Engine Ticking / Bearings / Oil (Must Read)

[thekurgan]

There is no fuckin' way a flywheel makes this noise.

It's the same shit sound as every other post here with the dreaded "ticking".

This is your lead technician

[adamb1226]

The dealer finally got with me and told me they feel it's the........ you guessed it.... bearings... so now we are waiting for BMW to say yes or no to good will since I am at 50,384 miles on the odo but my warranty technically expired end of 2014. Fingers crossed so we will see.

[thekurgan]

Originally Posted by adamb1226

The dealer finally got with me and told me they feel it's the........ you guessed it.... bearings... so now we are waiting for BMW to say yes or no to good will since I am at 50,384 miles on the odo but my warranty technically expired end of 2014. Fingers crossed so we will see.

You have the most incompetent dealer reported on here. Helen Keller herself would not diagnose that as rod bearing noise.

[adamb1226]

Originally Posted by thekurgan

You have the most incompetent dealer reported on here. Helen Keller herself would not diagnose that as rod bearing noise.

They are not the best that's for sure. I haven't posted the clip of mine but I didn't think it was a bearing noise. We have to see. If BMW is willing to replace them anyways it wouldn't hurt to have new ones put in at their expense.

[thekurgan]

Originally Posted by adamb1226

They are not the best that's for sure. I haven't posted the clip of mine but I didn't think it was a bearing noise. We have to see. If BMW is willing to replace them anyways it wouldn't hurt to have new ones put in at their expense.

They're not competent enough to diagnose a noise, but you think they can do a competent job of replacing one of the most critical, if not, in this engine, the most troublesome parts?

I would get it properly diagnosed before I have your shitty dealer rip the bottom end apart.

[adamb1226]

Originally Posted by thekurgan

They're not competent enough to diagnose a noise, but you think they can do a competent job of replacing one of the most critical, if not, in this engine, the most troublesome parts?

I would get it properly diagnosed before I have your shitty dealer rip the bottom end apart.

I tell you what.... You want to come fix the noise?? Are you a master tech??? Do you live here and want to do this? Then go read another fuckin forum.

[thekurgan]

Originally Posted by adamb1226

I tell you what.... You want to come fix the noise?? Are you a master tech??? Do you live here and want to do this? Then go read another fuckin forum.

I tell you what. Get pics of everything they do to YOUR car, you'll need it. And I'm not going anywhere else.

[adamb1226]

Originally Posted by thekurgan

I tell you what. Get pics of everything they do to YOUR car, you'll need it. And I'm not going anywhere else.

It's funny.. This is not your car but you seem to be so worried about what I am doing. And yes, I do trust them to fix the problem because they don't have the same tech working on it. I know the service director because I worked with his wife for 6 years at another dealership where I was the sales manager at. I have spent the last 10 years in the car business and have just a little more insight on what's going on compared to the average person out there that just reads a forum and thinks they have it all figured out. The service advisor sucks and the last person thinking it was a flywheel sucks. So you don't worry anymore about MY car and just focus on your own. Have a great one!!!

[Doc Oc]

Don't let the kurgan get you worked up, he is just trying to help, which is why you are here to begin with. He is right, people who've been here awhile have seen multiple vehicles make this noise for thousands of miles. Because of that, we know it is not bearings. They don't move, so when there is a noise related to bearings (which is usually rod knock), the car is not long for this world. If the dealer goes in and swaps your bearings, there is a very good chance that you will still have this noise afterward, just like the flywheel. The fact that the dealer thinks the noise is bearings would make me question their competency as well. I would ask them to explain to me how the bearings are physically making this noise. 10 to 1 they can't. If I were in your shoes I would either take it someplace else or try like hell to get the dealer to replace the engine.

Also keep in mind the one time this issue was tracked down on this forum, the dealer involved diagnosed it as a block casting error from the factory. They rebuilt the engine in that case and when they did they found worn bearings, which they attributed to the error. If they had just gone in looking for bad bearings they would've found them but not resolved the problem. It may be worth it to you to find that thread and share it with the dealer.

[adamb1226]

Originally Posted by Doc Oc

Don't let the kurgan get you worked up. He is right though, people who've been here awhile have seen multiple vehicles make this noise for thousands of miles. Because of that, we know it is not bearings. They don't move, so when there is a noise related to bearings, the car is not long for this world. If the dealer goes in and swaps your bearings, there is a very good chance that you will still have this noise afterward, just like the flywheel. The fact that the dealer thinks the noise is bearings would make me question their competency as well. If I were you I would either take it someplace else or try to get the dealer to replace the engine. We are just trying to help.

At this point I am simply waiting on BMW to say what they want to do. If I were to guess, they wouldn't want them doing a bearing job they would rather just swap the engine. Now, that is just a guess. When I hear more about what they (BMWNA) are willing and wanting to do, I will make a decision from there. And before I just let them tear open the bottom of my engine I will most definitely get a second opinion. I find it hard to believe it is a bearing issue as well but it did start making the noise a lot more consistently when I dropped the car off and I just got the oil changed 4 days before dropping it off. I will try and post the clip of the noise. It's just a recording from my phone. Only audio not video but you can hear it. This is also when it first started making the noise not at the end where it was a lot more consistent.

[Mr. Liu]

Have you paid any diagnostic fees to the dealer yet? Usually they aren't very open to just giving out free motors unless you make a big fuss and run it up the chain. Sounds like you got a very generous offer. Even if they rip apart to look at your bearings, and there is wear on them, that does not 100% mean the ticking originated from the bearings. The bearings could have been worn early in the life of the car and has stayed that way, who knows when it would have ended up in failure.

I say if they give you the choice to get a free motor replacement, take it and run!

[adamb1226]

Originally Posted by Mr. Liu

Have you paid any diagnostic fees to the dealer yet? Usually they aren't very open to just giving out free motors unless you make a big fuss and run it up the chain. Sounds like you got a very generous offer. Even if they rip apart to look at your bearings, and there is wear on them, that does not 100% mean the ticking originated from the bearings. The bearings could have been worn early in the life of the car and has stayed that way, who knows when it would have ended up in failure.

I say if they give you the choice to get a free motor replacement, take it and run!

Again, very familiar with the process and what needs to take place. Yes it is taking a little longer than hoped to get the answers I, and the service director are waiting for from BMWNA. It was also the case for Mercedes Benz NA for their responses from when I worked at MB for three years.

No I have not paid anything as of yet and the service director is on my side because it is a great job for his department as well for BMWNA to take care of a client.
Let's just wait and see what they say before we go speculating what could happen or what will happen.

I will continue to keep this thread updated on what I hear. I'm not saying I'm pleased with waiting as long as I have to get an answer on what BMWNA is willing to do but at this point we (the dealer and myself) have our hands tied. And yes I know this from working on a dealership for 10 years.

[Doc Oc]

[RushRuin]

A quick update on mine:

-Ticking started.
-Freaked out.
-Topped off oil per this thread
-Ticking went away immediately.
-Got oil change few days after first hearing ticking.
-Ticking came back immediately. Shop used LiquiMoly.
-Went back after a few weeks (was out of town) and just got oil changed back to Castrol.
-Still ticking but much, much, fainter. Weather is also cooler (mid 90's instead of 100's) this week here in Texas.

I still think that volume of oil could be a factor. The shop didn't change the oil filter the second time around and had to guess how much oil to put in minus what's hanging around in the filter. Mechanic chose to put in about 8.5 liters. I personally added the other 1/2 liter a few days later to see what happened. What's the official amount, 9? 9-point-something? Still ticking after top-ff. But, currently not ticking as loud as a month ago. Again, could be weather-related.

[Mr. Liu]

Originally Posted by RushRuin

A quick update on mine:

-Ticking started.
-Freaked out.
-Topped off oil per this thread
-Ticking went away immediately.
-Got oil change few days after first hearing ticking.
-Ticking came back immediately. Shop used LiquiMoly.
-Went back after a few weeks (was out of town) and just got oil changed back to Castrol.
-Still ticking but much, much, fainter. Weather is also cooler (mid 90's instead of 100's) this week here in Texas.

I still think that volume of oil could be a factor. The shop didn't change the oil filter the second time around and had to guess how much oil to put in minus what's hanging around in the filter. Mechanic chose to put in about 8.5 liters. I personally added the other 1/2 liter a few days later to see what happened. What's the official amount, 9? 9-point-something? Still ticking after top-ff. But, currently not ticking as loud as a month ago. Again, could be weather-related.

Update from me too, weather actually hotter now but ticking completely gone. Seems like the new oil put in during my oil change just needed a couple hundred miles to shear, and everything settles down after. car also runs cooler now....

[Emm Tree]

Originally Posted by ChrisK

So I figured out how to stop the infamous engine ticking, but what I can't figure out is the direct cause.

My car has that subtle occasional tick when the engine is hot (210F) like everyone else. See the video below.

Of course we all think bearings!

This is what I found: I added a 1/3 of qt of oil to the car (I have 24k on the car) after reading another thread, and the sound is gone. I have about 5.4k on the oil. (My last Blackstone report looked picture perfect). The last time I had the oil changed I thought the ticking seemed to disappear as well.

The car is at the dealer today, and I am getting the oil changed.

My hypothesis is this: The ticking is always there, we just can't hear it until the oil ages.

So is this normal or not? Is the oil the culprit or the oil pump or is it still bearings?

Note: If you live in a moderate/cool climate, you may never hear the tick.

Read in this post about changing the oil and the ticking: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...=oil+pump+tick

OP - Did you ever solve this issue?

[adamb1226]

Sorry for the lengthy delay. I picked up my car on Wednesday after a very long time of it being in the service department. They replaced the bearings and the noise is now gone. They do not know what was causing it but good willed the bearings as a precaution. The bearings showed minimal wear. Either way, I am glad the car is home. The service I received sucked in the way of follow up from my SA. The tech who worked on my car tho was great. I will not be going back to that dealer.

[Leonardo629]

What's the warranty on the repair? Seems like if the tech was not competent enough, a procedure as delicate as bearing replacement can't always be a bless if it's not done right.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by adamb1226

Sorry for the lengthy delay. I picked up my car on Wednesday after a very long time of it being in the service department. They replaced the bearings and the noise is now gone. They do not know what was causing it but good willed the bearings as a precaution. The bearings showed minimal wear. Either way, I am glad the car is home. The service I received sucked in the way of follow up from my SA. The tech who worked on my car tho was great. I will not be going back to that dealer.

Well sounds great you got bearing replacement paid, congrats! Minimal wear and still sorted the ticking sounds interesting. Managed to take a few photos for show mate?

Cheers

[Mr. Liu]

The ticking went away probably during the process of taking apart the bottom end and a complete flush of the motor, but not as a direct result of the bearings. Glad you got the resolved OP

[adamb1226]

Originally Posted by Leonardo629

What's the warranty on the repair? Seems like if the tech was not competent enough, a procedure as delicate as bearing replacement can't always be a bless if it's not done right.

the warranty is 2 years unlimited mileage.

[adamb1226]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Well sounds great you got bearing replacement paid, congrats! Minimal wear and still sorted the ticking sounds interesting. Managed to take a few photos for show mate?

Cheers

I only have two photos. they are not up close of anything. I wasn't the one who took the photos.