1992 max (top one).
Quite often there is a very loud clatter that comes from the front
left bank. When put in gear with the brakes on & applying a little
pressure on the gas pedal it tends to go away. I've been told it's
dirty lifters,timing chain components, bad valves etc. At 133,00
miles I think it's just broken in. What the heck can this be ??

 

Do you have an SE or GXE?

 

he has an SE probably since he mentioned timing chain components and only 92-94SE engines have those on 3rd gens

that engine - VE30DE - also has a lot of problems with the VTC (variable timing) system that can make a fast ticking that sounds a lot like lifters

check out the FAQ posts in the top of this forum for more info about that

 

according to his profile he has a gle but yeah its probably the SE from the info he listed.

 

I have a '94 SE with the same problem. It goes away for a little while after an oil change. I also found if I go to a higher viscocity oil (10W-40 instead of 30) it helps for a while. I have been changing the oil at 2000 instead of 3000, and it seems to help also. I have 150,000 on her now, and she runs great!

 

115kmiles '92SE auto here and ive been having a hard time with the clatter as well.

Just this afternoon i tried grounding out my VTCs and it didn't fix the problem.

When starting car after sitting overnight or while at work it will clatter VERY LOUD idling in park. but once put in gear it goes away and only clatters from about 1500-2500rpm (aprox. can't remember exactly form memory)....light to moderate gas makes it clatter, idling while in drive or reverse and when running high rpms it goes away or is not noticeable.

any ideas? does this sound like what you other are experiencing?

 

I have a 92 SE and I just changed the oil and put in Mobil 1. It helped some but didn't eliminate the problem

 

lukas oil treatment makes sound go away also egine fkush fresh oil and lukes oil treatment will stop the maddness

 

BUMP

 

I had the same issue with my VTCs. One word of warning - If you let the VTCs go for too long, they can fall apart. That is what happened to my engine. The cap on the VTC broke. That piece got caught in my chain. As the intemediate sproket tried to rotate this piece around itself, it snapped the chain and pounched a whole threw the front cover. I did all the work but the parts I had to replace cost over $1500.

 

How long had you had engine clatter/noise before your vtc assemblies broke?

 

If I remember correctly, about a year and a half to 2 years. Oil changes every 3,000 may prolong this.

 

Hmm Mine only clatters when cold,When warmed up it goes completely away.How hard are they to replace?

 

The front VTC is not bad to change but the back one is a piain because you have to remove the intake plenium. The procedure can be tricky and if you don't know how to change a timing chain. I would reconsider trying to do this yourself. Poorly timed sprockets will leave you with horrible engine performance.