Re: 88'5KCSTQ Ticking (and Marvel Mystery Oil?)

[sbrehm@sover.net (Steve Brehm)]

>My 885KCSTQ (I02,000 mi.s) has a ticking sound. I thought it was a noisy
>lifter but now suspect the exhaust manifold is loose or gasket is damaged. Is
>there is foolproof diagnostic method? The problem used to go away when the
>car warmed up, but now is there all the time. The ticking sounds like it is
>coming from near the front of the the turbo and not under the valve cover.
>Dealer suspects the manifold (over the phone discussion) and estimates $400
>repair to pull manifold, replace gasket and resurface. Also predicts problems
>with the head it I don't deal with it. How long can one live with this
>problem without dealing with it? Any advice would be much appreciated. 
>
>
I have the same problem on my 87 5kcst. My mechanical feels, and i agree,
that it is the exhaust manifold gasket. It goes away when things heat up. He
didn't mention future problems with the head, but i do think I'm not getting
full power. Since the rest of my exhaust is getting soft I'm thinking of
dealing with this soon. We didn't talk dollars, but he mentioned it would be
a "bitch of a job" to fix, which i translated into lots of labor. Does
anybody have any idea what I should expect in terms of time to pull the
manifold, resurface (if necc.), and replace with new gasket and new exhaust?

Also, for lifter problems the same mechanic says he usually puts in some
Marvel Mystery Oil and that quiets them down. Is this safe? Can it be used
with Mobil 1?

--Steve