Noisy lifters are killing my gas mileage

[GooeyGus]

Ok, my lifters are SOOOO noisy that it has started to effect my fuel economy. I can feel the ECU pulling timing like crazy because it is sensing the noisy lifters as knock. Other than the noisy lifters the car is running great.

BUT the lack of timing is really starting to put a damper on my fuel economy. I'm losing up to 2-5mpg because of this.

Now, I know the solution is obviously to change the lifters. I plan on ordering the 3g lifters next weekend and swap them in the following weekend.

Is there ANYTHING I can do in the mean time to make things a bit better? I just changed the oil about 200 miles ago and added some lucas oil stabilizer, but it seems like it didn't help much. If anything it seemed to tick a bit less with the old oil in there.

Also, my ECU recently died and it seems like this ECU is doing a much "better" job of sensing knock and retarding timing.

Anyway, if anyone has some tricks to get me through the next two weeks it would be greatly appreciated. This is just my daily driver right now, it might see WOT like once every few weeks.

Thanks!

 

[snakeyes711]

Well, I am starting to thing that this may not be a lifter issue. I've been reading a bit about it and mine are no where near as noisy as I hear some people talk about. They are quiet when the car is started, then only one or two of them will intermittantly tick and then go away.

I am starting to think that this may be a knock sensor issue.

When I reach my hand down and 'feel' the knock sensor (since one cant get an eye on it while it's installed), what should the back of the sensor feel like? I know if one feels 'goo' that's a bad thing, but should the back of the sensor feel smooth? Mine feels totally rough and pitted, like the goo all leaked out of it and is no longer there. I can feel the wire coming out, and the back of the sensor feels like it's missing material in the center; I'm assuming it is supposed to be flat and smooth.

What do you guys think?

You can see it if you shine a flashlight in there. You got a better view from the bottom.

I thought the same thing about my lifters being quiet too. Phantom knock like crazy, can't be the lifters right? new knock sensor, Not as bad, but still phantom knock, all the time. new lifters? Phantom Knock GONE!... Gone entirely.

I spent 50 on a knock sensor, and 70 on the 3G lifters, and I haven't seen phantom knock yet.