Are my worries justified?

[H3LL0]

Hello! I am going to adjust my valves next weekend. They are ticking and ticking, it seems to me it gets louder, but others say i am overreacting, and that it hasnt gotten worse. Today i tried listening closeley, and the ticking has different sounds, the ticking on the first 3-4 cyl from the radiator has the typical m30 valve ticking noice, but the inner 1 perhaps 2 cylinders make less noice but in a different more muffled ticking.

also when listening from the hood grill it sounds really loud, is this the valves or something else perhaps?

Anything to be worried about? Perhaps it goes away after adjusting? Ideas?

[E32FAN]

Many folks have reported dramatic improvement after pouring SeaFoam into the gas tank and/or the crankcase.

[Avec]

I used Seafoam in the crank case on my M60, and it worked really well to quiet and loosen up a stuck timing chain tensioner. It is cheap to see if it works. Run it for 500 or so km, then change the oil. If you don't have that particular product, there are formulas on line to make your own. I recently put it in the crank case on my Cayenne and it quited a stuck lifter.

[CroughtonE32]

You have the M30 motor like me. Lots of people complain about loud ticking when listening to the motor running, standing on the drivers side of the car. Walking around to the passenger side and you'll usually hear less noise. Might be that you need a good valve adjustment, but remember that the injector set up on this motor has clicking noises that for sure imitate the sound of valves out of adjustment. My car has always had this clicking and I know it's absolutely normal. I'll have this E32 M30, thirty years this coming Feb 5th. Check the first YouTube link in my signature. I did this walk around of the Motor just after a major engine refresh and a really thorough valve adjustment. This is how my car sounded the say I drove it home from the BMW dealer. I learned two things in those early days about my car. The ticking sound of my injector setup and an idle that was never going to be as steady as a high end Japanese car. I've heard Lexus's sound as smooth as a sewing machine. Research, 30 years ago led me to BMW of North America, in Rahway, New Jersey and what was explained to me in writing, was the injector ticking and that in designing this car BMW decided to use a crankshaft that would sacrifice a perfect idle for a bit more power. Two things from back in the day that I'll never forget. Hope you figure out your ticking noise, but please have a look at my motor and notice how the ticking noise is half as loud when I walk around to the passenger side. I don't think the noise would change considering I'm standing right over the valve cover. It has always been like this. Also, is this the type of noise you hear? I'd love for you to post a 30 second video. Good luck...............
Jeff

[m60power]

You can use a big screwdriver with a plastic handle put up to your ear as a sort of stethoscope; listen around at different areas of the head, valve cover, on the injectors, etc. to try and pinpoint where the sound is coming from. It works pretty damn well to pinpoint the noise in question over the many noises coming from a running motor.

[e30luv318i]

^ do this and check the injectors like he said they get loud