Mitsubishi Repair: 99 Mitsubishi Galant ES, mitsubishi galant, lifters

Question
I would say about a year after buying this car new, I notice the car first thing in the morning developed a ticking sound.  I reported, during my warrenty period that it sound like I had a sticking lifter.  The dealership at the time said they couldn't detect the problem.  As time passed and properly changing the oil, the sound increased.  It would disipate while driving. Four years into having the car, the ticking sound remained, even during driving. Now going into my seventh year, with 105,000 miles, sound occurs during startup and when engine is idle.  I tried additives to oil, but no result.  My last oil change on 4/15, I finally tried a full synthetic oil 5W-30.  As to date, still seams like a sticking lifter?  Now the dealership tells me I have to replace all lifters, in order to fix the one sticking.  Any other tips to free-up the lifter?

Answer
Tim,
Lifters for your car are about $20 a piece, and buying 16 of them will set you back a lot.  Rarely will a dealership only replace one of two lifters, because it is difficult to diagnose which lifter is making the noise.  But lifters do not go bad too often.  More commonly, they simply get stuck due to sludge build-up.  You can save a lot of money by asking your mechanic to remove and clean your existing lifters.  You can see if a good cleaning helps with your lifter ticking noise.  
Good luck!