Tappets or timing chain noise....

[Mike-evans1]

Hi guys, a couple of months ago I posted a thread on what I believe could be noisy tappets???????

The noise I am hearing is still there after 2 oil flushes and 2 oil and filter changes but seems to be getting louder......
I am a bit thrown away from the idea of the noise being the tappets as they are hydraulic and are vertually maintance free...(or are they)????

I am going over to the timing chain or timing chain tensioner now for the noise....could this be the cause of the noise,as the tensioner is wearing it is getting louder?
Do these chains wear?
How often should they be raplaced and how hard a job to replace?

Can anyone give info on this...

[M3_KILL3R]

dont know anything about how hard they are to change but i do know that they wear and their recommended to be changed atleast every 70,000 miles.

[Mike-evans1]

Could the chain be to blame for the quite loud annoying nosie I am hearing.....if it is worn??

[M3_KILL3R]

what is the sound explain the noise

[Mike-evans1]

The noise sounds like a tapping....only way I can describe it.....
I cannot hear it on idle but as soon as I start driving the faster I go the louder it gets....

[M3_KILL3R]

The noise sounds like a tapping....only way I can describe it.....
I cannot hear it on idle but as soon as I start driving the faster I go the louder it gets....

here are what i think you need to check...
1)check the timing belt
2)check your belts and your tensioner
3)check the head make sure you dont have anything warped or firing wrong
4)check the driveshaft and your guibo

where exactly do you hear the sound coming from? the front of the car middle or rear?do you hear it in gear or when you rev it in neutral also?

[Mike-evans1]

The noise is defenately coming from the front of the car....if I gradually rev the car while in neutral then I cannot hear it as bad if at all....if I push my foot down hard so the revs shoot up quickly then I can hear the tapping loudly......

Whan i am driving along and accelarate then it really gets loud from about 2000-25000 rpm upwards.....

[BobbyDigital]

Its not a timing belt though, its a chain, and I dont think they need to be replaced at any certain time. Mike, I believe I wrote you the last time and told you about my experience...

I know you have changed the oil etc...Are you putting enough oil in it? The tapping sounds like oil starvation.

What octane gas are you using?

[L84THSKY]

That was my comment, I had a bad tappet caused by a clogged oil squirter, in a previous car. You could have a blockage starving the tappet, and it wore the lobe down.

I know you have changed the oil etc...Are you putting enough oil in it? The tapping sounds like oil starvation.

[Mike-evans1]

There is defenately enough oil in the car engine as I check it weekly...I use 5w40 in it as advised by a local garage and my hand book...

I had a price yesterday off a local BMW dealer for a timing chain tensioner and new washer for £37, so that looks like the cheapest and easier option for me to try......

I found this write up on the net that says a worn tensioner can caues the car to become noisy, he quoted lika a seewing machine.......like mine is sounding.....

This is the link.

www.europeancarweb.com/tech/techletters/0000ec_bmw_tech_letters_2/index.html

[BobbyDigital]

Cool, I hope that does it!

[L84THSKY]

It has nothing to do with having enough oil. If it's clogged it's clogged!

The only way to know is to remove the valve cover, and examine the cam/tappet.........etc

Once it's clogged, adding oil accomplishes nothing.


There is definitely enough oil in the car engine as I check it weekly...I use 5w40 in it as advised by a local garage and my hand book...

[Mike-evans1]

If I remove the rocker cover and inspect the tappet, what am I looking for?
Can I see exactly what I need to see by removing the rocker cover?

[Mike-evans1]

Hi guys,
Tapping finally gone,solved.....:smile:

Found it to be a cracked exhaust manifold...got it done this morning and it is a sweet as a nut now:biggrin:

I am selling the car now,just can't decide on a price??

[Mallard]

i cant beleive any one didnt say hydraulic valve lifter!

normally, thats why it ticks, because the lifter is dead, the tappit smacks agaist it an the camshaft..

[cali-ti]

just for the sake of knowledge gathering, how does one fix a dead lifter?

[marleymon]

so I made a quick vid...I tried to capture a tapping noise I currently have.
(I think the cricket chirp should be my belt, new belt should be here by now:mad:)....
Is this a familiar tapping noise?
bmrforums think it could be an injector or even the chain tensioner, or worse...a bad lifter.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5232182977951547168

[Mike-evans1]

I changed the tensioner 2 weeks ago in my car to stop the TAPPING noise, and it was still there, I was 100% sure it was a tappet/lifter, done some searching aroung my engine bay and found my exhasut manifold blowing, found 2 cracks on it.

The noise I was hearing was a taping but turned out to be the cracked manifold, manifold crack done and now no tapping.

Runs nice and quiet now....:smile::smile:

[diamondnik]

hydro lifters are maintenance free provided that your oil pump is not worn and provides proper pressure to the system, and that oil galleys are not clogged which prevents oil getting to tappets.

timing tensioners wear, as do timing chain rails and overall you get slapping which causes the noise. often you can get away with it by merely replacing the tensioner, but in high milage cases you may need to replace rails as well.

marleymon, in your case the problem might be with the serpentine belt tensioner being worn. when you accelerate you load the belt and the tensioner, which casues the chirping. tappet and chain noise sounds like a sewing machine.

[gldfshkpr]

Here's my niose. What does this sound like it is?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFKsDPGQ29k&feature=user