Tapping/Click on Startup

[lawms98]

Hi people,

I was wondering if anyone has experienced the same issue as me.

Firstly, this issue happens very randomly. its does not happen 10/10 times I start my car. it happens maybe about 3/10 times.

It mostly happens when my car has been sat for a while or overnight. When I start my car up, it starts making a tap/click/tick sound for around 10-15 seconds and it completely disappears.

what can it possibly be? Vanos? Lifters? Injectors?

[wdb]

If it's an N52 it could be the hydraulic lifters. There was a recall for it I believe. I'm not 100% certain but I think they tended to bleed down if they sat for a while, and you'd get a tapping sound for a few seconds on startup until they pumped up again.

[KevinC]

Not an N52 based on his info under his username.

[lawms98]

I have the m54b25 engine

[The HACK]

What oil is in the engine?

[ShakyDog]

Is the sound coming from the sound system? When my audio cable is connected with nothing on the other end it makes a sound like somone tapping on a live microphone. Is that the sound?

Steve

[lawms98]

honestly I have no clue. I bought this car barely a month ago and im planning on doing the oil change myself soon.

[lawms98]

I am sure its from the engine. the tapping rate is synced with the revs as well. when I rev the engine, the tapping gets quicker

[The HACK]

There could be a thousand different causes, almost all of which can’t be resolved by description alone.

Here are a few higher possibility causes.

Low oil.
Improper weight oil.
VANOS pump.

If you don’t want to chase wild goose, I’d start with changing the oil now to a BMW LL01 approved, 0W-30 or 5W-30 weight synthetic and see if it gets better or eliminate the problem entirely. If not, take it to a local mechanic (your location suggest you’re no more than a 15 minute drive from a few really good BMW Indies), see if he can reproduce it and locate the sound with a boroscope.

[garz747]

As The Hack said get that oil outa there. I have that motor in my E46 330i and its quieter and smoother than S54! Maybe some sludge in the valvetrain? How many miles on motor?

[lawms98]

@garz747 motor has 117k miles.
@the hack do you think its gonna be an expensive fix. Does it sound like a serious issue to you?

Thanks

[MinneapolisJeff]

Do you park on a hill? I had a ticking sound when the vehicle was left for a few days on a hill and the conclusion I came to was oil drained out the engine and it took some minutes to get it pumped back once I started the car.

[lawms98]

Originally Posted by jman1975

Do you park on a hill? I had a ticking sound when the vehicle was left for a few days on a hill and the conclusion I came to was oil drained out the engine and it took some minutes to get it pumped back once I started the car.

No I park on a level surface.

[The HACK]

If I can tell you sight unseen based on your description, I wouldn’t be here posting. I’d be on a private island sipping pina coladas surrounded by hot 20 year olds frolicking nakedly through the crystal clear water.

Because I would have the power of foresight and be able to guess the winning number of each Lotto draw.

Take it to a local, trustworthy mechanic if you want a real resolution on the issue, rather than listen to teh interweb speculation is probably the best advice I can give you.

No matter how smart some of us sound, we’re just a bunch of unqualified keyboard monkeys.