Good day.

I recently started hearing this little tapping noise when I start to move the car, when it's cold. Start 'er up, stick in OD after about thirty seconds, press the gas, tappa-tappa-tappa... WTH? I check under the hood, just maybe it's something being smacked by the alternator fan, but NO, I don't see anything, close hood, go my merry way. Yesterday, had to add TWO QUARTS of oil to make it touch the dipstick. I checked it last week. Related problem? Tapping MAY be valvetrain not geting oiled enough? Hope it's not permament damage. I plan to check the oil EVERY time I get in the car until I can get it to a shop, tell them to find the problem. Stats:
88 L98 TPI, bone stock as far as I can tell, 92K miles, driven pretty gently (most of the time, anyway...)

 

How quickly did it lose the oil? As in, when was the last oil change?

 

I checked it a week ago - added half a quart. Yesterday, saw DRY dipstick. Just about dropped my jaw to the ground in disbelief. "Good Lord, this isn't happening!!" I thought. Added a quart, still dind't reach the stick. Added another quart, okay, now we're in the range now. I drive forty to fifty miles a day, but it'll be more now that the wife's GP is down for lack of an alternator. I really do NOT need two cars acting up on me at once...