Friend just bought a 99 Chevy Malibu with 100k miles for $500 from my friend.
Theres like a 2-3 second delay often when first shifting before car is rolling. But doesn’t seem to slip or shift hard when it’s driving.
Anyways the engine is making a tickling sound as if it needs a valve adjustment. Car runs good, smooth. Just the ticking is concerning. It’s a v6 3.1 engine. I have shops telling me these don’t do valve adjustments and that it’s always set at 0, so what could it be and is it replaceable, fixable. Idc if I have to take stuff apart, to fix. Car starts right up, no delay. New suspension, tires, water pump, this is a decent car.
First, check for a cracked or loose exhaust manifold. Then think seriously about replacing the hydraulic valve lifters.
