Just purchased a 1996 lumina with 14,800 miles, verified with tittle search, yep a little old ladies car that only went on the road on Sunday. Changed oil and filter with 5-30 and lifters make noise when cold, goes away reaching normal temperature. Engine is 3.1 (3100), any suggestions. Thanks in advance

 

This is likely to be piston slap versus lifter issue, which is a well known issue with the 3.1 engine. I use 1 quart of Lucas Oil and 4 quarts of 5w20. Seems to help, and my car has over 168K miles on it, and runs strong. Makes a racket at start-up though! Embarrassing! But quiets to a purr after running for a while...

 

Probably is. For a permanent fix, it'll take a rebuid and replacement of all 6 cylinders plus honing the cylinder walls.

 

I have a 96 Lumina with a noisy lifter. The famous like a knock Chevys didn't start until 99 I think. It is possible that it is piston slap but you need to take it to a garage to have someone listen to it to determine the correct problem. You should geta coupleopinions from professional mechanics.