N52 ticking noise when cold and rattle when hot

[Niek_Z4_2.5si_E85]

Hello,

My 2.5 N52 makes a pretty loud ticking noise when cold. At first the noise was gone when the engine warmed up, but now I hear a rattle noise coming from under the valve cover when the engine is hot. A mechanic told me a lifter might have to be replaced. There is Mobil 5w30 oil in the car right now. What do you guys think about this?

 

[inkey$]

It does sound like standard issue N52 lifter tick to me and likely nothing to worry about. Mine used to do that cold and at times when hot. Might want to try a different viscosity of oil, as I've read on here that sometimes that can help with the noise.

 

[Niek_Z4_2.5si_E85]

I find this answer everywhere on the internet. But I do wonder why it is getting worse. What kind of oil should I try? 5w30, 5w40, 0w30 or 0w40 and what brand?

 

[inkey$]

Some have recommended switching to Castrol Edge 0w40 every 6 months.

 

[inkey$]

Also, have you checked the condition of the DISA valve? Could be the source of your rattle noise.

 

[Niek_Z4_2.5si_E85]

Is it easy to check this DISA valve? I have 0 experience with working on cars. Only thing I did is restore the leather steering wheel. I have owned the car for 6 months now.

 

[Niek_Z4_2.5si_E85]

Does the noise from a DISA valve error come from under the valve cover or does it come from somewhere else in the engine compartment?

 

[inkey$]

Very easy to check….
[youtube]NKWasznFNkI[/youtube]

 

[inkey$]

If its still an issue for you, maybe someone from our Dutch Chapter could help you locally.

 

[Niek_Z4_2.5si_E85]

Seems easy to check. I will check them when I get home from work today. Thank you for the information!

 

[inkey$]

Seems easy to check. I will check them when I get home from work today. Thank you for the information!

Let us know how you get on

 

[deltasierra]

The ticking will be the valve lifting mechanism, not immediately harmful, there is a fix but is a time consuming replacement.
A rattle may be Vanos and needs fixing soonish.

 

[patriot66]

DISA and VANOS on the N52 are different from the M54 and problems with them extremely rare

 

[Thermaltake]

switching to Fuchs Titan Race Pro S 5W40 sorted my lifter tick. Its an ester based oil. A bit pricier than the normal fully synthetics but considering it gets done once a year its not an issue really. In fact my lifter tick seems to come back almost bang on time when an oil change is due presumably when it starts breaking down.

I would imagine any of the ester based oils such as Millers, Motul etc would do the same but i found fuchs race pro worked and have stuck with it since

 

[Mr Tidy]

That does sound like the normal N52 lifter tick when cold. All 4 of mine have done it, some more than others. But luckily it doesn't seem to cause any damage.

I don't know about the rattling noise, although I suspect it is something else causing that.

 

[Niek_Z4_2.5si_E85]

I can't tell if the rattle is coming from under the valve cover or from the DISA valve mounted behind the intake. It's not coming from the DISA valve mounted on the outside of the intake. I did not have time to open up the DISA part behind the intake. You can't really reach that valve unless you remove other parts first like the alternator etc. I'm going to invest in a jack soon so I can change the oil myself to try different oils for the lifter noises. Any tips on buying a jack that fits under the low e85 Z4?

 

[Niek_Z4_2.5si_E85]

switching to Fuchs Titan Race Pro S 5W40 sorted my lifter tick. Its an ester based oil. A bit pricier than the normal fully synthetics but considering it gets done once a year its not an issue really. In fact my lifter tick seems to come back almost bang on time when an oil change is due presumably when it starts breaking down.

I would imagine any of the ester based oils such as Millers, Motul etc would do the same but i found fuchs race pro worked and have stuck with it since

Do you have a link to this product?

 

[Niek_Z4_2.5si_E85]

DISA and VANOS on the N52 are different from the M54 and problems with them extremely rare

So the problem is most likely not the DISA valve? I'm definitely not sure, but the rattle does sound a bit like plastic.

 

[patriot66]

DISA and VANOS on the N52 are different from the M54 and problems with them extremely rare

So the problem is most likely not the DISA valve? I'm definitely not sure, but the rattle does sound a bit like plastic.

You can never be 100% certain of course, but I've been on this forum 8 years now and stand to be corrected but can't recall many or even any N52 issues with VANOS or DISA :? Use the forum Search facility in the drop down menu at top right