How cold are you talking about? How many miles on this car? Oil suggested in owners manual should be fine in most cases - check it and maintain it in the "safe" zone. Synthetics have helped in weather extremes - something to consider.

This "little black things" isn't enough info for us. There are tons of little black things under a hood. Spark plug wires and vacuum lines amoung the many. Have someone look and verify if what you noticed is normal or not - I can't really say without seeing it,

T

(on edit) That isn't the post I replied to! I never replied to the "3-in-one" post. The Gallant was just making noise on cold starts and I wouldn't have suggested 3 in one oil for that so I don't know what happened here?? TomG)
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
_________________________________________

http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/


(This post was edited by Tom Greenleaf on Apr 4, 2008, 2:05 AM)

I'm new here but have been a tech for 35 yrs and am a current ase master. strictly on the "rapping noise" description I would agree there is a lubrication problem. whoever said to run water through the engine should be shot...even if the drain plug was out and the engine was just being "flushed". There is no need for this in this described situation. The posibilities are: low engine oil level, low oil pressure, worn main bearings (i know mains cause more of a deep thud but this is a novice), and most likely is a problem with lifters pumping up. If a good oil and filter change has been done I would suggest adding a quart of marvel mystery oil to the crankcase and running engine for a few miles to see if the lifters free up. If this does no good the location of the rapping must be determined. this is easily done with a cheap mechanics stethescope (available at autozone for about $10). Touch the end of the stethescope to the oil pan(under the car next to the drain plug) then to the valave covers (V6). do this while the car is making the noise. If the noise is more on the oil pan then you most likely have a problem with main bearings which will require professional repairs. If the noise is most on the valve cover(s) the problem is most likely with the lifters and may clear up over time with regular use of marvel mystery oil or other additive that frees lifters. if not, you will either have to live with the noise until the lifters fail completely and have to be replaced or have them replaced now. Failure of lifters in this engine will probably not cause any other damage. The only other possibility is timeing chain slap due to worn guides and/or tensioner failure if the engine is equiped with a timeing chain. Mitsi engines have been notorius over the years for time chain problems as well as oil leaks(poor engine sealing from the factory). I hope that this clears up or helps with your question.

Hi brbettage,

Something went all screwey with this thread and the 3 in 1 post is going to go. This was posted twice I think and isn't making sense now. Just from memory the original question was a high mile Gallant that only made some noise on very cold starts up for a short time and was fine all the rest of a day. With that is only makes some sense now.

Water - 3 in 1 oil use was not part of the plan. Anyone can come by here and most all are with good intent. The post up top of this will be missing when you come back and I'll re-subject this still confused peice of the thread. This forum runs 99% responsible folks without the abusive or foul language that was used by someone who won't be welcome here.

This will sink down this list and be lost soon and remain confusing. Check out some others - things flow quite well till something is discovered or a suggestion/fix is accomplished,

T
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
_________________________________________

http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/

OK Tom, I didn't realize about the mixed up post. I still believe and it has been my experience that the lifters in this engine are collapsing and taking too much time to pump back up. I've experienced this problem many, many times over the years in both mitsi and mazda engines....especially those with over 60K miles. I would bet that some additive like marvel mystery orlucas would control the problem over time. Of course the only real cure for it is lifter replacement - not a difficult job for a tech as the lifters are in the ends of the rockers...they are expensive though upwards of $30.00 each.

Hi,

I think it's just you and me now at this mixed up thread. You are right with the lifters. I never did find out how cold the car was exposed to. You know - ask someone from Georgia for example and 20F is cold. Then somebody come in from Alberta and it never warms up to that for a month!

Family has a home in Northern NH - foothills to Mt. Washington where I've experienced the coldest overnite temps. One night hit -45 (C or F doesn't matter as they are the same!) and trust me the car made tons of objectionable noises when started - just glad it did!!!!

The other thing is when someone says "2 minutes" ?? Look at a watch and 2 minutes is a long time. Myself included tend to just toss that # out as a guess. I try to get a feel for what folks really mean.

For now, just let this thread drop off the first page,

T
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
_________________________________________

http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/