S54 - Valve Noise / Adjustment Poll

Poll Poll At What Mileage Have you had to have valves adjusted with shims??

  • 0 - 10 000 miles - adjustment needed - no fault found

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 0 - 10 000miles - adjustment needed - fault found (new parts / engine(?) needed etc?)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 0 - 10 000 miles - is my current mileage and there is no sign of excessive valve noise.

    Votes: 2 14.3%

  • 0 - 10 000 miles - is my current mileage, there is noise but I havent had it investigated.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 10 000 - 20 000 miles - adjustment needed - no fault found

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 10 000 - 20 000 miles - adjustment needed - fault found (new engine needed etc?)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 10 000 - 20 000 miles - is my current mileage and there is no sign of excessive valve noise.

    Votes: 3 21.4%

  • 10 000 - 20 000 miles - is my current mileage, there is noise but I havent had it investigated.

    Votes: 1 7.1%

  • 20 000 - 30 000 miles - adjustment needed - no fault found

    Votes: 1 7.1%

  • 20 000 - 30 000 miles - adjustment needed - fault found (new engine needed etc?)

    Votes: 1 7.1%

  • 20 000 - 30 000 miles - is my current mileage and there is no sign of excessive valve noise.

    Votes: 3 21.4%

  • 20 000 - 30 000 miles - is my current mileage, there is noise but I havent had it investigated.

    Votes: 1 7.1%

  • 30 000 - 40 000 miles - adjustment needed - no fault found

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 30 000 - 40 000 miles - adjustment needed - fault found (new engine needed etc?)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 30 000 - 40 000 miles - is my current mileage and there is no sign of excessive valve noise.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 30 000 - 40 000 miles - is my current mileage, there is noise but I havent had it investigated.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 40 000 - 50 000 miles - adjustment needed - no fault found

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 40 000 - 50 000 miles - adjustment needed - fault found (new engine needed etc?)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 40 000 - 50 000 miles - is my current mileage and there is no sign of excessive valve noise.

    Votes: 2 14.3%

  • 40 000 - 50 000 miles - is my current mileage, there is noise but I havent had it investigated.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • > 50 000 miles - normal wear - adjustments made when needed

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • > 50 000 miles - normal wear - adjustment made when car is serviced.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    14
Z

Z4//MMY

Member
 Manchester
All,

My Z4MR has loud valve noise from once end of the cylinder head.
The car only has 20 000miles on it and has been doing it since I bought the car at 17 500 miles.
I have reported in 3 times and keep getting told it is "normal" so the garage refuses to look into it at all.
I understand that the valve train design allows for wear and the the clearances are re-set with shims periodically.

I believe that at this mileage I should not be experiencing this valve noise and that it is caused by a fault... possibly lack of oil or low oil flow / pressure to 1 end of the valve train hence excessive wear at this 1 point.

The problem is, as the engine is designed to wear garages will not look for a fault they just keep saying "its normal" without taking into account the low mileage and they will not actually look for a fault.

I have asked them to interrogate the BMW warranty database to look for similar faults at this mileage to see if BMW can advise if there is something wrong and again they are not being cooperative.

I am trying to generate a poll that will show this data...
 
I can't tell if mine was 'extra' rattly/noisy or not as I came from a quieter e34 M5 (the lumpiness of that was at tickover) - although the saying in the e34 M5 community was "If it's quiet, then there's something wrong", because as the clearances became tighter the noise would decrease, which meant it was time to adjust them.

Mine was running fine one minute, and then it started misfiring and showing an orange/yellow EML. BMW (finally) diagnosed it as a bent valve in #1 cylinder and gave me a new engine at 22,000 (approx).

My new engine sounds rougher than my old one, although it's only got 8,000 miles on it from new and as I bought my old one with nearly 10,000 miles on I assumed they'd should sound similar. But I suppose you could say the old one broke, so maybe that's why it sound different (i.e. this one won't breake).
 
Ive added a new answer to the vote to say there is noise but youve not had it investigated yet....

Come on people, 30 odd views and only a few votes.. u all have a S54 engine, you can all comment...

This data is good knowledge for all of us...
 
I apparently cleaned the BMW dealer out of shims at the first inspection service (25k?) and I know there was further shimming required at my insp2 at 50k.
 
well im on 9.5 k miles, ive had the oil service and changed brake fluid, so i believe my next service insp 1 i think or is it 2? anyhow i believe this is when my valve clearances are checked, my engine runs very quietly with no lumpiness or abnormal ticking noises, so ill be interested to see if they car needs shims added.
 
^^ you would know if it did.... when my car is up to full operating temperature it sounds like a diesel...

A loud tick tick tick noise... when coasting or u can hear it at idle if u pop the bonnet...
 
Some say not always tho. I've never seen a shim report for mine so I can't add to the poll. I'm going to request them though as I've just had Ins 2.
 
Z4//MMY said:
^^ you would know if it did.... when my car is up to full operating temperature it sounds like a diesel...A loud tick tick tick noise... when coasting or u can hear it at idle if u pop the bonnet...
Click to expand...

Never seen a shim report either...mine had Insp 1 ages ago (had an oil service since)....but mine sounds good and none of the above so assume it's fine
 
Nearly 22k miles and mine's off for an Insp 1 in two weeks. Sounds really sweet to my ears at least, so not expecting anything. I'll ask for a shim report however, just to be certain.

Mine makes an interesting noise when it starts from cold, like there's some kind of extra oil pump working away. Soon quietens down. A friend of owned an E34 M5 said his did much the same, and was some kind of air pump for the purposes of keeping idle emissions down. Doubt that's the case here though?
 
I keep the car in a 'traditional' semi type garage. There is a slight tick tick when cold which I'm told is normal anyway but I think it's still there but barely noticable when I put the car away. The garage being so confined really amplifies the noise though. Had a mate who's a mechanic have a listen and he thinks it sounds fine.
'
Inspection 1 due in 2,000 miles/2 months so I will be making it very clear that I can hear a slight tick, that I want clearances checking and I want the data sheet for my inspectiion. If I'm parting with £800 I intend to get my money's worth.
 
sammyz said:
Inspection 1 due in 2,000 miles/2 months...If I'm parting with £800 I intend to get my money's worth.
Click to expand...
Matey you should be aiming more for £600ish for Ins I, £800 for Ins II. I'm sure you knew that, similar to me moaning a lot recently about my car requiring a "thousand pound service". :)
 
I am pretty sure Inspection 1 and 2 are not based on mileage but based on how much fuel is run through the engine. The DME keeps track of this and then reports when it needs Inspection 1 or 2. That is the reason that you never see a specific mileage printed out anywhere for your Inspection 1 or 2 service.

I currently have 6400 miles on mine and plan on doing the Valve Adjustment myself at 12k. BMW can do the Inspection 1 adjustment.

You will have a very hard time convincing BMW that the normal wear on the valve shims are a FAULT.
 
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