Another ticking noise thread... with a new tick?

[Scorp965]

I have heard a bad vanos unit (marbles in a can) and I have had the pleasure of hearing noisy lifters on a number of E36's, usually fixed with the addition of a little extra oil, but this is a new one for me... some background:

1995 BMW M3, 116k, purchased 1 month ago, did NOT tick when purchased. engine oil just replaced with royal purple 10w30 this weekend, also added 'oil cooler' fluid to the royal purple, which has in the past quieted noisy lifters on a different BMW - the ticking did not go away. The vanos on this car was replaced about 6 months ago by the previous owner - it is BRAND NEW, but appears to be the source of the ticking. The ticking noise started when I had my new remus exhaust installed by a ghetto shop, and my first thought was bad or missing exhaust gaskets, but the noise is definitly coming from the top of the engine, near the front, in the vanos region. The car scared me about a week ago with a marbles vanos noise, but the noise went away after a second or two - it has not returned. Also, when cold the CEL will occasionally flash when making a upshift from 1st to 2nd, this only occurs in the first 30 seconds of being run, and seems to only happen in the mornings - the CEL does NOT stay lit.

Also, it feels like the car has lost power with the ticking noise - or it could be in my head because I am nervous about the ticking. it does not sound like lifters, and an oil change, oil additive did not do anything - does anyone have an idea as to what might be causing my ticking noise? It seems like it may be getting worse, and I am preparing to head over to an independent specialist.

to summarize:
-scary ticking, from vanos region
-car didn't tick when purchased, 1 month ago
-car has brand new vanos unit
-cel occasionally flashes when cold
-exhaust just replaced, by ghetto Santa Ana shop
-didn't over rev, car has felt very strong since purchased until recently - it feels like it has lost power with the ticking, or it could be in my head.

Suggestions?

[shift.shape]

Did the owner before you have documentation of the replaced vanos or just tell you it was replaced?

[Scorp965]

The PO stated it was replaced, and the unit itself looks brand new - it is not the original vanos.

[WytLytnyn]

Hate to say it, but ask in your regional forum for a reputable independent shop that can diagnose it.

[giterdone]

would chain tensioners cause this? I can't remember what all those do. But I think I remember people saying primary causes ticking from like 3k+ rpm and secondary from like -3krpm. Don't quote me on this, someone can clarify better than I can. But I believe there is something like that.

[Daved]

Do you know what kind of oil was in the car when it didn't tick?

[ex wrx]

OT hey Daved what front bumper is that on the silver M3 in your sig?

and to answer the ? does it tick after driving hard? i have also had the tick to and had to replace the secondary tensioner and it got rid of the tick...any ways good luck with the situation

[giterdone]

OT hey Daved what front bumper is that on the silver M3 in your sig?

and to answer the ? does it tick after driving hard? i have also had the tick to and had to replace the secondary tensioner and it got rid of the tick...any ways good luck with the situation
ok that is some of what i was saying. I guess do a search on chain tensioners. That may be your problem. Those are said to give ticks when they are nearing replacement.

edit: also Daved has a 325 euro. Im not sure on bumper, but just lettin ya know.

[Scorp965]

I removed the plastic covers and used a stethescope (sp?) to try and pinpoint the noise... it unfortunatly now seems to be coming from the center of the valvecover, but an oil change did not fix it... I am taking the car to Windigo independent in Anahiem tomorrow morning, hopefully it will not be too expensive (although, given the region, that sounds doubtful).

I will update this thread when I know more information, I guess now would be a time to ask for good luck with this problem... kind of a bad time for a serious expense ;(

[switlikbob]

It may be that the 10w30 synthetic is too light a weight oil for the lifters...this would be especially true if the previous owner used non-synthetic oil and ran the reccomended weight (15w40) for the life of the car...

Also, do the pedal trick and see what the CEL code is...

[Scorp965]

Problem = loose spark plug...

I setup an appointment for 8AM at a local shop, but when I got there I was told to come back the next day (so much for an appointment) - I decided to swap out the spark plugs in the mean time with NGK Iridum (sp?) plugs, as soon as I turned the car on I heard the sweet sound of _nothing_

Expensive bullet dodged.

[giterdone]

Problem = loose spark plug...

I setup an appointment for 8AM at a local shop, but when I got there I was told to come back the next day (so much for an appointment) - I decided to swap out the spark plugs in the mean time with NGK Iridum (sp?) plugs, as soon as I turned the car on I heard the sweet sound of _nothing_

Expensive bullet dodged.
lol nice job. :thumbup:

[Daved]

OT hey Daved what front bumper is that on the silver M3 in your sig?
The silver car is my euro 325. It's a complete custom bumper :D

[M3Cosmos]

I had the same ticking and messed with the whole oil thing and then thought, hey, lets check the plugs. Only one was torqued to the spec of 22lb-ft, so after getting the rest to spec all noise was gone. Hooray.

[Scorp965]

There should be a sticky with solutions to common problems - the issue I had when searching for ticking info was the HUGE number of oil-starvation releated ticking threads, if you search the tech forums you will need to get 5+ pages in before people mention checking plugs, and even if the ticking is obviously NOT oil starvation the first thing everyone says is 'throw an extra 1/2 quart in, that is definitly your problem'

$42 pepboys spark plug purchase > $$$ mechanic bill

[giterdone]

There should be a sticky with solutions to common problems - the issue I had when searching for ticking info was the HUGE number of oil-starvation releated ticking threads, if you search the tech forums you will need to get 5+ pages in before people mention checking plugs, and even if the ticking is obviously NOT oil starvation the first thing everyone says is 'throw an extra 1/2 quart in, that is definitly your problem'

$42 pepboys spark plug purchase > $$$ mechanic bill
scorp, just go ahead and throw another quart of oil in now, it will definately make sure you don't get any ticking.

[MOTRSPRT]

Sorry for the lame question, but was your car ticking constantly or intermittently?

My '98 M3 has just started an intermittent ticking noise, usually after being driven hard or after arriving home from a 200-mile trip through mountain terrain = twisties. This is only a 10-day old problem and I was going to go check it out further today.

The car has Mobil 1 in it and I'm just waiting to pour in Royal Purple 15W-40 once my indicator lights reach that point. Car only has 57K miles.

[giterdone]

Sorry for the lame question, but was your car ticking constantly or intermittently?

My '98 M3 has just started an intermittent ticking noise, usually after being driven hard or after arriving home from a 200-mile trip through mountain terrain = twisties. This is only a 10-day old problem and I was going to go check it out further today.

The car has Mobil 1 in it and I'm just waiting to pour in Royal Purple 15W-40 once my indicator lights reach that point. Car only has 57K miles.
when mine ticked, it was after being driven hard. Also other people said like after auto crossing their's would. I guess because the oil is so hot, it thins out, and also, it may get pushed more so to one side, than the other. Check your oil level, it may be low.

When mine kept ticking for awhile, I was low as hell on oil, so I added a couple quarts. Also people suggest the lifter clenaer. I can't remember what brand, it was in another tickign noise thread. Some crap in a yellow bottle, costs like $5.

[MOTRSPRT]

Strange. Just checked my dipstick and it read dry. Weird. Tried again, same reading. So, I dumped in a half quart and got the same reading. I guess I'll warm up the car and let it sit for a few minutes to see what reading I get.

I changed the oil in March, but not yet even 4000 miles have gone by. I KNOW I added 7 quarts... :confused

[giterdone]

Strange. Just checked my dipstick and it read dry. Weird. Tried again, same reading. So, I dumped in a half quart and got the same reading. I guess I'll warm up the car and let it sit for a few minutes to see what reading I get.

I changed the oil in March, but not yet even 4000 miles have gone by. I KNOW I added 7 quarts... :confused
some people lose 1 qt every 1k miles. So you may be one of those people. I'd dump in a full quart, see if you get anything, if low, dump more.

You want "between the notches" but most poeple say to fill to top notch. Better to have too much than not enough.

[M3Blurr]

This maybe a little off topic but you stated the CEL was flashing when it was cold. I have been told that a flashing CEL indicates a problem that could be very serious and the motor should be shut down when this happens. I guess I am wrong as it was something relatively minor for you. I am hoping someone else will clear this up for me. :dunno

[giterdone]

This maybe a little off topic but you stated the CEL was flashing when it was cold. I have been told that a flashing CEL indicates a problem that could be very serious and the motor should be shut down when this happens. I guess I am wrong as it was something relatively minor for you. I am hoping someone else will clear this up for me. :dunno
it dpeends, a CEL could be a sensor going bad, or it could be your oil nut backed off, you lost all your oil and now have 0 oil pressure and are about to seize your engine.

The best thing is to just turn your engine off. When my camshaft censor went bad, my light was on, luckily it didn't hurt the car to drive with teh bad censor, just made the car run like crap. I was ignorant at the time, and should've shut it off.

it is up to you, some poeple say "I got just 2 more miles to go, then I'll park" sometimes you get away, if it is the oil nut, then you are screwed. it all depends if you are feeling lucky or not.

[Scorp965]

I have heard the intermittant CEL when cold is usually a bad knock sensor - it causes a slight hesitation under throttle when cold, but really nothing to worry that much about (plus the DIY is supposed to be a royal PITA).

[MOTRSPRT]

some people lose 1 qt every 1k miles. So you may be one of those people. I'd dump in a full quart, see if you get anything, if low, dump more.

You want "between the notches" but most poeple say to fill to top notch. Better to have too much than not enough.

After driving the car and letting it sit for about 20 minutes, I checked the oil. Now, why after all those years of engineering school that the Germans design one of the most pathetic dipsticks ever? It's almost as if the dipstick is a combination lock and there is only one way of removing it; after removing and reinserting about 5 times I finally settled on a nearly ambiguous assumption. It is still a bit low, but I have not had any ticking all day.

I hate to believe that I am using a quart every 1000 miles as this is not a Harley Davidson. Maybe I should do a compression check to see if I have some rings that are going bad.

[MOTRSPRT]

Okay, so far I have added 2.5 qt's!! The oil level is finally up just at the bottom of the area between the 2 marks. I want to drive the car, get the motor hot, and then check the level again in case there is any oil in the upper part of the motor that didn't make its way down to the dipstick. I can't believe this is happening! Why would I be using so much oil??

[giterdone]

Okay, so far I have added 2.5 qt's!! The oil level is finally up just at the bottom of the area between the 2 marks. I want to drive the car, get the motor hot, and then check the level again in case there is any oil in the upper part of the motor that didn't make its way down to the dipstick. I can't believe this is happening! Why would I be using so much oil??
Dunno, just our cars. Some poeple burn 1qt every 1000 miles, others burn 1qt after 6000 miles. Just varies. You should check oil often (I know I don't though :() in our cars. I know when I wa sgetting lifter tick, I was lowon oil, like you. I dumped in the lifter clenaer and a quart of oil. a couple dyas later I put in another quart or two (was still low). Maybe I'll check my engine today.

Is it better to check oil when it's warm or cold?

[MOTRSPRT]

I believe it's best to check oil when it's cold as the motor has been sitting for awhile and most of the oil has already made its way to the oil pan when it was hot, and now settled. I'm pouring in ambient oil into an ambient motor, so in my mind not all the oil is going to make its way to the oil pan right away. Also, if one immediately checks the oil when the motor is hot, all the oil that has splashed up onto the sides of the oil pan is not accounted for. Not all the oil has made its way to the pan yet, so I usually check it after the car has been sitting hot for about 20 minutes.
Anyone else care to add their thoughts?

[geoffm3]

Okay, so far I have added 2.5 qt's!! The oil level is finally up just at the bottom of the area between the 2 marks. I want to drive the car, get the motor hot, and then check the level again in case there is any oil in the upper part of the motor that didn't make its way down to the dipstick. I can't believe this is happening! Why would I be using so much oil??

I have done this one myself (in my case a couple of quarts), with no ill effects...the oil light never even came on. It's doing fine still and that was about 4 months ago, no additional oil usage since then either. I guess I lucked out, but I wasn't doing any hard cornering or anything too during that period, could be wrong but the additional two quarts may be to keep the oil pump from running dry during these conditions especially. I definitely check the oil a little more regularly. <whew!>

I notice in your SIG that you have a supercharger...seems like some people have complained about some sort of intake breather for the supercharger that will leak oil into the intake? Might want to do a search on that. Mine generally uses about 2 quarts between oil changes (6k miles, NA engine), but it seems to vary with the number of highway vs. city miles driven.

[MOTRSPRT]

I notice in your SIG that you have a supercharger...seems like some people have complained about some sort of intake breather for the supercharger that will leak oil into the intake? Might want to do a search on that. Mine generally uses about 2 quarts between oil changes (6k miles, NA engine), but it seems to vary with the number of highway vs. city miles driven.

Thanks for the head's up on the intake breather. I'll look into that idea. Having oil get into the intake is not the best situation in itself as it could build up deposits inside the combustion chamber, raise compression, cause detonation, decrease fuel mileage, etc., etc. I went through this scenario on my Dakota pickup as their intake manifolds are prone to leaking. Nothing I could do would stop the pinging in the motor. I finally repaired the problem, then ran 2 containers of Sea Foam through the motor cleaning out most of the burned on deposits. Pinging completely disappeared after that.

BTW, put a few miles on the M3 today and I have not heard the ticking at all so far :redspot

[///Mal]

BTW, put a few miles on the M3 today and I have not heard the ticking at all so far :redspot

was prolly just a sticky lifter then, try CD-2, that oil detergent thing. I read on this board that's it's helped sticky lifters.

[giterdone]

was prolly just a sticky lifter then, try CD-2, that oil detergent thing. I read on this board that's it's helped sticky lifters.
that's the stuff. CD-2, comes in a yellow bottle. It cleans out lifters and everything. Some poeple said after they used it, all ticking went away.