Valve Chatter

[KLRtuner]

06 cobalt 5spd with 77k miles on it.

with in the last 2 weeks the engines valves are becomming louder and louder.
is this normal? Its really bad at start up, when it warms up it tends to fade.
are they adjustable or just wearing prematurley?

second issue is when im driving through a parking lot, (low speed) I hear a clunking noise comming from right under my feet. (I think it could be the strut)

Any ideas or input on my issues is appreciated.

[ff_drift_lol]

timing chain. it's stretching. best thing you can do is keep changing the oil with synthetic and replace the actuator. eventually the timing chain will take a poop but not any time soon.

clunking under your feet is your steering intermediate shaft. worn and loose. change it when you can man, nothing here is really dangerous or urgent. just some typical cobalt fail stuff.

[KLRtuner]

Ive heard that you shouldnt switch from conventional to synthetic?

And what and where is this actuator located at?

[Mrslice2004]

i changed from reg oil to synthetic, Im using Mobil 1 and it works wonders! i believe a lot of the other guys on this forum use Synthetic also. Havent noticed any problems, Car idles and runs smoother with synthetic. No clue on the Actuator tho, havent had that problem yet.

[ff_drift_lol]

the actuator is what presses the timing chain guide/tensioner against the chain and keeps it on the cam gears and all that stuff. you can change from conventional to synthetic, but there's a process and i'm not quite sure what it is since i've never used conventional. there's a lot of marketing and politics involved in the rules of oil so take it with a grain of salt. the cause of the actuator failing is too much oil pressure. cold oil will wear hydraulic components much quicker since it's sludgy and thicker. just don't floor the thing when the motor's cold.

[n0xid]

Just do a flush if you change oil..

[KLRtuner]

So im guessing that the actuator is located under my valve cover?

I guess it couldnt hurt nothing to pull it off and take a look see.

I miss my 2.2 OHV

Would it hurt anything if I stepped up to a heavier motor oil weight?

[cobalt123]

as far as oil is concerned im running mobil 1 fully synthetic for at least 15k miles no issues. taking the valve cover off and looking wont hurt anything

[ff_drift_lol]

the actuator is not normally visibly worn. it's usually the spring or something else internal that fails. it's a 32mm bolt on the back left (technically, if you put the engine in a rwd layout it's front left) but it's on the back of the head about level with the engine mount. don't pull it out because in order to re install it you need to remove the valve cover to load the actuator onto the tensioner with a big ol screwdriver. it's a bitch. best thing to do is just replace it and hope it helps. it's like 70 bucks from the dealer. not too bad.

---------- Post added at 02:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:02 PM ----------

Originally Posted by KLRtuner So im guessing that the actuator is located under my valve cover? I guess it couldnt hurt nothing to pull it off and take a look see. I miss my 2.2 OHV Would it hurt anything if I stepped up to a heavier motor oil weight?

that's actually the reason the actuator is failing. thick cold oil. if you live in a colder area that's often below 10F it's a good idea to use thinner oil for the winter months. 5w20 would be ideal.

[KLRtuner]

Ive always used 5w30. I think all my problems with the car is from me driving it 1 mile at a time, several times a day, which in turn does not allow it sufficient time to run at operating temperature.

So heres my list to do on the car...
1. replace or repair the cat in the down pipe.
2. figure out what exactly is going on with the valve, or chain.
3. check and replace the intermintent steering shaft
4. New front struts.

Last oil change I did, I cut apart the filter and found no metal, so thats a plus.

Anything else you guys think or know I need to check out?

Thanks you all have been helpfull