tick tick tick please help...!

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pHilli0

Active member
 Bedford
I have an odd ticking that has just developed on my M Coupe. Had the car for 9 months and it has been solid no issues with noise etc other than I knew about the Vanos rattle from 2,800 to 3,100 RPM, which I was OK with. Then in the last couple of weeks a new ticking has developed. It sounds tappety best way I can describe it. It is audible outside the car at idle when cold and up to temp, not very really audible from 1000-2000 rpm inside but about 2000 - 4000 it is pretty loud and consistent through the revs, then the noise of the engine drowns it out but its still there. When I cruise at 60 in sixth you can constantly hear it in the background tick tick tick tick :x :headbang:

Took it to my indy who flushed the engine, replaced the oil as it was due, inspected and confirmed the vanos bolts are all present and correctly adjusted, listened to the vanos and wasn't particularly concerned about it. The valves were adjusted 10k miles ago and my indy said that once they are reshimmed they generally don't go off. He went on to say he had an 2003 m3 before with a similar tick, had stripped it all back, did the valves, did a load of work and it still ticked at the end.

So just for a second opinion took it to BMW and they confirmed it was an engine noise and didnt think it was vanos related. There recommendation? Valve adjustment at 340 quid as the next step.

So I am currently unsure what to do. If anyone has seen this before or can give me a clue what to do it would be great as I want to do something.
 
Z4M-2006 said:
I would be checking for wear on the cam followers.. Also check the cams for damage...
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How much effort is that? Is it an hours labour or something more complex? It's not the first time I have seen the cams mentioned for possible ticking and I am happy to fund an investigation..
 
Z4M-2006 said:
I would be checking for wear on the cam followers.. Also check the cams for damage...
Click to expand...
^This
Get the valve cover off and inspect. If they look fine then reshimming it would be my first port of call. Hopefully it's just that. Good luck.
 
TomK said:
Z4M-2006 said:
I would be checking for wear on the cam followers.. Also check the cams for damage...
Click to expand...
^This
Get the valve cover off and inspect. If they look fine then reshimming it would be my first port of call. Hopefully it's just that. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks.. OK so if cams check out then reshim the valves as the next thing to do... and if there is cam damage how much am I in for?
 
Is a bit of a stripdown to check them all properly...But sometimes deposits can be seen with camcover off..

Does it sound like this ? (this one is bad,but you get the idea)..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lfjpC4GFJA
 
Z4M-2006 said:
Is a bit of a stripdown to check them all properly...But sometimes deposits can be seen with camcover off..

Does it sound like this ? (this one is bad,but you get the idea)..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lfjpC4GFJA
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No thats sounds louder, and a different sound I think anway.. more like a knocking where as mine sounds like tapetts. I will go and do a vid in a mo so you can hear it.
 
pHilli0 said:
TomK said:
Z4M-2006 said:
I would be checking for wear on the cam followers.. Also check the cams for damage...
Click to expand...
^This
Get the valve cover off and inspect. If they look fine then reshimming it would be my first port of call. Hopefully it's just that. Good luck.
Click to expand...



Thanks.. OK so if cams check out then reshim the valves as the next thing to do... and if there is cam damage how much am I in for?
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If the cams are damaged then more than likely the followers will need to be replaced, so you'll be looking north of 3k if you're not doing it yourself. You'll then have the slightly worrying problem of where those little scrapes of metal missing have gone. Really should the damage be bad you'll want the head off and look at the bottom end. That's worse case though.
 
Ouch :o How much more would a full rebuild be? Listening to my car again and that vid it does sound alarmingly close... at low rpm the noise isn't really audible and I wonder if that would be less likely if the cam was damaged and it would be present at idle ? but that's pure guess work/wishful thinking ....here's my vid... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AMXkqcYxGY
 
oh man.......

That isnt normal..... My money is still on a bad follower... :thumbsdown:

Sorry about that... :cry:
 
Z4M-2006 said:
oh man.......

That isnt normal..... My money is still on a bad follower... :thumbsdown:

Sorry about that... :cry:
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I know it sounds pretty sick...sad thing is it was fine up until a couple of weeks ago :o If this was your problem what would you do assuming it is the cam / follower?
 
If you cant do it yourself then a good indy is your best bet...

I wouldnt run the car anymore,i dont think anymore damage will be done but better look at it as damage limitation...

I bit of exploration is needed to access whats actually gone wrong.... Then rectify...

The serious money will happen if the cams are damaged,although there are second hand sets about if needed...
 
Good advice, thanks. I have been looking at other people across google with similar noises and you appear to be spot on, a couple of guys saying they had cam / follower issues and needed replacements. I don't have any plan to sell the car so and actually want to get it more track focused, so if i have to spend 2/3k to get this fixed then so be it. Far from ideal but such is life!!
 
s54 owners brown trouser moment, these engines need lots of care, GL op hope it isn't too expensive :-(

whats the mileage ?
 
pHilli0 said:
Good advice, thanks. I have been looking at other people across google with similar noises and you appear to be spot on, a couple of guys saying they had cam / follower issues and needed replacements. I don't have any plan to sell the car so and actually want to get it more track focused, so if i have to spend 2/3k to get this fixed then so be it. Far from ideal but such is life!!
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Perfect excuse then to put Schrick csl cams then if you're keeping it and remap it. They work out a little bit less than oem items as it goes. if you're going to all that trouble I'd have a look at the rod bearings as they're a known failure point and mine were showing signs of wear when upgrading my cams, you could also uprate the rod bolts. I think big end bearings were replaced also as was the head gasket during my overhaul as precautionary measures. Engine was on 55k
 
Beedub said:
s54 owners brown trouser moment, these engines need lots of care, GL op hope it isn't too expensive :-(

whats the mileage ?
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These are the sort of posts that concern me the most, I keep hearing new noises only having owned it 3 weeks!

I'd budgeted M costs for normal items, fingers crossed I don't get the special items cropping up, or the watch fund will be taking a pretty sever hit.

OP, hope you get it sorted; not a nice sound or discovery - but after the work, you will have a solid engine once again.
 
MJ2k don't worry too much these are robust engines.... But they are specialist stuff and need detailed care... when your getting your clearances checked always ask them to thoroughtly check the top end over and check the vanos hub bolts/tabs and timing chain guide and related gear. Your 7k engine however is along way off having issues / expensive maintenance work
 
I've posted already in the VANOS thread where you asked the same thing. As above - cam follower wear looks likely. Cam wear follows follower wear, so I'd stop driving it and you might get away with just a new set of followers instead of new camshafts too. The Schrick followers are cheaper than OEM and have an additional coating so should be less likely to suffer future wear issues. I'd thoroughly recommend Phil at CPC Performance Engineering in Amersham as he's fast becoming an expert on this issue thanks to this forum!
 
Beedub said:
s54 owners brown trouser moment, these engines need lots of care, GL op hope it isn't too expensive :-(

whats the mileage ?
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91,000 miles. I bought the car at 80,000. It has a solid history. Correct alternating oil and inspections, main dealer history for majority of the work including the last inspection ii, loads of invoices from pervious owners for parts and service. The history is as solid as I could of wanted. I have also tried to take excellent care. Maybe I got unlucky, who knows.
 
BMWZ4MC said:
I've posted already in the VANOS thread where you asked the same thing. As above - cam follower wear looks likely. Cam wear follows follower wear, so I'd stop driving it and you might get away with just a new set of followers instead of new camshafts too. The Schrick followers are cheaper than OEM and have an additional coating so should be less likely to suffer future wear issues. I'd thoroughly recommend Phil at CPC Performance Engineering in Amersham as he's fast becoming an expert on this issue thanks to this forum!
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Thanks for this. I have been looking at the Schrick options tonight. Seems like the way to go if I need a replacement. I have an indy who I trust to do the work but if that doesnt work out I will give Phil @ CPC a shout, Amersham is about an hour away from me. Any rough estimates from Phil if I go Schrick cam / followers.. 3k?
 
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