now its gettin worse , i started it let it run for about 3-4 min and still knocking now started driving it to gas station still knocked whole way there kinda chilly here .. 5w30 valvoline is what my last shop used .. can i go thicker and what would it be

 

I put castrol syntec 5w-50 in my 2000 Blazer. Seems to help alot. I caught a good deal too..bought 3 gallons of it for 37$

 

In colder weather you should use a LIGHTER WEIGHT oil because when 5W 30 is cold its like tree sap and doesn't lubricate well. I use 10W 30 in winter and it will help with the knock. As for the ticking sound its most likely your idler pulley.

 

Your condition sounds like you have some lifters that don't like to pump up quickly during cold starts. You could try an additive in the oil like Seafoam, Rislone, or Marvel's Mystery Oil to see if it'll clean the varnish out of the lifter, allowing it to pump up properly. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations.

You have that backwards. 5w30 is "lighter" than 10w30 in cold temperatures hence the lower number ahead of the 'w'. Once warmed up, they are very close in terms of viscosity.

 

I get that same little knock like its the lifters. I've had that since around 100K miles , ive got 168K now and switched over to straight 30 weight oil. Got rid of the ticking/knocking. Seems to be a common problem on these motors from the mechanics I've talked to. Granted I could replace the lifters and it would get rid of the knock but changing the oil seemed to atleast quiet the noise. I've gotten a little knock here and there here lately so I put some Rislone in there and seems to have gotten rid of that startup knock. I'm hoping everything runs fine for the next few months since I'm looking at selling it after the start of the new year and getting a truck.
But to help you out, I would definitely change the oil type, try the castrol straight 30 weight since its gotten colder and that should definitely help you out and put a little rislone in there as well. I tried switching back to a 10w30 back in the summer and my knocking came back so it will show you instant results

 

Right, wrong and wrong. Sorry but there's no '2 versions of the truth'.
misinfo not corrected is mis-info passed on.

Accessory drive bearing tick is nothing like lifter tick as you will find once you become better acquainted with engines.
And, likewise, lifter tick is nothing like piston slap. So make sure it's a tick or knock.

Learn to use an auto stethoscope and get a helper, if necessary. Dont want to pay a few bucks at Harbor Fright.. use a LONG screwdriver instead.

Bear in mind, folks, that's there is only so much room in a quart for lubricants, additives and viscosity modifiers. You dont have to be an engineer to figure that out. 'Cold' weather is subjective.. if you're never below 20 deg, there's no need for anything below 10w-30.

 

guess i can update. The seafoam has been in for about 1k miles, and it still does it once in awhile. Mine is a ticking, so i think i have a wacko lifter.