ZondaLegs

hello, this is my first time attempting to get help from a forum but im 19 and quite frankly im worried about the noise my motor is making. I bought a 2005 suburban about a month ago and after about a week of owning it my check engine light came on and i heard a ticking sound. I scanned it and it told me that an engine misfire was detected so i went looking to see if my oil was low, and it was, so i got it changed. that did not help the issue and i ended up taking it to a mechanic shop where they told me that my issue was that i had carbon buildup on the tops of my cylinders. they did a whole bunch of things with additives in my gasoline as well as my oil but the issue persists. it happens on cold start, warm start, and will not go away with driving. sometimes it is not present at all and other times its very loud. I also sometimes have a hard time starting the vehicle and at this point, im worried that the previous owner spun a bearing or its legitimate lifter tick. I read somewhere else online that it could be related to a hole in my exhaust manifold assembly, but ive also read that it could be related to a lifter being stuck closed/open related to the AFM. I dont even know if my vehicle has AFM and at this point, im just trying to get a better understanding from people who have had this issue previously. (note, I have checked my oil pressure and level and they are both normal) Thanks!

brcisna

@ZondaLegs
Your 2005 GM truck would not have AFM..
Easy thing to try is with the truck cold, get a socket and rachet to fit the exhaust manifold bolts, Do both sides make sure all bolts are snug. These bolts do not have to be super tight. They are all pretty easy to get to other than passenger side rear,,you'll have to use box end wrench,
Next ,,You could make a trip to your trusty local harbor Freight store and buy a stethiscope for about 10-15 dollars,
Stethiscope your valve covers both sides with the truck running. Make sure you do NOT hang the rubber tubes in the water pump belt while running!
This will most certainly detect if you have a lifter failing.
Does the oil look very black and have a bad 'stink' to it?...pulling the dipstick,,, before you changed the oil?
Also, get a spark plug socket,,,make sure all spark plugs are snug
if it were in fact a spun bearing,,by now it would be knocking very bad,,so you are probably ok,here.
Some thing s to try,,