Lifter tick not getting any better.

[533idriver]

So I've had what sounds like a lifter tick for alittle while now, I was running valvoline vr1 20w50 oil and thought that it may be too thick to be able to get into the hydraulic litters so today I switched to shell rotella t6 5w40 to see if that would help but so far it hasn't, please if anyone has had a similar problem give me some other tips or things to check since the last time I posted about this I had gotten no response.

[LuxoM3]

Ok so oil switched out...

1. How do you know it's lifter tick versus
2. Timing Chain noise?

I have a 95 too... I've got 193k miles on my M3. Still on the original Vanos and motor.
I get NO lifter tick. But I do get some vanos noise/rattle. The noise comes from the front of the motor... versus tick which seems to be all over (had my oil level low once).

[533idriver]

Well the noise seems to be coming from the whole engine, but I suppose a timing chain noise would resonate throughout, definitely doesn't sound like a rattle but more of a tick. How would I be able to diagnose a timing chain noise without taking much apart?