Chrysler Repair: 05 town and country: oil light/clicking, valve lifters, oil light

Question
Their is an increasing clicking noise, and the oil light keeps coming on. I don't think it is the pistons due to know oil, not sure

Answer
Hi Joe,
The usual cause of clicking is too low an oil pressure to operate the hydrualic valve lifters properly. This may be due to wear and tear or to a weak oil pump or using too thin a grade of oil, or possibly that the oil has been contaminated with too much gas or a water leak.
But if you have not been loosing coolant and the engine is otherwise not running poorly, and if the clicking mainly occurs when you first start the engine or at idle, and the oil light comes on only when you are idling and then it goes off when you go forward at higher rpm's than when idling: then I would suggest that you change the oil and increase the 'weight' of the oil to the next higher level (if you use 5w-30 now then switch to 10W-40, or if you use 10w-40 switch to 20W-50). Such a change will raise the pressure at idle, stop the clicking, and stop the light from coming 'on'. Let me know if there is any other possible explanation associated with malfunction.
Roland