Yeah, 10w30 vs 5w30 is not going to cause the lifters to tick. Using some ATF is a good strategy, maybe. One of the potential ripple affects is that the ATF might harden the seals and this can set up the conditions for a leak, or several of them. Sticky lifters is a condition that takes a very long tome to develop, and a long time to clear up. If your engine ticks on initial start and clears up in a minute or so, then I think it is what it is and you just deal with it. Lifters that tick are loose, that's way better than tight so don't adjust them to be silent.

 

 

Is this a product that you leave in for the duration of a service interval cycle, or for a short while before an oil change

 

About a month ago I fucked up and topped off my oil with 10w-30 instead of 5w-30, and I think the mixture of the two made my lifters start ticking really loud.

I’ve already changed my oil since I topped it off with the wrong oil.

What is a good way to quiet them down. Flush with ATF?
Just ignore them?

Let me know.

Give some thought to SeaFoam. I saw a YouTube video on impressive lifter noise reduction a guy got on his Ranger pickup when adding SeFoam (as directed) to his engine oil.

I had a 1994 Toyota pickup with loud lifters and gave SeaFoam a try and it improved/reduced my lifter noise.

Here is the BEFORE video I made Toyota Pickup Before SeaFoam Treatment

Here is the AFTER video on the same engine Toyota Pickup After SeaFoam

It helped me, maybe it could help you?????

Mike

 

About a month ago I fucked up and topped off my oil with 10w-30 instead of 5w-30, and I think the mixture of the two made my lifters start ticking really loud.

not caused by the 10w-30 oil. Lifters needs to be cleaned.

 

Not to take away from OP's issue but, on my 2000 323 with the M52TU I get a ticking noise during cold start up for a few seconds and it goes away.

I have used Liqui Moly engine flush over 2 oil change intervals and have used Mobil 1 0W-40 old formula (I had stocked up when it was approved for BMW) and issue still persists.

Any recommendations? Would I need Liqui Moly Lifter product for it or.....?

Thanks

 

I'd say use LM 5w40. The engine flush is great as well.

 

I permanently run 15w40 in mine (hot climate) never had a tick. But i have heard of this before, and there are some videos on YouTube on how you can try and fix it.
Me, id go for a REALLY spirited drive, getting into the higher 5k rpm range as often as i can..thats how my uncle fixed his, (4yeara later and still has not come back)

 

I had a neglected-prior-to-me 8v GTI that I autocrossed for a season. The inside of the motor looked like a coal mine. After the very first run the lifter tick was so bad it sounded like men were inside the motor with hammers. I said screw it and kept going and it quieted down and eventually stopped.

Italian tuneup.

The best thing you can do for a motor is run it fast occasionally. Note that this is not the same thing as abusing it.

 

fast and hot, agreed- the oil doesn't get up to temp in 15 minutes of city driving,
it takes a longer, illegally- fast highway run to really get it warm, thin and circulating.

Lifter tick tends to fix itself at 4500+.

t

 

For the N52 engine BMW has a service bulletin for 'lifter tick'. Different engine but it involves a 'hydraulic lifter bleeding procedure'. Essentially after the engine is hot run it up under load to 3 to 4k RPM and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes. I use 3rd gear at 45mph or so. It would result in a quiet engine on cold start for a few months. That engine has a design problem that eventually resulted in a new head. The point is if you do this and the lifters are quiet for a while its an indication the oil passages that supply the lifters are dirty. I did an LM engine flush on my N52 and it made a noticeable difference. No clatter on cold start for now.

 

load to 3 to 4k RPM and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes. I use 3rd gear at 45mph or so

I would think 3rd gear at 3500 rpm should be faster than 45 mph. Wonder why not just rev the engine in neutral at that rpm and save gas and less chances of getting in accident on the road.

 

I avoid additives because my experience is that most of them are scams. And, now I'm going to give a testimonial to the product that MrMCar has recommended in this string! Had a ticking lifter that would stop making noise after the car warmed up. Since I'd seen it recommended a number of times on this forum, I gave it a try. The ticking stopped after about 500 miles. You may want to give it a try before you do anything else. Its less that $15 on Amazon and requires no work. Little to lose if it doesn't work for you. Good Luck.

 

For the OP - do the lifters 'clatter' at start up and then get quiet or are they 'tick-ticking' all the time? If it is the first it would indicate the 'anti drain back' valve has failed and the oil filter housing is draining after turning the engine off. At the next start the oil filter housing has to fill with oil before the engine gets any. Each start sounds like the first start after an oil change. If it is the latter it is typically an indication that some oil passage somewhere is restricted preventing one or more of the hydraulic lifters from completely filling with oil. In that case typically about all you can do is use a Liquid Moly engine flush - only as instructed - then change the oil and use the additive MrMCar suggested. Different oils and weights will change the sound. I have 2 different cars that have known lifter issues. Of all the oils I've used Pennzoil was the loudest in both and Castrol 5w40 euro spec has been the quietest in both. The new Mobil 5w40 euro is a close second.

 

Another vote for following the BMW regimen above to use a revving sequence. I had a full size Mitsubishi Montero I bought new and took my usual sano care of. One day I left the oil draining overnight as something came up. I refilled it and the engine sounded clattery in a scary way. I grabbed the factory manual just to familiarize myself with the valve train to see what might have happened. Right there - "If one or more VLA (valve lash adjuster) gets air in it you will be able to purge it by the following sequence of revs and dropping the throttle..." I went out to the garage, did the sequence and in 10 minutes it was silent again. For years after that on the Montero forum I'd read of noisy lifter sound and post this factory fix. Worked every time. My example was from letting the oil drain too long, but that particular engine was prone to somehow sucking air in - perhaps offroading with extreme angles, etc.

So if there is a posted BMW procedure for purging the oil out of a hydraulic lifter or lash adjuster, you're in luck. Use it.

 

you will be able to purge it by the following sequence of revs and dropping the throttle..." I went out to the garage, did the sequence and in 10 minutes it was silent again. For years after that on the Montero forum I'd read of noisy lifter sound and post this factory fix. Worked every time. My example was from letting the oil drain too long,

Varying the rpm is good, but the book doesn't say to drive it under load, does it?
As about letting the oil drain too long, I'm not sure. Even if you didn't drain the oil on that day, most of the oil would drain to the pan anyway, so why? I don't think the oil in the lifters will drain off that much, regardless the pan was drained or engine shut off.

 

IIRC the bulletin makes no mention of it.

 

Well .... I stand corrected. I dug up the bulletin. It definitely states with the vehicle stationary and the issue is the exhaust HVA's, not the intake. But I can state that in my case and others it would not work sitting still and it would work driving. YMMV.