Non vanos 540 engine rattle

[southsouth]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCirGTp1g-Y

Not my video but I have an identical sound. Sound goes away above 1500 rpm.

I always thought it may be my timing chain guides. But I have had this sound since I got the car 4 years ago at 130k mile and im at 160k now. And honestly the sound hasn't changed since the first day. And in all my oil changes I still haven't seen any plastic. So I am afraid it may be lifters or rod bearings. What do you guys think this rattle is?

[JimLev]

Sounds like something is scraping or possibly a bad pulley.
Take off all the belts and start the engine, see if it’s still there.

[southsouth]

Sounds like something is scraping or possibly a bad pulley.
Take off all the belts and start the engine, see if it’s still there.

ive tried that a long time ago. The noise remained

[edjack]

How often do you change oil? What brand and weight? My guess is sludged-up lifters; no telling how the engine was treated before you bought it. Try a Rislone treatment.

My fellow posters chide me for using heavy oil: I use Castrol GTX 20W50, and the engine is quiet.

BTW, my owner's manual calls for 15W40, so, for old engine, I'm not far off.

[southsouth]

How often do you change oil? What brand and weight? My guess is sludged-up lifters; no telling how the engine was treated before you bought it. Try a Rislone treatment.

My fellow posters chide me for using heavy oil: I use Castrol GTX 20W50, and the engine is quiet.

BTW, my owner's manual calls for 15W40, so, for old engine, I'm not far off.

5w40 castrol every 5k miles since 2016.

[southsouth]

Also ill add, taking a screwdriver to the ear I could not find the source of the sound. It is not present anywhere on the valve cover or upper timing covers, Nor do I hear it on the oil pan.

I am leaning towards rod bearings. How though it is possible if it is rod bearings that in the past 4 years, of strong driving, has the sound not gotten worse?

[Chedley]

The ticking noise could be an oil pressure valve.
With a similar ticking noise, check out this long thread, and and the solution in post #89)...Enjoy..!!
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...g-chain-guides

[southsouth]

The ticking noise could be an oil pressure valve.
With a similar ticking noise, check out this long thread, and and the solution in post #89)...Enjoy..!!
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...g-chain-guides

Good in depth read which turned out to be the spring in the oil pump. What is it with m62s and crappy springs. First the timing chain tensioner spring, and now this oil pump spring. Are there any more springs I need to know about?

So this is likely the cause of my noise. I hope at least because I don't get a low oil pressure warning. Here is his video to compare to the one I posted. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3LJ...ature=emb_logo. I would say the sound is almost identical in both, but with this one having a louder lifter noise.

But this spring going bad makes logical sense to me, as when I rev the car to 1500 revs or above, the sound goes away. Which indicates oil pressure is the factor.

Now I guess the prudent next step is to measure oil pressure....how do I do this? Or should I just into this oil pump and inspect this spring?

[JimLev]

Oil pressure can be tested at the port the oil pressure gauge screws into.
It’s metric thread of course.

[southsouth]

Oil pressure can be tested at the port the oil pressure gauge screws into.
It’s metric thread of course.

I didn't test the oil pressure. I couldn't find the testing tool for it.

I did remove the oil pump and unfortunately the springs in there seem normal. the large one is 10.2 cm and the smaller one is 6.5cm. I did find some plastic bits on the oil mesh. Ill post pics soon. But i don't think these tiny bits of plastic is enough to cause my timing chains to rattle from idle to 1400 rpm.

My other problem is how do I get the springs back in there and put the holding ring back on?

[southsouth]

20200815_170823.jpg20200815_173634.jpg

[Chedley]

yes,
the springs look fine, but the chunks of plastic bits on the oil mesh are rather sizeable. Any idea where they come from ? Could it be the guides flaking out ?? Try to get others opinion...

Re-installation of the springs is the reverse of the removal (last out, first in). Except --I think --you put back the holding ring before reinserting the lifter & spring.
Also, it is weird you show 2 springs: one normal at 102 mm, and a second one at 65mm -the presumed collapsed length of the spec spring. Are you sure the previous owner did not muck around it and installed a second spring ? The role of the springs is to maintain a minimum pressure at low rpms, and prevent oil pressure drop.

[southsouth]

yes,
the springs look fine, but the chunks of plastic bits on the oil mesh are rather sizeable. Any idea where they come from ? Could it be the guides flaking out ?? Try to get others opinion...

Re-installation of the springs is the reverse of the removal (last out, first in). Except --I think --you put back the holding ring before reinserting the lifter & spring.
Also, it is weird you show 2 springs: one normal at 102 mm, and a second one at 65mm -the presumed collapsed length of the spec spring. Are you sure the previous owner did not muck around it and installed a second spring ? The role of the springs is to maintain a minimum pressure at low rpms, and prevent oil pressure drop.

plastic bits are the timing chain guides flaking off a bit right? That's the only plastic component in the crankcase?

I am not too worried about the timing chain guides. Ive seen people pull out chunks of plastic from their oil pans. Maybe I should be somewhat worried? I mean, there was zero plastic in the oil pan 4 years ago and zero today, I also looked at the upper guides when I took off my upper timing covers last year and they looked good. Tensioner for the guides was replaced 4 years ago too. Now I will also try to see the lower timing guides once the upper oil pan is off. My theory is these little bits of plastic do not compromise the main guides. But i have no history of the cars maintenance before me.

As for that secondary spring. Yeah its weird. Realoem doesn't even show this second cylinder spring existing in the pump. This is something I need someone to answer, because I have a pump that may not be for a m62?

So my springs look good. Other than having an extra one, which no one knows what length its supposed to be. So worst case if no one knows I will add washers to increase that springs tension. Because if I have low oil pressure, which is causing my slight rattle noise from idle to 1400, then it has to be that the cyclinders are not tensioned up enough. Thereby, relieving high pressure oil when the engine is already at low idle pressure.

[southsouth]

20200817_185034.jpg

Took the upper oil pan off today. I took a picture of this plate that sits underneath the crankshaft. It has some silverly deposit on it? normal?

20200817_185050.jpg
20200817_185554.jpg
Timing chain guides look fine
20200817_190157.jpg

cylinder walls have zero scratches from what I could see.

Going to take off rod bearings on the pistons and check them out

[southsouth]

well I put it back together after inspecting rod bearings and adding a washer to the oil pump spring...And the noise is still there. Honestly this noise problem has been floating around on the internet for years and its really one of the last remaining mystery's of the m62. Again reference the video. And for me, the noise begins 30 or so seconds after startup.