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lifter tick - thicker or thinner oil?
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12-12-2018, 08:46 AM | #1 |
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lifter tick - thicker or thinner oil?
been living with the lifter tick for a few months now (bought the car in August) - I drive aggressively and for long distances - but no change in the sound.
have any of you had success with changing oil to a thicker or thinner weight? Stats 2006 bmw 325i 6mt - 104k miles nyc, ~32 degrees Oil History
thinking about switching up with mobil 1 0w-40 but also considering a thicker/thinner oil depending on the responses. Last edited by porsche959; 12-12-2018 at 08:55 AM.. |
12-12-2018, 08:47 AM | #2 |
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Quietest oil I've found has been Castrol 0w40. This combined with a long highway trip whenever possible seems to keep the car quiet. It doesn't like to sit around either. If not driven for a few days, it will tick.
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12-12-2018, 08:49 AM | #3 | |
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what oils were you using before? |
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12-12-2018, 08:53 AM | #4 | |
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Last edited by TheMidnightNarwhal; 12-12-2018 at 09:06 AM.. |
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12-12-2018, 08:53 AM | #5 |
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Mobil 1 0w40
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12-12-2018, 08:55 AM | #6 | |
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The early N52 engines (2006-early 2008) had a different head design that caused the lifter tick. My 09 328i is pretty much silent, but the 06 325xi is the one that has the tick every so often.
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12-12-2018, 09:05 AM | #7 |
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Oh gotcha my bad, I didn't realize this wasn't a 335 or N54.
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12-12-2018, 09:16 AM | #8 | |
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$2 cheaper for the 5 quart AND it means I dont have to go to wal-mart (they have it on amazon for the same price, mobil 1 is overpriced on amazon for some reason). Castrol made the BMW branded oil until 2015, then Penzoil took over. But Id bet it has more to do with money than longevity since BMW also took over maintenance and decided oil lasts 14,000 miles as well. |
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12-12-2018, 09:34 AM | #9 | |
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12-12-2018, 10:00 AM | #10 |
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12-12-2018, 10:15 AM | #11 |
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My '11 N51 has almost always been on 5W-30 LL01. Little to no lifter tick at 131,xxx miles. Currently using Pentosin High Performance 5W-30 as I got a good Black Friday deal on it from FCP, generally I've used BMW Genuine 5W-30. Seems to be working fine so far.
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12-12-2018, 10:38 AM | #12 |
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Yeah if it's never been done on your vehicle I do believe it could aid to potentially fix your issue, especially that you're at 104K. N52's don't accumulate carbon build up as quickly as the N54 but it does eventually build up and from what I believe this would cause the same valve sticking issue as the N54.
If someone believes my information is inaccurate please chime in with your thoughts.
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12-12-2018, 10:47 AM | #13 | |
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12-12-2018, 10:49 AM | #14 | ||
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12-12-2018, 10:55 AM | #15 | ||
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I did however find this information on the N52 on Wikipedia Lifter noise: There are several reports of ticking/rattling noises which have been caused by the hydraulic valve adjusters (also known as lifters or tappets).This noise can be caused by insufficient oil pressure to lubricate the lifters. BMW's procedure for noisy lifters on the N52 is to first bleed the lifters by holding the engine at higher revs for up to 30 minutes. If this is unsuccessful, the lifters for the exhaust camshaft are replaced with an updated design. If this is also unsuccessful, the cylinder head is replaced with an updated design (which was fitted to engines produced since December 2008) that does not bleed oil pressure.
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12-12-2018, 04:37 PM | #17 |
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12-12-2018, 04:40 PM | #18 |
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Thanks for all the suggestions but this thread is really about oil types and impact to existing lifter tick noise.
Theres an official thread showing the real fix (new head), and other non oil solutions (new lifters, drive harder, live with it, etc) but for those who aren’t under warranty maybe a thinner or thicker oil might help. |
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12-12-2018, 05:11 PM | #19 |
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Quick question, did you take the engine cover off of your car to make it easier to work on? If so, that is the source of the amplified ticking sound coming from direct injection fuel system. I drove around with that cover off for 6 months and it finally drove me to the edge and I made sure to keep it on there even if it's with one bolt. Also the cover has sound deadening material which is supposed to keep the engine DB down.
Regarding oil to use, I've tried Redline, Mobil1, and Castrol. Castrol was quietest for me too. EDIT: Just noticed your car is not a 335i. It may still apply but sorry for missing that.
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12-12-2018, 06:47 PM | #20 |
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Why?
Other than the noise it’s not hurting anything. Changing to non-spec oil will do more damage in the long run than lifter ticking that hurts nothing. I get a little noise from mine from time to time, but I couldn’t care less and really don’t notice it. Not trying to get into another oil debate, but I just don’t get why anyone would run anything other than what bmw recommends. Just my opinion.
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12-12-2018, 08:39 PM | #21 | ||
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I would not want to sacrifice bearing protection by choosing a not suitable oil just so I could make the top end quiet. it's not gonna hurt anything and is an annoyance. pick a high quality oil in the right weight range and run it. Don't worry about the noise. |
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12-13-2018, 09:25 AM | #22 |
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OP, you said even after several tries with different oils, it "still sounds like a diesel". Is it really that bad or are you exaggerating about the noise? I'm thinking you are possibly being oversensitive about it.
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