"Tickety/Tapping" Noise From Engine!

S

Snoop D

Member
Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone can help diagnose a recent problem I am currently having. My Z4 (3.0i M54) has been off the road since November 2015 and parked on my drive with an outdoor cover on it since. Last time I started it was during this summer (June) and it started up fine and drove fine (just the brakes were a bit rusted).

Today I started it again to move it. Before I started it, I checked the oil level and topped it up (about 400ml of Castrol Edge 0W-30). I made sure to crank it over to prime the oil/fuel lines and pumps but making sure not to turn the key for long enough to start it. I cranked it over for about 6 times to build oil pressure and then fired it up. Started fine but now I am hearing a ticking/tapping noise which gets faster with engine rpm.

I have attached a video of the noise...

https://youtu.be/wPMpIm9zrf4

I am suspecting it could be a timing chain tensioner as it sounded similar to my MINI Cooper S R53, which were notorious for failed timing chain tensioners.
I had the car idling for about 10 mins to see if the noise would get any better, but no luck. I then just turned the car off and left it at that. It has never sounded like this before - it has always been 'silky smooth'. Last oil change was in 2014 with Castrol Edge Gold 5w-30, but it has only covered approx 100 miles after the oil change...

Could the timing chain be slapping about in the chain guides? I have heard of VANOS chains/units, but not really looked it into it much - can someone explain what this does and if it could be a likely cause?

Any help is greatly appreciated

Thanks :)
 
road warrior said:
dont panic, this is just lack of use and the tappets are still dry, it needs to go a for a drive
Click to expand...

Hi, thanks for your reply. It has been sitting on the drive unused for quite some time now and its about damn time now to stretch its legs on a drive! I know starting it up once in a while for a short period of time is no good either! Sometimes I need to move the cars in the drive hence why it sometimes needs to be started up and moved, but I always make sure to build up oil and fuel pressures in my cars before starting, either by removing ignition fuses or just briefly turning the engine over with the key for a few times...
Obviously its no good for a car to sit unused for this amount of time either, but this had resulted from my circumstances at the time...

I'm just really worried that I may have now damaged my engine as the noise got worse when I increased the revs! The oil is new since 2014 (only covered around 100 miles on Castrol Edge Gold 5W-30), but I am questioning if it is worth changing. Does oil degrade over a long period of time if it has just sat at the bottom of the engine? That's why I was thinking it could may be the chain tensioner - being seized/stuck in one position due to oil draining from it into the sump and the cold weather. This would obviously cause the timing chain to become slack and rattle off the timing chain guides...

Thanks again! :thumbsup:
 
Of course it gets louder when you rev it. Its going faster.. More effort more touching metal more noise. To be expected. Dont rev it on the drive for a start the engine is cold. Yes oil degrades, but the worst thing is not using a car and letting it stand. It kills cars frankly. Parts sieze.. Even a couple of years can kill a car engine. Your oil is 5 years old,
 
road warrior said:
Of course it gets louder when you rev it. Its going faster.. More effort more touching metal more noise. To be expected. Dont rev it on the drive for a start the engine is cold. Yes oil degrades, but the worst thing is not using a car and letting it stand. It kills cars frankly. Parts sieze.. Even a couple of years can kill a car engine. Your oil is 5 years old,
Click to expand...

Thanks.

I'll see how it goes after a long drive. In the meantime, do you recommend me changing the oil or adding any oil additives to reduce tapping noise and replenish internal seals (if they actually do that!?)
Also, should I go for a thicker grade of oil - 5w40 instead of 5w30? I only use Castrol Edge long life gold in my cars...

Cheers! :)
 
Sticking or worn valve lifters will give that noise on an M54. Caused by very high miles, or poor oil regime, or condensation in the rocker cover when left for extended periods. Repeated cold starting/idling when stored will make this process worse.

I would firstly get it hot enough to allow the engine components to expand fully, not just oil/coolant temperature. This takes several miles, and see how it is.
Then drop the oil and use engine flush, and when complete fresh good quality oil, give a good drive.
If this doesn't help you are in to dismantling the top end to identify stuck lifters, cleaning them and the carrier bores might sort it if you are lucky, if not new lifters and a new/refurbished carrier may be needed.

Guys, if you store a car DONT start the thing and idle it up thinking you are doing some good. It's ruinous for the head and allows condensation in to your bores and oil as well. 99% of engine wear occurs at cold start-up (that's how taxis used on permanent shift do intergalactic mileages and why low mileage short commute motors should be avoided).
 
No don't get thicker oil that's a bad idea,
Ironically you putting in 0-30 has allowed all the the super thin oil to fall to to the bottom of the engine get 5-30 then go for a 100 mile drive DONT rev it, just drove normally.
I don't agree you should flush it though as they can cause more trouble by partially disloging crud. Just change it and go for a gentle 100 mile run. Your car will love you for it. And use the bloody car....... Storage kills cars
 
Tappets/lifter noise sounds just like that, Should disappear after 5-10 minutes of driving once oil has heated up and circulated.

Would add up with being left standing for some time, My car used to make similar noise after a sequence of short journeys where oil couldn't fully circulate.

Last changed oil to Fuchs titan race pro S, read some sciency stuff about ester based oils and decided to give it a try, Have never heard from the tappets again.

Alternatively you can try the BMW "Bleed procedure" which will achieve what road warrior also suggests. expect BMW will charge you for leaving your car stationary while leaving a brick on your accelerator pedal for 20 minutes.
 
road warrior said:
Ironically you putting in 0-30 has allowed all the the super thin oil to fall to to the bottom of the engine get 5-30 then go for a 100 mile drive
Click to expand...
I can only confirm that 0-30 oil is not the best oil to treat the N52. I have tried it (while performing an oil servicing at the BMW dealer, so that should have been LL04 Castrol 0W30), and the noise from the engine scared me immediately after the oil change, which I assumed could be a normal thing considering the old oil was purged and the new one needed to "spread" around. However after 100km, the engine kept on being more noisy that it was ever before.
I went back to 5W30 soon after.
Engine still is noisy when cold (exactly like yours sounds on the video), but does improve after it gets to its normal operating temp.
Then after I tend to drive (too) short journeys and sometimes leave the car for 1 or 2 weeks without a good drive, which as you report, isn't the best use these engines have been designed for... so let's :driving: these cars and :fuelfire: while we still can :P
 
Almost certainly hydraulic lifters that are not filling properly so valve clearance is too big. Probably all gunked up with mayo from condensation in the oil. Needs a run, and a decent long one at that. When the engine is fully up to temp you need to get the revs up and give it a bit of a spanking. Ideally you need to get the oil temp >100’C.

For future ref, the correct way to prime the engine when its been laid up for a prolonged period is to remove the fuel pump fuse, NEVER the ignition. All you are doing by removing ignition is washing the bores with unburned fuel and similarly damaging the catalytic converters.
 
I had an E46 3 Series with an M54 engine some years ago and was helping a friend move house. I moved the car off the drive to get a removal van on there, then later drove about a mile to the new house. Parked there, then had to move the car again.

A couple of days later I started the car to drive home and got an Amber EML and the same ticking noise you described, and the engine was mis-firing. A few miles into my journey I stopped (for a smoke) :roll: and when I started it again the EML was off and it was running properly. Drove 200 miles home and it was fine.

When I got the fault codes read it was logged as a lifter issue - so the solution seems to be to get it properly warmed up and drive it! :thumbsup:
 
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