Damn Ticking is driving me insane.

[Dan-ny-m398]

I posted a couple of month ago about Valve ticking noises coming out of my engine, and since then I have adjusted the valves in my 1991 ,535I at least 5 times, I went with what the Bently manual said .13, too loud then .12, no luck then somebody said it could be the eccentrics, I replaced every single one of them plus the nuts and bolts , no luck then I went down to .11 still ticking , I upgraded to fully sinthetyc oil 5w 50 , used seafoam to clean the combustion chamber, replaced all sparkplugs and I use a metal gasket, anyways I gave it a last ditch effort yesterday and went down to .12 and it just got louder, all I can tell is that the ticking is most noticeable in cylinder 1 and maybe two, also the car has a very steady 700 rpm iddle and runs perfectly , I would like to mention that I do own another 535i and the ticking is nowhere near as loud as the 91 , even though I haven't adjusted the valves on the other car in at least 40k miles anyways I'm all out of ideas if anyone knows what else it could be I would really appreciate it.

[Alexlind123]

Replace your injectors.

[Dan-ny-m398]

Replace your injectors.

The previous owner replaced them when he rebuilt the head, probably not that long ago , plus the noise is not coming from the injectors is mainly in the front cylinders

[Kalevera]

Worn rockers or camshaft lobes, or worn timing chain guide. All of which should have been inspected when the head was off.

More than a likely possibility is that whoever did the head work didn't reinstall the oil sprayer bar correctly and the front lobes are being slightly oil starved.

best, whit

[632 Regal]

exactly, inspect the cam lobes. Look for the top of the lobes to be different from the rest, maybe even flat on top, this will cause a definite Tick sound. Look around and inspect it all while the cover is off. Take pictures and post them.

Another idea is to check the oil pressure, that could cause all sorts of problems not directly related to sound.

[2fast]

All 535 tick........Well mine does;)

[Vic_316i]

I have the same problem with 316i E36 97 model, I don't know where to adjust the valve's I check the timing chain, and i noticed that there's some play when I rotated the main shaft, is this the problem?

[Dan-ny-m398]

Well I gave up on it for now, since I'm not driving my car that much, but you can try turning up the radio, that's the colsest I came to fixing my ticking isssues, just jocking but I think I have an exhaust leak I just don't know how to find it.

[632 Regal]

that could definetly be your tick, get new exhaust gaskets and replace them? (if it has em)
Well I gave up on it for now, since I'm not driving my car that much, but you can try turning up the radio, that's the colsest I came to fixing my ticking isssues, just jocking but I think I have an exhaust leak I just don't know how to find it.

[BillionPa]

but you can try turning up the radio

thats how i drown out my rear wheel bearings :D

[genphreak]

that could definetly be your tick, get new exhaust gaskets and replace them? (if it has em)A piece of pipe, in your ear, the other end poking around the bay till you find the location of the noise. The exhaust flange (header (ie exhaust manifolds) to engine pipe is the main area if it is exhaust and there are no cracks in the headers (unlikely). If you've had your exhaust toa non-bmw proficient shop they will have torqued the spring loaded stainless nuts (they load special stainless seal-springs) and could be tightened too far, causing one of the engine pipes to locate crooked on one of the manifolds' output flanges. In the US these might be different (mine is RHD and has different part numbers). LHD might use a flange gasket and no springs for all I know...? Also, have you changed injector seals? If they are old they can make noise- but probbaly not the volume you are hearing.

I would pop the valve cover as any oil starvation from incorrect spryer bar installation (arrow on bar must face forward or maybe a hole is blocked) will be wearing the cam and the valve gear... Let us know how it goes... :) nick

[Zeuk in Oz]

A piece of pipe, in your ear, the other end poking around the bay till you find the location of the noise.

I use a stethoscope - works wonders. :D