yes, the lifter noise is common, I didnt mention that since he sounded sure it was something on the front of the engine. But since it was now mentioned, along that thought, if you've had your X for a while, you should already be aware of the lifter noise situation, so just a quick note on that one, if you dont already know, make sure when buying an oil filter to get one that has the "anti-drian back" option. This will prevent all the oil from draining back into the oil pan when the engine is off, and cause oil to flow over the upper part of the engine sooner on startup. Not to push you to buy, but I have been using K&N filters, since they have that option to them. you will notice lifter noise doesnt last near as long on startup with that type of filter.