[porsche959]

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

• AGIP 0w-40: ticking is at a 10/10 loudness, sounds like a full blown diesel, ran it for 200 miles
• Rotella T6 5w-40 - ticking is at a 7/10 loudness, still sounds like a diesel, ~2000 miles, currently running
• Liqui Moly Cera Tec Friction Modifier 300 mL added to AGIP - did nothing
• Lucas Synthetic Additive added to AGIP - seemed to quiet it down a little bit, did not add to rotella

thinking about switching up with mobil 1 0w-40 but also considering a thicker/thinner oil depending on the responses.

[CTinline-six]

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.

[porsche959]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

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.

unfortunately long distance trips dont seem to make a difference for me :/

what oils were you using before?

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by porsche959

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 - 104k miles
nyc, ~32 degrees

Oil History

• AGIP 0w-40: ticking is at a 10/10 loudness, sounds like a full blown diesel, ran it for 200 miles
• Rotella T6 5w-40 - ticking is at a 7/10 loudness, still sounds like a diesel, ~2000 miles, currently running
• Liqui Moly Cera Tec Friction Modifier 300 mL added to AGIP - did nothing
• Lucas Synthetic Additive added to AGIP - seemed to quiet it down a little bit, did not add to rotella

thinking about switching up with mobil 1 0w-40 but also considering a thicker/thinner oil depending on the responses.

If you are going Mobil 1 I would just get the Castrol since it's similar price and LL01. And also apparently a better overall oil based on BITOG forums.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by porsche959

unfortunately long distance trips dont seem to make a difference for me :/

what oils were you using before?

Mobil 1 0w40

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

I am also using the BMW LL01 Castrol 0w-40 (a3/b4) and the noise isn't that loud I would say a 5/10 ?

If you are going Mobil 1 I would just get the Castrol since it's similar price and LL01. And also apparently a better overall oil based on BITOG forums.

Yours shouldn't have as much noise being a 335is.

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.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

Yours shouldn't have as much noise being a 335is.

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.

Oh gotcha my bad, I didn't realize this wasn't a 335 or N54.

[ryan stewart]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

If you are going Mobil 1 I would just get the Castrol since it's similar price and LL01. And also apparently a better overall oil based on BITOG forums.

Interesting. Ive always run the Mobil1 because Id like a little more weight in the summer (only drive enough for an annual change) than the -30 gives me.

$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.

[OTO335i]

Originally Posted by porsche959

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

• AGIP 0w-40: ticking is at a 10/10 loudness, sounds like a full blown diesel, ran it for 200 miles
• Rotella T6 5w-40 - ticking is at a 7/10 loudness, still sounds like a diesel, ~2000 miles, currently running
• Liqui Moly Cera Tec Friction Modifier 300 mL added to AGIP - did nothing
• Lucas Synthetic Additive added to AGIP - seemed to quiet it down a little bit, did not add to rotella

thinking about switching up with mobil 1 0w-40 but also considering a thicker/thinner oil depending on the responses.

Would it be a possibility that your valves are sticking a little and causing the ticking noise? Maybe it be would time to have a walnut blast done on the intake valves?

[porsche959]

Originally Posted by OTO335i

Would it be a possibility that your valves are sticking a little and causing the ticking noise? Maybe it would time to have a walnut blast done on the intake valves?

interesting, did not know that could be a potential fix

[Fritzer]

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.

[OTO335i]

Originally Posted by porsche959

interesting, did not know that could be a potential fix

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.

[Bimmer_Engineer]

Originally Posted by OTO335i

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.

I don't think N52s are direct injected. If they use port fuel injection they shouldn't build carbon like the DI engines do...

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by Bimmer_Engineer

I don't think N52s are direct injected. If they use port fuel injection they shouldn't build carbon like the DI engines do...

N52/N51 is not direct injection, so it should not have carbon build-up issues.

[OTO335i]

Originally Posted by Bimmer_Engineer

I don't think N52s are direct injected. If they use port fuel injection they shouldn't build carbon like the DI engines do...

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

N52/N51 is not direct injection, so it should not have carbon build-up issues.

You guys are correct! My bad, please ignore what I said above!

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.

[nhhiep]

you need to drive your BMW harder. I always try to keep mine over 3k rpm when possible

[porsche959]

Originally Posted by nhhiep

you need to drive your BMW harder. I always try to keep mine over 3k rpm when possible

Yeah tried that. Did a 700 mile road trip at 3-4K rpms on highway and countless wot runs in the mountains. Same ticking noise.

[porsche959]

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.

[N54Society]

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.

[AllBlackBimmer]

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.

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by Fritzer

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.

n51 is not affected by this issue. Only the early n52s

Originally Posted by AllBlackBimmer

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.

this.
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.

[Efthreeoh]

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.