Z4 3.0 Si engine ticking noise?

D

doofus4000

Active member
Recently bought a 3.0 SI coupe with no ticking noise at 22K miles, 4 years old. It wasnt used reguraly and had no engine ticking noise when I bought it. Ive done 1000 miles approximately driving it for very short journeys every morning and then longer ones in the evening. Today when I started the car from cold, drove for about 2 minutes, parked and ran into the chemist, I came back to the car and started it and I heard the dreaded ticking noise. I drove granny-like home disheartened because I knew what it was and got the bonnet open and it definitely sounded like the tappet ticking noise. Was blipping the throttle and checking out the noise and you could hear the noise increase in repitition with increasing rpm. I finally gave it one last good blip reaching about 5000rpm and the noise disappeared and it was gone after that.

People who have had or have the dreaded engine ticking noise - is this the start of the ticking life of my engine or is it just a one off occurence of the noise? I was suprised that it only happened after I started the car for the 2nd time when it was semi-cold/hot (I thought it would of been at its loudest when stone cold). It sounded so loud at the start when I first heard like there was something seriously wrong with engine, and then it decreased in sound intensity until it disappeared after that final blip of the throttle. I really hope this isnt the start of this because it seriously spoils the sound and driving experience of the car.

thanks
 
mine did it once only

never really got to the bottom of it, but hopefully it was a 1 off
 
Im not too common of the N52 lifter problem so if the car is under warranty, make sure you get it checked out. Lazy hydraulic lifters are a common little issue on many cars, often all thats required is to give the car a good 'italian tune up' (give it some revs through the gears fairly regularly). As the RPM rises so will the oil pressure, and thats why your sound disappeared :)
 
EdButler said:
Im not too common of the N52 lifter problem so if the car is under warranty, make sure you get it checked out. Lazy hydraulic lifters are a common little issue on many cars, often all thats required is to give the car a good 'italian tune up' (give it some revs through the gears fairly regularly). As the RPM rises so will the oil pressure, and thats why your sound disappeared :)
Click to expand...

Warranty is expired unfortunately so thats why I am hoping its a one off. If it only took an italian tune up as you say, every so often if the noise reoccurs then I could live with it but otherwise I dont think I could.
 
srhutch said:
Sorry to give bad news but this will probably get worse as it is a known problem on N52 engines esp if not used often and only for short journeys.

Here's my link and a 70+ page from another forum

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10937&p=161535&hilit=+n52+engine+srhutch#p161535

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13504

I would go down the good will route with the dealer if I were you as it's a know problem.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the links. I had already done a lot of research on the whole problem and came across these but thanks anyway. The thing is when I bought the car when it wasnt used regurarly there was no noise, but after my 1000 miles of daily driving of a short journeys and then longer ones also it has started to show signs of it. Surely then it doesnt really have much do with the car being used or not because this has happened to me whilst driving daily. When I went to work this morning for a 2 minute journey the noise was not there, but now when I came home for my lunch it is. Its totally ruining the experience for me. Would a fresh oil change help do you or anyone think? read a post where a guy changed the oil and the noise was never heard after changing it.
 
I think it's mentioned in my link that my car went in for an oil change and when I drove it home I got out to open the garage door and could hear the tapping. That was about half a mile.

IMO Italian tune ups, BMW's bleed process and oil changes will have no long term positive effect. Mine was intermittent for approx 2 years but then started to become more frequent.

If you can demonstrate the problem to your dealer do so and supply backup information from here and E90 forum and tell them you want it fixed at their cost and see what they say.

I have had 4 alloy wheels replaced out of warranty with very very minor corrosion so what your asking for isn't out of the question.
 
srhutch said:
I think it's mentioned in my link that my car went in for an oil change and when I drove it home I got out to open the garage door and could hear the tapping. That was about half a mile.

IMO Italian tune ups, BMW's bleed process and oil changes will have no long term positive effect. Mine was intermittent for approx 2 years but then started to become more frequent.

If you can demonstrate the problem to your dealer do so and supply backup information from here and E90 forum and tell them you want it fixed at their cost and see what they say.

I have had 4 alloy wheels replaced out of warranty with very very minor corrosion so what your asking for isn't out of the question.
Click to expand...

Ok many thanks for the reply. I will try the dealer but I really cant see them doing it when its one year out of warranty, like how can I even justify to them the fixing of it when there is no wararnty left on the motor - nothing to argue with.

By the way, happened again this evening when I got out of work, tried the bleeding procedure a few times when I got home with no success, pissed off I then reved it close to the limiter a few times and that cured it for the minute.
 
Your argument is that it's a known problem, like mine was with the wheels.

If you dealer isn't interested then contact BMW UK in writing/email and see what they have to say, the mileage is low so this will help and just play on the fact it's a know problem which BMW have been fixing.
 
srhutch said:
Your argument is that it's a known problem, like mine was with the wheels.

If you dealer isn't interested then contact BMW UK in writing/email and see what they have to say, the mileage is low so this will help and just play on the fact it's a know problem which BMW have been fixing.
Click to expand...

Ok..will give it a go and hope and pray and see what happens. Many thanks for the advice.
 
sorry to be a thread jack.... but I have noticed my car has a ticking sound - but its only noticable when warm not cold (infact when cold its pretty silent- even with a timing chain) I actually find the ticking sound more noticable after i have give it an "italian" tune up :?

I cant hear it from the cabin only from outside... is it worth me taking my car to BMW? (bearing in mind i would need to have a flight back to the UK midweek to book it with them)
 
Ok so for anyone who is reading this as they are experiencing this annoying problem here are my symptons which seem to be different to most people who have had the problem.

My car only seems to tick after anywhere from 3+ cold starts where the drive only lasted for a few minutes (i.e. engine never reached operating temperature). When this does happen, if I let the car warm up to operating temperature and take it for a spirited drive, the ticking noise clears.

Once cleared it only then comes back after repeating the above routine.

If driven to operating temperature after every start there will be no tick.

Just thought I would post this because from what I have read on the site and elsewhere, almost everyone has said that once you have got the ticking noise, then it will be there for ever.
 
aquazi said:
sorry to be a thread jack.... but I have noticed my car has a ticking sound - but its only noticable when warm not cold (infact when cold its pretty silent- even with a timing chain) I actually find the ticking sound more noticable after i have give it an "italian" tune up :?

I cant hear it from the cabin only from outside... is it worth me taking my car to BMW? (bearing in mind i would need to have a flight back to the UK midweek to book it with them)
Click to expand...


hmm I dont know much but it sounds like a different problem, from what I have read up on, the ticktick noise seems to be there from cold everytime. you got anywhere with the problem buddy?
 
doofus4000 said:
aquazi said:
sorry to be a thread jack.... but I have noticed my car has a ticking sound - but its only noticable when warm not cold (infact when cold its pretty silent- even with a timing chain) I actually find the ticking sound more noticable after i have give it an "italian" tune up :?

I cant hear it from the cabin only from outside... is it worth me taking my car to BMW? (bearing in mind i would need to have a flight back to the UK midweek to book it with them)
Click to expand...


hmm I dont know much but it sounds like a different problem, from what I have read up on, the ticktick noise seems to be there from cold everytime. you got anywhere with the problem buddy?
Click to expand...

Took mine to the dealer and they said its perfectly normal for the N52 to tick a little when warm... although i pointed it out it wasnt this loud when i first got the car. Damn Sytners! If it gets worse i will need to have to sort it out as i dont have long left in my new car warranty.
 
Ticking noise? I had that on my old Zed and found it had been clocked. (I'll get my coat)
 
aquazi said:
doofus4000 said:
aquazi said:
sorry to be a thread jack.... but I have noticed my car has a ticking sound - but its only noticable when warm not cold (infact when cold its pretty silent- even with a timing chain) I actually find the ticking sound more noticable after i have give it an "italian" tune up :?

I cant hear it from the cabin only from outside... is it worth me taking my car to BMW? (bearing in mind i would need to have a flight back to the UK midweek to book it with them)
Click to expand...


hmm I dont know much but it sounds like a different problem, from what I have read up on, the ticktick noise seems to be there from cold everytime. you got anywhere with the problem buddy?
Click to expand...

Took mine to the dealer and they said its perfectly normal for the N52 to tick a little when warm... although i pointed it out it wasnt this loud when i first got the car. Damn Sytners! If it gets worse i will need to have to sort it out as i dont have long left in my new car warranty.
Click to expand...

hey buddy just wondering is the noise in this video the same as the one you are experiencing..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ7ptk_1jmI

different engine to our's but the exact same tick. Im thinking possibly yours is something different because mine sounds like this from cold through warm temperatures.
 
Tommy Newbie,

Hi have read all comments had same problem with my 2008 2.5 went to dealer in Edinburgh he reported no fault found .Traveled home and had car in to get new roof fitted under warranty picked up car after repair found great job on roof but start up ticking noise again switched off and asked Tech to start up in my presence to listen he accepted it had problem car stripped down HVA replaced on exhaust manifold side under BMW S.B as this is a problem with these cars
 
glad to hear you got sorted, hopefully that will do it over the long term for you but from what I have read the only 'real' fix is the redesigned head brought out in 2009.
 
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