I had the same issue. Try some seafoam. Ticking should go away.

 

I will look into this more in the morning. Heard mixed reviews about seafoam and or related products so if anyone else has some experience about seafoam as well...that would be greatly appreciated to share!

 

I did only a third of bottle fearing I'll hydrolock the engine. It definitely helped.

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

 

I also have the same ticking. If I may ask where and how did you add the sea foam. I've seen a few ways.
Thank you.

 

Took the brake booster hose and suck it thorough. You can also use it to clean your engine through the crankcase.

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

 

Thank you! After you let it sit for a few minutes did you drive it like an old lady or did you drive it like you stole it.
Thanks again. I am new to BMW and want to make sure I'm doing the right things with it. Previous 95 accord owner who used and abused it but it still ran like a champ. Knowing down the road Id run into some kind of problem but they are a dime a dozen. Loved that car though but it was no BMW.

 

Rev it stationary up and down for quite a while, then go redline that sh!t down the freeway. The aim is to blow everything out

 

If the dipstick is dry you need to add oil!!!!!

 

A few things:

1. If your spark plugs are original, change them. It takes 30 minutes to do and the correct plugs can be purchased very cheaply through Advance Auto Parts with a promo code.

2. If your belts are original, change them! 130K miles on a set of belts is really pushing your luck.

3. You mentioned a few times that your dipstick is dry. I find this hard to believe if your car is not throwing low oil lights. Are you unable to note the oil level at the end of it? Could you please clarify?

 

1. Spark plugs are currently in my cart on ECS Tuning as we speak, although if I can get a set of NGK spark plugs at advanced auto parts that would be convenient as well.

2. I just confirmed via my service records my belts were changed when I first purchased the car at 90k miles. Since then I've put about 40k miles on the belts in about 4.5 year span. They DO still need to be replaced regardless so I will be ordering new ones as well.

3. The ONLY fault I've EVER had with my car (knock on wood) besides the ticking noise is the oil level sensor. It went bad about 2 oil changes ago and I've just never changed it for some reason. BUT I do always monitor my oil level via dipstick and when I change my oil so I don't want to make it seem like I'm neglecting my motor, I still have a very good amount of oil being drained out of the motor when I do change my oil. Other than that, I've always kept up on maintenance and have all the records behind when I changed everything. I'm a bit OCD if you will lol

When I first change the oil, dipstick reads flawlessly. Check it once a week/1.5 weeks and it's always been dead accurate. But only when I hear the ticking noise and pull the dipstick...dry. Hopefully this clarified your questions?


IF ANYONE HAS ANY ADDITIONAL INFO PLEASE SHARE IT! DMAX WHERE ARE YOU?

 

I've seafoamed all of my engines (lawnmower, motorcycles, cars), one of the first things I do when I buy a used vehicle. For the cars (specifically E46), I've done the brake booster hose method, AND directly poured it into the crankcase for 200 or so miles before my next oil change (the gunk is really going to fill up your oil filter). When doing the brake booster method, you want to go where there aren't people, because you are going to smoke a ton. Look up YouTube videos. I also put it in the gas tank at least once between every oil change interval, just to keep things clean. My E46 ran much better after the two main engine treatments, but my car was severely abused and had the wrong weight of oil put in it.

This is the method I used.

 

The dipstick was 100% dry.

Just to make sure I understand - You are saying the dipstick is dry

 

I seem to be getting a lot of replies saying to seafoam the car. This is my issue with that, yes I'm sure it will clean out the motor as it's supposed to do BUT my problem seems to be mass oil consumption which I'm assuming is causing something (more than likely the lifters) to tick. Also applying seafoam will not change anything about my dry dipstick after 2k miles since my last oil change. I'm jus trying to find the root of the problem because I shouldn't be burning through that much oil after ~2k miles and I just added an entire quart 400 miles ago.

Thanks for all the replies thus far, any additional help is awesome!





Yes

 

Check your PCV system (oil separator) - If any of the hoses are broken, or the separator itself is kaput then you'll burn a ton of oil.
Lifter Tick is caused by oil not reaching the head, likely because the oil level is so low.

 

Thank you for your response. As I said above though that was one of the first things I did read about failing when I did research on the lifter tick. So I made sure to change all the components to the CCV via the Turner Motorsport kit about 4k miles ago. Your reasoning is 100% why I was convinced this would fix the problem..but unfortunately it did not :/

 

Update: I have also noticed that my exhaust is also spitting out black "soot" whenever I rev it above 3k rpm while stationary (was doing this so I can replicate the ticking noise being in sync to the rpm to see if my dad and I could pinpoint the noise) I don't know if this bit of info help, but hey I gotta document everything right?

 

Sorry I should have read your whole post.

Best bet would be to do a compression test. This will tell you if your valve seals and rings are in good shape (i.e. is oil getting past the seals).

Pull your spark plugs and look for oil residue, this will tell you if you are getting oil in the combustion chamber.

If the smoke from the exhaust is black then you're getting an incomplete burn which could be just old plugs. If it's blue/black smoke then you're burning oil.

 

Thank you to everyone that posted in this thread and tried to help me out. Glad to see this board is still awesome and full of enthusiasts still :thumbup:



Could definitely and probably SHOULD check the compression but I don't know anyone/have access to anyone in my area that could do something like that for me. I'd have to drive quite a ways to a reputable shop in NJ such as Redline Speedworx or Autocoture are all located up north 1+ hours away. Not saying it wouldn't be worth it, or it's a long drive...but I'm weary on traveling far distances til I get this issue situated and change my oil fully again so I don't risk breaking down somewhere and blowing the motor.

Also I ordered spark plugs and according to my tracking # it should be here tomorrow so when I change them tomorrow I will inspect the old plugs and check for oil residue in the chamber.

change your spark plugs and see if it improves

As stated above ^ I'll be changing them tomorrow. I have read that some people were having this issue as well. Although changing the spark plugs MAY quiet the noise, it wouldn't change the fact that my cars burning oil and an extremely high rate :/

When you did your CCV, did you remove and clean out the dipstick holder? If that's clogged, you'd render the ccv useless.

Next oil change, do the oil level sensor (hella brand is OE).

Make sure, also, that your dipstick is the right length. When you change oil, just add 6.9 qts and wherever the oil ends up is your full mark. I'd learned my dipstick was reading 5/8 qt. low for about 2 years before I figured it out!

If you're not dripping oil, then I'm hoping it's as simple as a clogged ccv at the dipstick holder. Otherwise, check other sources for leaks. Oil can accumulate on the underskirt and then blow off when you're driving.

Finally, I think all our cars tick a little, but the sound might also be attenuated if you have an air leak. I had a cracked VC vent tube (to CCV) and that made the sound seem much worse (unlikely in your case since ccv is new).

That's all I got.

hth Good luck!

Yes that was the first thing I actually did once I had the whole CCV unit apart. I made sure to clean it out fully and make sure that a constant running flow of water to made its way through the dipstick tube from both openings. What do you mean, right length? :hmm: I wasn't aware that they made a longer or shorter one than the OEM one currently in my car from factory unless BMW made a new dipstick design from for the e46s in later years. I had my car on lifts and checked every oil seal and made sure to spray the block clean so that when I checked a week later, I could see if anywhere was dripping from underneath. Naturally when I checked, nothing was dripping or leaking; bone dry. (Disregard the video where you may see oil residue from the top, that was from a while ago my VCG failed and dripped oil all over the place. Yes it was replaced and as stated above is in good condition still.)

Oil rings? Research stuck/carboned up oil rings. Have you ever had the valve cover off, to observe the general condition of the top end? Lifter tick is a common occurrence with other cars as well, and sometimes you can mitigate it simply with a change of oil formulation. Look up ester-based motor oil, and consider switching to it for good. This seemingly subtle innocuous change in routine could yield a big difference in the way the oil flows through the engine, and through the upper end which appears to be where the noise is coming from.

The consumption could be due to stuck oil rings, and the lifter tick from lifters that aren't quite getting the oil pressure they were designed for. All of which suggests sludging in the engine. Changing to an ester oil like Redline or Pennzoil Ultra Euro or Motul and sticking with it will gently clean the sludging gradually without plugging critical oil galleys. You could notice a difference within one oil change if the sludging is only slight.

I would suggest to you that if you haven't changed the VCG yet to do so, which will give you an opportunity to inspect the top end for sludging. I think you may find some caked on oil sludge up there which could then help to explain the ticking sound.

I've actually being introduced to ester based oil for the first time today actually. Was doing some reading today about it and that would definitely HELP the issue if there is sludging; Which no, I haven't checked the VCG area since I changed it last. But please read my hypothesis below in terms of my oil consumption in terms of negev's response. Even if there was sludging, NO amount of sludging would cause that much blocking of oil flow to reach the head and causing the lifters to tick. It has to be burning at an exponential rate to be ticking in such a short time after oil changes. BUT in the same breath I could be absolutely wrong because I don't know exactly how the inner working of the motor work in terms of oil cycling through it efficiently. It wouldn't hurt to try this method though as it can't HARM the motor. As I've never done something like this, how would I go about adding these ester based oils etc. Do I buy 7 qts of say for example Pennzoil Ultra Euro (always get 1 extra) filter, o ring, and washer and do a regular oil change? Or do I, as I've read from other sources, add a qt to close to my next oil change? Thing is, I know my car won't make it to the next oil change cycle in another 3k miles if I don't change the oil soon. So in my case I will be doing a fresh oil change soon, what would be my steps in adding this ester based oil or any oil cleaning additive (being as light as possible) until I can switch back to using my regular OEM oil from the dealership?

I also have some news regarding what you said about oil rings..good friend of my fathers is the master tech over at a BMW dealership near me and I was talking to him today about the issue and gave him the entire background story as I've provided for everyone here. He concluded it could be 1 of 2 things. The valve seals OR the oil rings. Other than today this was the first time I've EVER heard of these terms used so this was insightful information. He was explaining what each part did for the motor etc BUT he said if either one of those were to fail, the price to fix that anywhere is going to be the price of a new motor at that point. He didn't want to disappoint me because he knows how much this car means to me, but he said unless he can take he head apart and look at it, pending all the other possible oil leaks are taken care of, those 2 things would be the issue because it would have to be an internal problem. If it's something like the oil rings/valve seals...this might be the end for this motor which I guess doesn't necessarily mean something bad lol.

Don't know about the ticking sound but 1L in 1000 miles is within spec for these cars, so if you're burning 1L in 2000 miles you're not doing too bad. These cars are known for being thirsty.

I put a quart of oil in my car at 130,043 miles and the ticking noise went away after a minute of letting the car run. Then at 130,431 miles the ticking noise came back. So if I used the theory about people saying add a qt of oil to top off the motor half way through and oil change cycle, I burned approx 1 qt of oil per 388 miles. Now if you multiply 388 by the 6 qts you put in the car..that = 2,328 miles give or take 300 miles. Now if you compare that to when I last changed my oil, I can assume that's a fairly accurate assumption? Don't know if this made sense, sorry I can explain in more depth if needed.

You could try a bottle of Lucas oil treatment. The only reason I mention it is because the guys at Vorshlag had some success with this product in their project 330Ci.



http://www.vorshlag.com/forums/showthread.php?p=56916

Looked into this as well, how would I go about using this say for a fresh oil change since I will have to be doing that soon anyway?




In conclusion to everything I believe the issue is pointing towards the oil rings or the valve seals. If that is the case...what do you think my plan of action should be? Should I still try and remedy the issue with oil additives and hope it helps? Or should I just accept that this motor will die sooner than I would like and start looking for engines, (which I would already know what motor I'd drop in there but *cough s54*..but that costs $$$) as I will NEVER be able to part with my car (yes you read that correctly..never)

 

change your spark plugs and see if it improves

 

When you did your CCV, did you remove and clean out the dipstick holder? If that's clogged, you'd render the ccv useless.

Next oil change, do the oil level sensor (hella brand is OE).

Make sure, also, that your dipstick is the right length. When you change oil, just add 6.9 qts and wherever the oil ends up is your full mark. I'd learned my dipstick was reading 5/8 qt. low for about 2 years before I figured it out!

If you're not dripping oil, then I'm hoping it's as simple as a clogged ccv at the dipstick holder. Otherwise, check other sources for leaks. Oil can accumulate on the underskirt and then blow off when you're driving.

Finally, I think all our cars tick a little, but the sound might also be attenuated if you have an air leak. I had a cracked VC vent tube (to CCV) and that made the sound seem much worse (unlikely in your case since ccv is new).

That's all I got.

hth Good luck!

 

Oil rings? Research stuck/carboned up oil rings. Have you ever had the valve cover off, to observe the general condition of the top end? Lifter tick is a common occurrence with other cars as well, and sometimes you can mitigate it simply with a change of oil formulation. Look up ester-based motor oil, and consider switching to it for good. This seemingly subtle innocuous change in routine could yield a big difference in the way the oil flows through the engine, and through the upper end which appears to be where the noise is coming from.

The consumption could be due to stuck oil rings, and the lifter tick from lifters that aren't quite getting the oil pressure they were designed for. All of which suggests sludging in the engine. Changing to an ester oil like Redline or Pennzoil Ultra Euro or Motul and sticking with it will gently clean the sludging gradually without plugging critical oil galleys. You could notice a difference within one oil change if the sludging is only slight.

I would suggest to you that if you haven't changed the VCG yet to do so, which will give you an opportunity to inspect the top end for sludging. I think you may find some caked on oil sludge up there which could then help to explain the ticking sound.

 

Don't know about the ticking sound but 1L in 1000 miles is within spec for these cars, so if you're burning 1L in 2000 miles you're not doing too bad. These cars are known for being thirsty.

 

You could try a bottle of Lucas oil treatment. The only reason I mention it is because the guys at Vorshlag had some success with this product in their project 330Ci.

We let it warm up and run for several minutes before I couldn't take it anymore - "Shut it down!". I know BMW motors can have a cam follower tick when they are super hot and/or you don't overfill the oil level at track/autocross events (I usually run +1.5 qts of oil in 20W50 synthetic for hot summer races and it never ticks). So I sent this video to a few other BMW gearheads and one drag racing friend (Ed). He recommended putting a bottle of Lucas Oil Treatment into the motor to clean up the sticky cam follower. He said he had seen race shops put this stuff in $80K race motors and swear by it. I was of course VERY skeptical of this or any other "magic in a bottle" substance, and made lots of "snake oil" jokes. Still, I was not going to rip open this motor I had paid good money for without at least trying this trick.

New Motor is Fine

I'll be damned. We poured in the bottle and within 30 seconds the noise was COMPLETELY gone. I was laughing so hard I was crying! Never in a million years would I have thought this would work. I drove it around for weeks on the street and it never once has made a peep. Bizarre. So that's my 30 second Lucas testimonial, which you won't hear on a late night infomercial.

Yes, we're still working on a better BMW balancer solution that meets SFI standards, and I met a few companies at PRI that we will try to work with - I'll update this thread if it goes anywhere, or if the previous prototype design ever gets built (it looked incredible).

http://www.vorshlag.com/forums/showthread.php?p=56916

 

Bump for some weekend insight before I buy oil to do an oil change...again :/

 

In 2007 when my 330 was 4 years old it developed a lifter tick at cold start. This was about 1 year after I switched from Mobil 0w40 to 5w40 as I got a deal on a shitload. 2 Seafoam treatments and 2 oil changes with Castrol 0W30 and the lifter tick has never come back and now the car is 12 years old. Same thing in my wifes N52 engine. Switched her to a 0w40 and used a MMO and Seafoam treatment and it has never come back. I'm thinking either a varnish buildup or a thicker viscosity might have been the root cause. Although I doubt there was a varnish buildup on my 330 as the oil was changed every 5k. I ended up using all the leftover Mobil 5w40 in the kids Audi's the past 8 years and only have about 40 liters left thankfully.

 

Sounds like your typical collapsed lifter. Does the noise go away as you add oil? Or does it go away at all? Either way, from the youtube vid, the noise sounds like a lifter and it sounds like it's coming from the top.

You have an oil consumption problem (assuming no major leaks) which is extremely common on BMW straight sixes.

Either add oil and drive the car and deal with the noise or replace the engine or get a top end rebuild.

I'd pick the first option given your situation.

 

Just wanted to say thank you again to everyone who posted and tried to help diagnose the issue. Wanted to post a quick update..

On Tuesday I bought 6 quarts of OEM BMW 5W-30 oil from the dealership with filter, washer, and o ring (lucky me I know almost everyone there so discounts are awesome :clap along with a bottle of Lucas pure synthetic engine oil treatment from Pepboys. Went home and did my normal oil change but made special note to how much oil was coming out. I do my oil changes a weird way, but in doing it so I was able to see that I had approx 3 quarts left in my motor after 2k miles. Not to mention my oil was straight black and reminded my of black Rit Dye tbh. Upon reading many many positive reviews about the Lucas oil treatment, I decided to give it a shot. If vorshlag used it in their track car and stand by it, I'll take a chance with it and see if it helps. The Lucas oil treatment calls for 1qt per 4qts of your regular oil of choice, mine being OEM BMW oil 5W-30. So I poured 4 qts of BMW oil and added the 1qt of Lucas oil treatment, and topped it off with 1 more bottle of OEM BMW oil to get my 6 total quarts in the motor. Cleaned up and started the motor and it was 100% tick free.

Now THIS is where I noticed something interesting. Everytime I've heard the lifters tick, do my oil change, and start the car..the lifters would tick for about 30 seconds until the oil cycled through the motor to lubricate everything thus the noise going away. When I started the car up 2 days ago after trying the Lucas oil treatment, not 1 tick was heard upon start up. I drove ~154 miles since Tuesday and the car runs smooth thus far without any ticking even after a 2+ hour trip. Did check the dipstick and it reads 100% correctly as well. I will update in about 1k miles to let everyone know how effective this is and I'll give a proper review about this Lucas Oil treatment upon more mileage and another oil change for anyone else having oil consumption problems on their e46. :hi: