Piston Slap or Engine Knock?

Asked by ChevyPride41 Jun 16, 2015 at 01:05 PM about the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu LS FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I own a 2007 Chevy Malibu LS 2.2L 4 Cylinder Automatic.  When i start the engine
while cold, there's a knocking or slapping noise.  It only happens when it's cold and as
the engine warms up it slowly goes away, i just want to figure out if it's piston slap or if
the noise is being made by something worse like a bad rod or sparks or broken valves.  
Ideas?  (btw i'm 17 so my knowledge is limited) (My car is the one on the left in the
picture)

1 Answer

64,350

I had the same problem with my 07 Nissan Versa it only made a tapping noise in cold weather when it was warm no noise at all. I changed my oil and added Lucas Engine Oil Stablizer and with in 30 - 45 minutes of running the tapping was gone and that's been 6 months ago. Do not no if it would work for you but I think it's worth a try.

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