I run M1 0W-40 and my lifters still make racket sometimes. I've tried a few different things - 5W-30, 10W-40, dino, M1, Royal Purple, Marvel, ATF, sawdust, peanut shells, you name it - but the racket comes and goes as it pleases. I will say that the 0W does better on startup than anything else I've tried. Usually my lifters get real cranky when the oil gets hot (hard driving, hot day, stuck in traffic, etc). When things cool down, the noise goes away. If the car sits for a few days, then they tick a little on startup. Some days, it's perfectly quiet, but some days it still sounds like someone poured a bucket of small nuts down the oil filler neck. I just turn the radio up so I can't hear it.
That's why there's a '99 head sitting in my effing garage.![]()