Odd Clicking sound after oil Change on 2006 3.0 SI Z4

[lucasorion12]

Hey everyone,

I have a 2006 BMW Z4 3.0SI Z4 with 89,000 miles. The car is driven quite frequently on the freeway, city driving, and taken up mountain roads. The car is taken care of incredibly well. I did an oil change and air filter change yesterday and used AMS oil 5w-40 Fully synthetic for European motors (Same oil its been running since 80,000 miles). Drove the car for around 25 miles afterwards, ran the car all the way up 7,000 RPM's and everything sounded and felt great. However after parking the car I noticed some odd ticking when the engine was in between 1000 - 2000 RPM's. It sounds like its coming from the top of the motor, however its different from the sound of lifters (The sewing machine sound). It doesn't speed up or get louder when the motor increases and seems to completely disappear after 2000 RPM's or so. I have no idea what the sound could be and its concerning me quite a bit. The motor still feels great and quite happily rev's through the rev range (Tried giving it the old Italian tune up to see if it was a sticky lifter, which seemed to make the tick quieter) . Basically to sum up the problem the sound doesn't have a pattern in its tapping, seems to go away below 1000 rpms and above 2000 rpms, there's no difference in engine power, and I only noticed after the oil change. I also made sure there were no loose parts/tools in the engine bay. Do you guys have any ideas?

[KevinC]

The N52 motor had a lifter issue that caused BMW to replace heads under warranty. Check this thread, does this sound like what you're experiencing?

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1472621

[lucasorion12]

Originally Posted by KevinC

The N52 motor had a lifter issue that caused BMW to replace heads under warranty. Check this thread, does this sound like what you're experiencing?

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1472621

It does sound a little like that! Thanks for the video. Mine is not as loud, and a little bit more sporadic for sure. But its the same ticking sound. Mine is completely non existent when its cold, which is odd. Typically AMS oil is really good, but I guess ill watch the sound and look if it gets better. If not I will try a different oil.

[KevinC]

Yep, seems like you have the same issue. IIRC it's not a serious problem other than the noise created, but it's been a decade or more since hearing about it. Google around and you should find lots of info. Perhaps the BMW campaign would still provide a fix?

[Huz-Z]

I thought that the noise was most prominent when the engine was cold and diminished or went away as the engine warmed up.

[Mirko]

That sound is mild, my 328i with the same engine sometimes makes that noise. Sounds like marble in rattle can almost. Under warranty I had bmw replace lifters which helped for a little bit but it came back. Usually cold days but has happened in warmer weather too. Eventually the sound goes away.

There is an additive for noisy lifters you can use. I've tried to buy it in the past but its always out of stock in canada.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-liqui_mo...0ml/20004~liq/

[garz747]

Its non existent when cold because the oil is thicker and masks the contact noise. As the oil thins out with heat the sound is more obvious.

[lucasorion12]

Originally Posted by garz747

Its non existent when cold because the oil is thicker and masks the contact noise. As the oil thins out with heat the sound is more obvious.

I find it odd it only appeared *after* doing an oil change. Like I said I put the same oil in there, but it is completely non existent when it’s cold. I thought about changing the oil to see if it likes something else. But like I said that AMS oil isn’t cheap. I also don’t think I should go higher in weight than 5-40. I thought about adding some lifter silencer. But I’m not sure the risk in that.

[Z4Lee]

Possibly just a coincidence, but I had this noise after an oil change. It was so noticeable I pulled over after 2 minutes, I removed the oil cap and reinstalled it. Noise went away forever....