The Dreaded N52 Engine Knocking/Ticking

[srhutch]

Has anyone actually ever had a recorded engine failure from this? Just sayin'.
It sounds annoying but for the cost of sorting it, what's the point?

At some point something will fail or cause excessive wearing. The cam followers are acting like hammers under this condition so that can't be good for the engine.

 

[Taz]

Has anyone actually ever had a recorded engine failure from this? Just sayin'.
It sounds annoying but for the cost of sorting it, what's the point?

At some point something will fail or cause excessive wearing. The cam followers are acting like hammers under this condition so that can't be good for the engine.

but so far I have never heard anybody saying their engines have been damaged

 

[Jembo]

Has anyone actually ever had a recorded engine failure from this? Just sayin'.
It sounds annoying but for the cost of sorting it, what's the point?

At some point something will fail or cause excessive wearing. The cam followers are acting like hammers under this condition so that can't be good for the engine.

but so far I have never heard anybody saying their engines have been damaged

Taz, there's a couple of things you could consider as seems there's not enough oil getting through so suggest

1. Get a through oil flush done every oil change
2. Change the oil early, say every 10k rather than 15k

Least this way you'll be keeping the innards fresher were if there's any residual creating blockage may help keep it clearer

 

[aquazi]

Would a different grade oil help, say 0w-30 instead of 5w-35?

Allow it to flow better into the restricted channels?

On my old celica there was a known issue on some engine which cause starvation... And thicker oil in that case helped the engine burn less oil.


Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

 

[srhutch]

From memory some have used a thicker oil, I assume its less likely to drain from the lifters.

I don't think early oil changes or flushing will have any effect or reduce damage.

Whilst as you say not aware of any long term issues, its wrong for any car let alone a premium marque to display this sort of issue and BMW should rectify under warranty or goodwill.

 

[Taz]

its wrong for any car let alone a premium marque to display this sort of issue and BMW should rectify under warranty or goodwill.

totally agree, so is a BMW a premium marque car, I suspect you probably get better customer satisfaction with cars like Kia and Hyndai

 

[srhutch]

its wrong for any car let alone a premium marque to display this sort of issue and BMW should rectify under warranty or goodwill.

totally agree, so is a BMW a premium marque car, I suspect you probably get better customer satisfaction with cars like Kia and Hyndai

Two different things sadly, premium doesn't mean better service :thumbsdown:

 

[Ewazix]

.......... Taz, there's a couple of things you could consider as seems there's not enough oil getting through so suggest

1. Get a through oil flush done every oil change
2. Change the oil early, say every 10k rather than 15k

Least this way you'll be keeping the innards fresher were if there's any residual creating blockage may help keep it clearer

Oil flushing should be unnecessary on modern engines providing they have been maintained by the book with correct oil, and the solvents can actually damage seals/gaskets etc. The N52 HVA issue is not caused by dirty oil or blockages and BMW DO NOT recommend engine oil flushing and according to BMW's technical service manual can invalidate the warranty.

Pre Nov 2008 Built N52 cars may get the HVA problem which is caused by air in the valve oil feed circuit usually associated with short and/or cold drives, or being stood for extended period. It often clears with use and It's not thought that any damage is caused but it sounds bloody awful.

The dash temp' gauge is not linear, it will show dead centre normal for readings between anywhere between 75 and 113 deg C as the thermostat regulates engine temp between these two values according to driving conditions, so even though it's showing 'normal' mid way, the engine and oil could actually be cool.

Dealers can bleed the system but it often makes no difference, the answer is to fit the later head or drive it more and get it hot :driving:

 

[Taz]

Pre Nov 2008 Built N52 cars may get the HVA problem

cars registered in 2009 also have the issue (built Aug 2008)

 

[Ewazix]

Pre Nov 2008 Built N52 cars may get the HVA problem

cars registered in 2009 also have the issue (built Aug 2008)

Yep wot I said :? pre Nov 2008 built N52 cars, when they are registered obviously makes no odds.

Hair of the dog should cure cure squiffy vision :cheers: