annoying ticking e30 m3

[tobias]

hi guys recently picked her up and since there has been an annoying ticking when driving i originally thought it may be a little hole on exhaust. had her on ramps yesterday and its clean as a whistle which is great, but still cant work out wher ticking is coming from.

any ideas guys????

[m3ben05]

not to worry mate, its totally normal.

Take it somewhere reputable and get them to adjust the tappets to be sure but trust me, even a totally rebuilt engine makes exactly the same noise.

If you do find a way of eliminating it, be sure to inform BMW, munich legends, mosely motorsport and bexley motor works because none of them have been able to!

[Speedtouch]

Your watch may be in need of a service

Whoever you picked it up from left a bomb in the boot

You have a stone in the tread of a tyre

You have developed tinnitus

Camshaft(s) worn or not having enough oil

The possibilities are endless - good luck sorting it

[tobias]

cheers ben. so they all got it then? just wanted to find out if there were any issues that needed looking into. cecotto is looking fantastic by the way. will get some pics of the m3 on soon. regards, toby

[m3ben05]

Yep, the ex head mechanic at munich legends rebuilt the engine for me 2 years ago, the total for parts alone was almost 2k and the engine sounded exactly the same after.

Dmaxfield on here has also just had a 2.5 complete rebuild for a huge amount of money and it still ticks.

I wont pretend it doesnt irritate the hell out of me but bmw, all the leading specialists and even the chairman of the M power club GB have all listened to the engine and they say it sounds normal!

Do get it checked tho mate, for your peace of mind if nothing else. Most likely they will adjust the tappets. This is a 1 hour max job. I get mine re done every year on the advice of my mechanic. Also they will prob give you an oil change and send you on your way.

Thanks for the compliments BTW, get some pics up of yours

[tobias]

thanks ben,

youve eased my mind already but will put it in with bmw isle of man to get tappets done. gonna take car out over the weekend and get some really good pics will post when done.

thanks again toby

[maxfield]

Are M3 tappets hydraulic then?

[m3ben05]

No idea, im no mechanic

[maxfield]

I thought they were hydraulic which i dont think need adjusting. Where as mechanical ones need adjusting which are in the M20. Fcuk knows. Maybe hydraulic ones need adjusting

[FBF]

i have a ticking on my car but it aint the tappets.. mine is coming from the bottom of the car but ive not put it on the ramp yet. if it taps when you rev it while not moving then it is the tappets if its something else it wont do it while stationary.

[m3ben05]

All i know about M3 tappets is that they get noisy, they get adjusted and it takes about an hour

[Simon]

They are loud, but don't get to excited about it being normal....

It could be a leaking exhaust manifold gasket, this normally get's a little quieter when warm.

You may also find that there's a small cap missing from the engine side of the steering column shaft, it's hollow and amplifies all the engine bay sound into the cabin, I've put a big lump of blut tak on mine behind the horn press, you will be suprised how much quiter this makes it!

[Demlotcrew]

Guys a good S14 should not tick, listen to mines if you have a chance.

Andrew

[TURBODOCTOR]

tappets are adjustable. remove rocker cover n each one can be adjusted by loosening the 10mm nut on the side of each rocker, then turn the tip(has a tiny cam like contact point in the ends of rockers) with a small thin tool, i've seen it done with 3mm allen key that you put in a hole an the tip, then turn till youve got .25mm clearance(using good feeler guage). if this makes sense.

[maxfield]

You talking about the M20? as i'm sure thats 0.25 mm clearance

[caneswell]

A better explanation might be in order, but all old 4 pot BM engines have a tappet ticking sound. Where does it come from?

[LateM3]

s14's dont get adjusted, the shim over bucket gets replaced with the correct size one!

http://e30m3performance.com/maintenance ... stment.htm
hope this helps
Dan

[Demlotcrew]

A better explanation might be in order, but all old 4 pot BM engines have a tappet ticking sound. Where does it come from?

Sorry but the S14 is not just an old 4pot BMW engine, it should not tick End of.

The tool costs Ԛ£99+VAT from stealers and no discount is given on tools.

The shims are about Ԛ£5 each.

Andrew

[iil325i]

Guys a good S14 should not tick, listen to mines if you have a chance.

Andrew

iv seen this car and asked him about why it dont tap, as most m3s iv seen do

[maxfield]

My dads taps on tickover altho can only be heard when the bonnets up is this normal?

[m3ben05]

it should not tick End of

Mine ticks and iv been told its absolutely fine by nigel moseley, barney halse, alex elliott, richard baxter and jags from bexley.

These are some of the UK's most respected E30 M3 experts so with all due respect to your knowlage of these engines, i would still be inclined to believe them if they say its ok.

My question to you is why do you think differently? You know your stuff so you must have a reason for thinking this?

[Demlotcrew]

Ben have you ever heard a S38 tick? its the same engine with two more cylinders.

When built correctly the S14 should not be a noisy engine.

If nigel moseley, barney halse, alex elliott, richard baxter and jags from bexley think your engine sounds okay then they must be correct.

Having the shims adjusted to the correct spec or little tighter will not yield more power or drivability. The engine will gain a tiny amount of torque down low but thats it. Im a firm believer that after adjusting the shims in order to take full advantage you would then need to sync the throttle bodies which when done together is a lengthy procedure and i bet most garages just simply cant get it done with todays labour rates. As this would add four to five hours to an inspection II (Ԛ£500 from the dealer to have the shims done) and i bet most owners just cant afford to have it done properly, if they could then more S14s would sound like they should!

Pacerpete has a late Red M3 which is the quitest i have ever heard, and its just had a head rebuild. (Munich leggens hit list )

Andrew

[m3ben05]

Good answer, thank you.

When Alex elliott rebuilt my engine he said if the shims/tappets(?) were too tight the engine would actually loose power. I guess the ticking is not damaging but from what you say its possible to eliminate it.

If it costs Ԛ£500 to get rid of it, thats money well spent IMO!

[Demlotcrew]

Ben i dont know Alex elliot but i tighter gaps will not loose you power! They would have to be so tight that the valve doesnt seal on the seat. Makes me think that he might not really know the S14.

In this example you see that if you change valve clearance from
0.30 mm to 0.20 mm, you gain about 24 degrees (12 degrees from
the on ramp side, and 12 degrees from the down ramp) in total duration.
Furthermore, you would pick up 0.1 mm in peak cam lift.

Its important to realize that this increase in cam duration is
almost meaningless because it occurs during extremely low valve lift
where the valve is opening up to 0.1 mm lift. More significant perhaps
is the overall gain in peak cam lift, but 0.1 mm extra lift is not a
lot either, it wont significantly change the performance of the engine.

More relevant when comparing cams is comparing them at 2 mm valve lift
reference points, those yield better effective duration numbers
for comparison. Ideally, you can get a cam lift plot of the cams in
question.

Andrew

[m3ben05]

He was the head mechanic at munich legends for 8 years then he set up his owm company rebuilding group A M3's.

I probably misunderstood what he said becuase he really knows his stuff with these engines! What your saying makes perfect sense tho.

[georgezippybungle]

They are loud, but don't get to excited about it being normal....

It could be a leaking exhaust manifold gasket, this normally get's a little quieter when warm.

You may also find that there's a small cap missing from the engine side of the steering column shaft, it's hollow and amplifies all the engine bay sound into the cabin, I've put a big lump of blut tak on mine behind the horn press, you will be suprised how much quiter this makes it!

I had the same problem on mine, engine sounded fine with the bonnet up but about 3000rpm there was a very irritating noise focussed right infront of the driver. I was about to pull the dash out and look for missing sound insulation then I noticed it was coming out of the steering wheel!
Blu tack behind the horn press and an earplug in the other end of the hollow column = silence, oh joy!
Love it when a fix is that easy.
Don't forget that fuel injectors tick.

[HenryM3]

Interesting thread, as for the cost of the tool to change the shims when I still had that engine fitted my local dealer loaned me the tool and gave me a bag of shims to do the job, you gotta ask, they can only tell you to piss off. As for the tick, there is a 0.05mm difference in the thickness of the shims, so if the gap is 0.02/3/4 to big you have the choice of either, leave it alone or fit another shim which will be either 0.01/2/3/4 to tight. So if you were really lucky and all the gaps worked out right you would have a really really quiet engine but more than likely 50% will not be perfect so the engine will tick

[Fushion_Julz]

You don't need a special tool, as such...just a strong, bent screwdriver, a small flat-blade screwdriver and a magnet along with feeler gauges and a vernier caliper if you are unlucky enough for someone to have installed the shims with the size etch facing upwards.

If you're really fussy, or you have access to a lathe, you can machine shims to be the exact size..