Tappets?

[Mike-evans1]

Hi Guys,
Can any one help me with my 318ti?
It is 1995 and has 106000miles on it.
I have recently had an oil flush and oil and filter change. this was to try and cure my tapping noise when enging is cold....The mechanic who done my flush and oil change told me that these cars have Hydraulic tappets on them (dont know what that means) so there shouldnt be any probs.....

When the engine is cold and I accelerate then the tapping is quite loud,once the engine warms itsstill there but no as loud. Can anyone advise me on this??
I thought BMW engines are bullet proof.
Is this an easy fix?
Or is this common?
or should I not worry?

Hope you guys can help...

[oakley]

Do u hear it when ur cruising along at fairly high speed too?.. If so these engines are renowned for being really noisey and giving a tapping kinda noise (almost a flapping sort of noise if that makes sense!!) I believe its the vanos? But im sure someone will be abit more technical and tell u im wrong!!

[Den]

No VANOS on the M42/M44. . .dunno 'bout other motors available in Europe.

My interpretation of your mechanic's "shouldn't be any probs" statement is that valves with hydraulic tappets are "maintenance free" and do not require adjustment periodically. However, if the hydraulic tappets get gunked up, there can be problems.

http://www.esatclear.ie/~bpurcell/31...draulictappets

http://www.esatclear.ie/~bpurcell/31...echinfo_engine

Oil Type : I would recommend a 5W40, 5W50 or 10W50 fully synthetic (the text book says 15W50) as the tappets seem to prefer a lower viscosity oil

Valve clearance : None, automatically compensated by hydraulic tappets

Timing chain is another source of noise on these motors.
http://www.esatclear.ie/~bpurcell/31...chaintensioner

[Mike-evans1]

The mechanic who done the oil change said the book says to use 10W40, so I think that is what he used.
As for noise when Iam cruising along there is no sign or sound of this tapping noise then, I can kinda hear a noise that Oakley mentioned as I can on all the E36's Ive heared.seems to be like a engine power type noise!!!

What are VANOS?
Will these tappets (if it is the tappets) making the noise give me any probs??
Should I look at getting them replaced?

[Den]

What are VANOS?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VANOS

[Den]

Will these tappets (if it is the tappets) making the noise give me any probs??
Should I look at getting them replaced?

Did we read our linky, Mike?

http://www.esatclear.ie/~bpurcell/31...draulictappets

The tappet buckets (cam followers) automatically compensate for wear and temperature, but are prone to gunking up. You can see the complexity of them in the drawing below. Insufficient pressure/resticted movement causes them to tick. Usually this is not serious, although the noise can be disturbing. The noise disappears or significantly reduces when the engine warms up, pressure rises and the oil gets moving. The tappets can just be seen circled in the photo.

To reduce tappet noise try this:

* Before an oil change, pour in a can of oil flush - the type that can be run in the engine for a few miles. Run the car for about 20 miles at very low load and up to a maximum of 3000rpm. This will ensure that the oil flush will be satisfactorily circulated through the cylinder head. Note that oil flush weakens the lubrication property of oil substantially.
* Drain your oil
* Now use a fully synthetic oil - I suggest a 5W40 (or 5W50 in hot climates). The sythetic oil with a low viscosity element will get into the tappets easier and help to keep them cleaner.

If a permanently noisy tappet needs replacing, it can be done without removing the cylinder head but special tools are required. The cams used are very hard, but brittle, hollow and liable to snap. A special tool holds down and releases all the bearing caps at the same time to prevent damage to the cam or bearing journals. Even if the cylinder head is removed, BMW still recommend using this tool.

Furthermore, due to the interferance design of the combustion chamber, there is a risk that the valves will contact the pistons on reassembly. Therefore it is critical that the cams are located correctly (using another tool with square recessess to hold the rear of the cams). The tappets will expand slightly when the cam is removed, so when putting the cam back in, it is imperative to do it over a period of time (up to 45 minutes) to allow the tappets to compress between the valve springs and cams. Please e:mail me if you need a better explanation of this.

[larryn]

I had a 1992 e36 325i and 1996 328i (different engines than the M42/M44, I know), and the coils would occasionally come loose and sound like a engine tapping noise. It would certainly be worthwhile to see if that's your issue, since it's a 5 minute fix/check.

[Zacki]

if there is a noise your mechanic should fix it, not just try something and give the car back to you with a bill.

[BobbyDigital]

I have the same problem now, I think, it just started, it scares the hell out of me though- its loud and has never been there before.

I'm going to try some "oil flush" whatever that is and then an oil change this evening.

[L84THSKY]

This reminds me of a car I had, when I was first stationed in Germany. Being ignorant, I never paid close attention to my oil change intervals. I had a Peugot 305, and it had overhead cam. It was making the same tapping sounds. A guy who was a mechanic in the Air Force, helped me tear the engine apart. In the end, it was a clogged oil distribution (squirter) hole that oiled the cam when the rockers touch the cam. It was wearing the lobe on the cam down, and making a noise.

Bottom line, change your oil more regularly. You may have a clog that is starving the top end of oil, in some area.

[BobbyDigital]

Hey hey hey, who says I dont change my oil regularly? Haha.

The motor does have 287k miles on it, so I guess its ok for it to have a problem now.