2008 328xi Ticking sound in Engine

[seanharold]

Hi guys,

I have a weird ticking sound coming from the engine bay I think. I haven't throw any codes on the dash board so i'm assuming this shouldn't be something thats extremely worrysome. I warmed my car up the other day and came outside when I was about to leave and i hear a ticking sound. Regardless, i needed to get to work so I drove to the train station and got out of my car to check if it was still ticking and it was gone. Strange, When i started my car to go home there was no ticking again... until this morningI started my car and there was ticking again. I'm not sure how to take this in right now so I'm reaching out to try and get some answers

BTW im a first time poster here. Bought my car used and had it inspected as well as the car fax showed this car was taken care of pretty well. So far I love my BMW but i'm just curious what this could be. In the video you can here it at 9 seconds in the video and more towards the end as well.

328xi 2008 46xxx


http://youtu.be/7BeGv2lPTzk

thanks in advance,

[Critter7r]

Sounds like lifters and injectors. And nothing to worry about.

If you search for lifter ticking for E90, you'll find a mountain of information. A lot of it will be misinformation. BMW's official stance on it is that it absolutely will not cause harm to the engine or shorten its lifespan in any way.

[MxExTxAxL]

Mine does this too, not sure how it's not supposed to harm anything though. Insufficient lubrication causes excess heat and that leads to broken parts. I'd imagine metal parts striking loud enough to cause a quite loud noise can't be good for wear.
Maybe I just don't understand the function of the specific parts, and maybe it's just not that bad for said parts? I've really not looked into it that deeply. Just a general knowledge of lubricated high sprung parts. Maybe I'll look into it now.

[seanharold]

Thanks for the info guys. I've done some searching on the web and there is a plethora of information on this lifter ticking. Seems like an extremely common problem with these motors. There's a lot of YouTube videos like mine that makes these ticking sounds. I'm surprised there is no recall or something. I'm seeing that this is a common problem for even low mileage bmws in the e9xx models.

Anyways, thanks again guys.

[Critter7r]

Well ... I'll play a little game of telephone where I try to relay the information as I remember it being relayed to me a couple of years ago : there isn't a lack of lubrication that causes the ticking noise. What you're hearing is the interior surface of the lifter slapping against the slightly-less-than-capacity amount of oil within the hydraulic lifter. Like dropping a dinner plate in a bathtub full of water.

[Pyewacket69]

Mine does this too, not sure how it's not supposed to harm anything though. Insufficient lubrication causes excess heat and that leads to broken parts. I'd imagine metal parts striking loud enough to cause a quite loud noise can't be good for wear. Maybe I just don't understand the function of the specific parts, and maybe it's just not that bad for said parts? I've really not looked into it that deeply. Just a general knowledge of lubricated high sprung parts. Maybe I'll look into it now.

Well, it's perfectly normal (even desirable sometimes) for solid lifters to rattle a bit. That way, there's no doubt the valve is completely closing each time.

And, it doesn't cause any type of excessive wear and tear, as long as the gap isn't too large.

As I understand the lifter issues in the E9x series engines, it's a similar issue, although one that hydraulic lifters should really compensate for...

[MxExTxAxL]

Well ... I'll play a little game of telephone where I try to relay the information as I remember it being relayed to me a couple of years ago : there isn't a lack of lubrication that causes the ticking noise. What you're hearing is the interior surface of the lifter slapping against the slightly-less-than-capacity amount of oil within the hydraulic lifter. Like dropping a dinner plate in a bathtub full of water.

Good explanation. I thought the ticking was metal on metal. Didn't understand how that could not cause wear lol. I am more at ease now, thanks.

[WoLF]

Make sure you're not low on oil.

[darkshark6]

I have a 2010 328ix and I have the same sound, and I agree with the idea that it is normal lifter slap or injector noise. Compared to the injector noise on my 1987 635 the 328 is whisper quiet!