cause of ticky/tappy sounding engine
Discussion
Hi guys,
borrowing an E34 535i from 1991 which has 226500 miles on the clock and noticed that there is a distinct ticking noise which increases with engine speed. i'm just curious as to what it's likely to be, i'm guessing it's just the valve clearances just need adjusting?
it's not THAT loud and certainly hasn't affected the performance much, the thing still pulls like an train and returns decent (well, for a 3.4 litre 6 pot at least!) mpg. doesn't overheat at all, needle sits bang on half unless really tanking it along in which case it drops below half. the reason i'm curious is because i'm half tempted to buy the car, have been offered it for £700 with brand new MOT, any advisories fixed with a full inspection II service. it drives true, no wobbles etc, pretty much full spec bar no leather (has air con, cruise control, electric seats, electric sunroof, mirrors, OBC etc etc), only concern is the ticking noise. i've done about 500 miles in the car and it hasn't got any worse (that i can tell)
thanks,
Ross.
borrowing an E34 535i from 1991 which has 226500 miles on the clock and noticed that there is a distinct ticking noise which increases with engine speed. i'm just curious as to what it's likely to be, i'm guessing it's just the valve clearances just need adjusting?
it's not THAT loud and certainly hasn't affected the performance much, the thing still pulls like an train and returns decent (well, for a 3.4 litre 6 pot at least!) mpg. doesn't overheat at all, needle sits bang on half unless really tanking it along in which case it drops below half. the reason i'm curious is because i'm half tempted to buy the car, have been offered it for £700 with brand new MOT, any advisories fixed with a full inspection II service. it drives true, no wobbles etc, pretty much full spec bar no leather (has air con, cruise control, electric seats, electric sunroof, mirrors, OBC etc etc), only concern is the ticking noise. i've done about 500 miles in the car and it hasn't got any worse (that i can tell)
thanks,
Ross.
cam, though.Don't forget that a BMW 6 and 8 cylinder engines are chain driven cams not normal cam-belts, so that will make a racket as the engine gets more leggy. That's why most BMW engines sound a bit ropey at idle, especially if cold.
Obviously tappets and the hydraulic lifters make a racket too.
Obviously tappets and the hydraulic lifters make a racket too.
E21_Ross said:
i know the chain would be a big job, but what about the tappets? it's a classic BMW indy selling the car so would want it fixed before i were to buy. i'm not desperate to buy it, just nice to know what it is though!
thanks guys
Ross.
It's not the hugest of job's. The ///M cars often require valve clearances so a good indy will be experienced in fiddling with such things.thanks guys
Ross.
If they're going in, they might as well do the chain - although it's a lifetime product, it can't harm it.
Major Fallout said:
Have you checked the oil level lately? As a low oil level will make it worse.
oil level warning light hasn't come on. it must work as it comes on when the car is first started up, but disappears within a few tenths of a second. don't want to start buying oil etc for it as it's not my car, only for 2 weeks!! fantastic motorway car though!! might give the oil level a check later though.E21_Ross said:
i know the chain would be a big job, but what about the tappets? it's a classic BMW indy selling the car so would want it fixed before i were to buy. i'm not desperate to buy it, just nice to know what it is though!
thanks guys
Ross.
On the "Senior Six" - Single OHC chain driven thingy it would probably make sense to get both done at the same time. I don't have a lot of experience with those engines; but generally replacing the tappets requires removal of the camshaft. Which in turn means the timing chain has to come off - so two birds can be killed with one stone. In fact a top end overhauls probably would be the best bet. As for cost, maybe twice what the car's worth?thanks guys
Ross.
Gruber said:
Is it the M30 engine in those (same as the 635)? If so, they are known to be prone to cam wear if not serviced properly, which results in a similar tappety sound.
yup, it's an M30. it's going to have a certain level of wear on it anyway, it has almost 1/4 of a million miles on the clock. when i speak to them next i'll ask them about it and see what they say. don't think i'm confident in buying a car with a tappy sounding engine to be honest.....Futuramic said:
E21_Ross said:
i know the chain would be a big job, but what about the tappets? it's a classic BMW indy selling the car so would want it fixed before i were to buy. i'm not desperate to buy it, just nice to know what it is though!
thanks guys
Ross.
On the "Senior Six" - Single OHC chain driven thingy it would probably make sense to get both done at the same time. I don't have a lot of experience with those engines; but generally replacing the tappets requires removal of the camshaft. Which in turn means the timing chain has to come off - so two birds can be killed with one stone. In fact a top end overhauls probably would be the best bet. As for cost, maybe twice what the car's worth?thanks guys
Ross.
E21_Ross said:
Gruber said:
Is it the M30 engine in those (same as the 635)? If so, they are known to be prone to cam wear if not serviced properly, which results in a similar tappety sound.
yup, it's an M30. it's going to have a certain level of wear on it anyway, it has almost 1/4 of a million miles on the clock. when i speak to them next i'll ask them about it and see what they say. don't think i'm confident in buying a car with a tappy sounding engine to be honest.....Go for it man!
Gruber said:
I would also say that even the smoothest of the smooth M30 engines seems to make a bit of a tappety sound, so I wouldn't be unduly worried by it. And £700 for a car with a full MOT and a Insp II should be a pretty safe bet... famous last words.
Go for it man!
My M52B28 engine in my 328 Sport, smooth as silk, well serviced, tough as hob nail boots, still sounded tappity at idle.Go for it man!
Low oil level is a good shout.
neil_bolton said:
Gruber said:
I would also say that even the smoothest of the smooth M30 engines seems to make a bit of a tappety sound, so I wouldn't be unduly worried by it. And £700 for a car with a full MOT and a Insp II should be a pretty safe bet... famous last words.
Go for it man!
My M52B28 engine in my 328 Sport, smooth as silk, well serviced, tough as hob nail boots, still sounded tappity at idle.Go for it man!
Low oil level is a good shout.
will give the oil level a check later. thing is, if it's low....nothing i can do about it yet because i don't want to buy and top up oil on a car that isn't mine, just in case i dono't buy it!!
decisions! will let you know if the oil level is low or not later, car has just been used for 50 miles (faultless, of course) and so will give it time to settle.
gotta say, aside the woeful steering feel (or complete lack of, rather) it's a fantastic car. i borrowed it for 1 week over winter and did 300 miles where it was faultless. borrowing again for 2 weeks and have done almost 500 (long story as to why!!) and again, faultless. lovely car, very comfy, silky smooth engine and oh-so-waftable. has a manual box and an LSD too!!
thanks again for the help chaps!
Ross.
decisions! will let you know if the oil level is low or not later, car has just been used for 50 miles (faultless, of course) and so will give it time to settle.
gotta say, aside the woeful steering feel (or complete lack of, rather) it's a fantastic car. i borrowed it for 1 week over winter and did 300 miles where it was faultless. borrowing again for 2 weeks and have done almost 500 (long story as to why!!) and again, faultless. lovely car, very comfy, silky smooth engine and oh-so-waftable. has a manual box and an LSD too!!
thanks again for the help chaps!
Ross.
'91 E34 3.5, that'll be a M30 lump, the tapping is probably poorly adjusted valve clearances (should be 0.30mm in and ex cold). No hydraulic self adjuster on this old lump. If it's coming for the front of the engine, with that many miles, it could be a bit of chain rattle assuming it is on the original chain/tensioner etc.
neil_bolton said:
My M52B28 engine in my 328 Sport, smooth as silk, well serviced, tough as hob nail boots, still sounded tappity at idle.
Low oil level is a good shout.
If the noise went away when you revved the engine then i'd check that plugs 5 & 6 are tight but there's an outside chance it's no 4. Low oil level is a good shout.
I know this as I had exactly the same thing happen.
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