[CHTHHULHU]

Being the bad guy I am the car has been sitting for a bit. I turned it one after a few months and the engin was making a strange ticking sound that was very loud. After some time the sound went away and started to sound normal. I took it out yesterday and found that after driving it for about 5 min I can hear the engin almost missfireing or something of that effect and it does not seem to have all the power. Any thing come to mind? Ask awya with questions if I am being to vuage. Just not to sure how to describe it.

 

[shay2nak]

check the coils?

 

[billt]

I would guess the ticking was an oiless lifter that took some time to pump up and shouldn't be a problem. Fuel problems can surface if the car sat up a long time, like a year ,and some cleaner will help if you're lucky. I'd just take the car on a long drive and the problem might clear itself.

 

[D Britt]

check the coils?

+1.

All 4 of my coils had arcing problems that was not incredibly noticeable upon visual inspection. I hadn't noticed how much the engine performance has slowly degraded over time. Car idled rough, 2nd cam no longer punched, slow throttle response. When CEL came on, replaced all 4 coils and it was like a new car.

 

[D Britt]

Also, if you have access to an OBD-II scanner, you will want to see if its throwing any pending DTCs. If you get a P0300, P1301, P1302, P0301, P0302, P0303 and/or P0304, it could be one or more of your coils. Of course these codes could also mean your cams are worn and/or your engine is about to explode.

 

[Simba]

Coils/plug wires, especially if the exhaust smells of fuel. Be careful if you have cats, if a cylinder isn't firing you could melt the cat and start a fire.

 

[Icedog_16]

The initial ticking sound leads me to believe that it's a cam/rocker issue; that's how mine started. You may want to check the codes as D Britt suggested and/or pull the valve cover and find out what's going on under there.

Also, does the problem seem to be affecting 2nd cam or starting when you get on second cam? Have you had a CEL?

When you find out, please update us as I have a list of cars that have had the cam/rocker problem.

 

[m111mk2]

Are you talking about an Esprit? If so ignore everything about cams as the Esprit is a totally different vehicle and Engine. I will send you a pm with my contact info and you can give me a call

 

[Simba]

When you find out, please update us as I have a list of cars that have had the cam/rocker problem.

Esprits don't have rockers, nor cam issues.

 

[jtrealty]

A ticking noise on start-up that goes away after a few (up to 20 minutes) is most likely a stickey hydralulic lifter. The motor is basically telling you that you are not using the car enough. If it is near time for an oil change the noise may go away afterwards. Make sure to always use a premium synthetic oil like Mobil1.
David Teitelbaum

 

[escondidoron]

As stated previously, the Esprit does not have rockers, nor, in general, cam related issues. They also don't have hydraulic lifters.

Anyhow, the noise could be excessive valve clearance, but this is extremely unlikely, as the noise is new. Also, it may or may not be related to the reduced power performance mentioned.

BTW: Did you ever figure it out? What did the noise / problem turn out to be?

 

[Gixxer]

If it's a 2000 esprit it's a V8. If it's a Lotus V8, it has hydraulic lifters.

 

[CHTHHULHU]

Sorry its been a while to get back. I have had some medical issues. When the engine starts to make the what I'm calling the out of sync problem when putting your hand near the left exhust pipe you can feel that its not a constant output and the exhust is making a strange noise. The right side exhust pipe feels more normal flow. I will check the coils. I do not have a scnner. I guess I should take it in. That one post worried me. I do not want my car to catch fire or anything. I feel that more I drive it the better its getting but when I get it home it does seem like a small burning smell say after a 10-15 min or longer drive. It also does seem to have a bit of power loss for the first 5 min of driving then it seems to have pull power and the exhust sounds normal but that has on occation come back at idle. I could have sworn I heard a small back fire when shifting once. Well I hope this new info seems to help someone out there. If not I guess its back in the shop were its been mostly for the last two years

 

[jtrealty]

If the engine light is not on you are not throwing codes. The problem is most likely mechanical, probably a sticky lifter. Not likely your car is going to catch fire. Taking it in for service is probably a good idea so they can look it over, maybe you should have the motor oil and filter changed. I would put some motor flush in for a short time just before changing the oil. Run the motor gently till the oil is changed. While it's in for service have the brake and clutch fluid changed if it has been in over a year. The noise, as you describe it, sounds exactly like a sticky lifter.
David Teitelbaum

 

[holmz]

Have you looked at the plugs?

If it is blowing hot and cold out the exhaust, then the plugs might not be all the same.

 

[CHTHHULHU]

Just wanted to give an update in case anyone ever had an issue like this. Yes after futher investigating it was blowing hot and cold out of the left rear exhust. Im not the smartest car guy. The plugs were good, the lifters were good, the fuel injectors were good, so I took it to two places and the second place found the oxygen sensors were on the wrong post. Drives like a dream now. How they got that way I will never know. Thanks all for your support and ideas.

 

[jtrealty]

If the O2 sensor wires were switched the MIL light should have been on and there should be codes. It is possible the noise went away by itself and the O2 sensor wires are a separate problem. It may also be the case the O2 wires were just on the wrong banks, not reversed front-to back. That would not throw codes but it would confuse the ECU! This is not the first time someone messed up the O2 sensor wires. Probably a good idea to put large, easy to read, tags on them to prevent mixing them up. Who worked on the O2 sensors last?
David Teitelbaum