I got it), and immaculate interior (though the interior speaks more to overall condition then performance) I'd guess this car hardly if ever saw a highway.

Now I do drive it, right to the redline from time to time.....I'm not a pussy (There are a few people at work that think I drive fast), but relative to my younger days when sprints to 120+ and every corner was a test of my ability, today I'm pretty tame. If some little shit pulls up beside me in his 1.8L ricer with coffee can muffler and I'm in the mood, I'll happily remind him that his Civic is a POS....

I think you need to put some rotella 5w-40 in there with a tank of hi test and drive it like you stole it for a while. Seriously, that might help the noise.

 

When you say fairly loud, it leads me to belive that its really not that loud and its just piston slap.

Little irony, I always use Rotella and always use premium....

I even drive it hard occasionally, but it's due for it's 60k service in less then 1k miles....Time to get it in the shop.