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Thread: Clicking sound from driver's side valve cover

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Bay Area, California
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    2000 BMW 540i

    Clicking sound from driver's side valve cover

    Hey everyone, so I recently had timing chains and guides done on my 2000 BMW 540i with 240,000miles.

    That was about 2 months ago. This week I noticed a new clicking sound coming from the engine and decided to investigate.

    There is a constant click click click sound coming from the driver's side valve cover, on the second to farthest rear cylinder. I can hear it right away when I start the engine, and it speeds up and down as the RPM goes up and down.

    Here's a video of it, any idea what might be going on? Any idea why i can push on the cover and muffle the clicking? Any thoughts on an easy fix, maybe taking off the valve cover and tighten cam brackets or something else?

    The internet also suggested it might be a knock sensor, but it is only one cylinder knocking(?) and I would think there would be a sensor for each bank or maybe each pair.

    Thoughts? In the meantime do you think it's okay to be driven (gently)?


  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    NW suburban Chicago
    Posts
    16,302
    My Cars
    hiss by my window
    Not knock sensor, they are inanimate. The "knocking" they are to prevent is detonation which if audible sounds nothing like this and never occurs at idle.
    I'd check for a loose spark plug and coil first given that the noise seems to diminish when you apply pressure to the cover over that spot.

    Or perhaps a collapsed lifter.
    I am not endorsing this but will share the story of another member here with a collapsed lifter. His solution was to thrash the %$^&$ out of the car. Seems the high revs generated enough oil pressure to pump up the sticky lifter. He wasn't worried about any other consequences.
    For the peanut gallery; Are the V-8 oil pump retaining bolt issues resolved by 2000?

    If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Mt. Pleasant, SC, USA
    Posts
    663
    My Cars
    1997 E36 M3/4/5
    Did they do the plugs? Sometimes a loose plug can knock or click. How far over. Injector rail? Injectors click... Maybe buy a stethoscope roo listen more carefully.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    KC North, MO, USA
    Posts
    11,153
    My Cars
    1996 740iL
    Agreed. Pull that cover off and lift the coil to check the plug. Rule out the easy stuff first.

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