2008 H2 Hummer 6.2L
I'm getting a ticking sound from the engine when I first start the engine from cold.
The ticking is present through the warm-up period, say 5 min then goes away when up to temperature.
Is there an additive I can add to the engine oil to fix this problem?

 

Sounds like you have an exhaust leak.

Might be from the ol' broken bolt syndrome these H2s seem to have....
Or could just be a bad gasket
Or something.

Might try checking with soapy water solution, see if it bubbles.
or you can remove the headers and check for it be flat and even.
You can also replace the gasket too.

 

I was doing so digging into this problem and this is what I found.
GM has several reasons for your ticking.

1. Not using the proper AC Delco oil filter (oil starvation).
3. Using other than 5W-30 oil, such as 10W, 15W etc
3. Normal
4. Defective AFM lifters
5. Aerated Oil In Lifter


Subject:Short Duration Lifter Tick Noise on Cold Start - Aerated Oil in Lifter

Models:2009 Buick Lacrosse Super, Allure Super (Canada Only)
2007 Buick Rainier
2007-2009 Cadillac CTS-V
2007-2009 Cadillac Escalade
2007-2009 Chevrolet Avalanche, Corvette, Express, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe, Trail Blazer
2007-2009 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2007-2009 GMC Envoy, Savana, Sierra, Yukon
2007-2009 Hummer H2
2008-2009 Hummer H3
2007-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
2008-2009 Pontiac G8
2007-2009 Saab 97x
With Any of the Following V8 Engine RPOs:
L76, L92, L9H, LC9, LFA, LH6, LH8, LMG, LMF, LS2, LS3, LS4, LS7, LY2, LY5, or LY6



This PI was superseded to revise repair instructions to include replacing the oil pump and pick-up tube o-ring. Please discard PIP4499.
The following diagnosis might be helpful if the vehicle exhibits the symptom(s) described in this PI.
Condition/Concern:

Some customers may comment on a short duration lifter tick noise that occurs after cold start and can last for several minutes. This may be the result of air in the high pressure chamber of the lifter affecting valve train lash. When this occurs, valve closing velocity is increased, which causes the noise. Air can be present in the lifter at shutdown due to an aerated oil condition, or it can be ingested into the lifter during a cold start from a suction side leak at the oil pump or oil pump pick up tube o-ring. Oil aeration level, oil viscosity, time to achieve oil pressure, engine speed, and lifter design all play a part in whether lifter noise is observed. Once air gets into the high pressure chamber, it will slowly be expelled through the very tight clearance of the plunger and body.
Recommendation/Instructio ns:

If the SI diagnostics do not isolate the cause of this concern, perform a cylinder power balance test with the Tech 2 while listening to the noise.
If the noise is eliminated, or is greatly improved, each time a specific fuel injector is cancelled, there is most likely a concern with the clearance of the related piston pin or piston to cylinder wall of that cylinder.
If there is no change in the noise when canceling the fuel injectors with the Tech 2 and this noise occurs at valve speed, the noise is most likely a result of air in the lifters as described above. The air may be the result of a suction side leak at the oil pump and/or pick up tube o-ring, or it may be the result of the lifter design.
If this concern is encountered, replace the oil pump and pick up tube o-ring and re-evaluate the noise. If this does not repair the noise, updated lifters will most likely repair the noise but they will not be available until the 4th quarter of 2009. This P.I. will be updated with additional information as soon as they are available. Replacing the lifters with the ones currently in GMSPO stock may not repair the noise.
Please follow this diagnostic or repair process thoroughly and complete each step. If the condition exhibited is resolved without completing every step, the remaining steps do not need to be performed.

 

I would check for the broken exhaust manifold bolt on the passenger side. This happened to my 2 and i replaced them with ARP studs.

 

I'll have to cut another 4' piece of garden hose to use as a stethoscope and listen where that ticking is relay coming from.
I honestly hope its the exhaust.
If it's not the exhaust, I'm going to replace the FRAM Oil Filter I installed 2 weeks ago with a brand name filter.
I was reading that the A cheap oil filters restrict the correct volume of oil from flow through it.

 

I'm with the others about the broken exhaust manifold bolts. My avalanche had an exhaust leak passenger side. It was the closest bolt to the firewall. My H2 also has the leak passenger side. It quiets down once warm. So I remote start it so it's warm by the time I get out there. Lol. Chev motors are notorious for this. I bought it late fall and can't wait til the warmer weather gets here so I can get to work and make her pristine again.

 

I used the hose and listened for the exhaust leaks on all 8 manifold ports and heard nothing they are all good no leaks.
What I did hear was the tapping noise coming from the inside of the intake manifold.
The Tapping sound gets faint when I slide the hose on the rocker cover and louder on the intake.
I'll do it again tomorrow when it's not that cold out.

 

That's the lifters, you should also keep an eye on the oil pressure, this could be just a leaking lifter valve or a dying oil pump...

 

By having a bad lifter could this give the engine a miss fire, check engine light throw a code P2270 Lean Condition, low oil pressure when hot,????

I bought the hummer a year ago and it had this miss.
I took it to MIDAS and they found the miss on #6 cylinder.
The miss is only at idle

swap plugs #6 with #4... GOOD
swap plug wires #6 with #4... GOOD
swap coils #6 with #4..GOOD
compression test...GOOD

They did not do a leak down test or look at #6 injector

 

It depends how bad the lifters are, if it's as bad as where the valves wouldn't open to release pressure on the combustion chamber, then it would cause a misfire. But the engine would idle/run really rough, and won't be drivable.

Doing a complete tune up should be the way to go, better than just switching stuff around. If P2270 code doesn't go away after that, you'll need a new 02 sensor..