318i engine ticking!! help bmw newbie

[BMshed]

Hi guys

i've had my bog standard 318i for 2months, i didnt pay a great deal for it, but its getting me out of a hole and i'm starting to get the bmw bug.

however in the last few weeks its started making a loud ticking noise over 500rpm (it idles at like 300 if this is normal??).. its definately a engine turning noise not a wheel rolling or braking noise. When the car is under heavy load (say 25mph in 5th) the noise dies down. when the engine is cold it will cut out easily and it hates stop start traffic.

reading the haynes manual i thinks i have hydraulic adjusters, so checkin the tappets seamed to be a waste of time. so i took it to a garage and the mechanic suggested the camshaft is going.. before i started striping parts i thought i would ask here. i can post up a video with the engine running if it helps

any help much appricated for a newbie beamer owner.. and sorry if this has been posted before.

thanks BMshed

[maxlee]

bet its not as loud as mine lol

changed the oil and filter??? i found taking the spray bar out of my one and blowing it out with a air line helped a little, i to thought it was bad when i 1st got one but my friend (works in garage) said it was noraml if they have been abused / not been looked after / getting on abit etc

thats my 2 pence worth any way

on a difrent note whats the story on the mini looks a little like one i went to look at last months on ebay

[riklusby]

Yep sounds like the camshaft to me, mines going as well, sounds like a bloody tractor at the moment but ill be putting in a 1.8 as soon as ive got the transplant done on my touring, cleaning or replacing the spraybar is sound advice but be careful with the rocker cover bolts as they are so easily overtightened and stripped its rediculous

[Myke_Gee]

Mine does the same too, just for my 2 pennies worth. I've been told it's 'normal' and not to worry about it, and even to "just turn your stereo up mate" ha ha, however, it's NOT normal and I would like to fix it as it's getting worse, louder etc and it bugs the hell out of me. Mine's a 1.8i 8v too and if it is the cam, then well it's not too much of a problem. May I suggest if you have to get a new one, buy an aftermarket one and you'll benefit from slightly more power too! Just an idea.

[BMshed]

thanks maxlee and riklusby, i'll try an oil change and cleanigng the spray bar, hopefully its that.. the car has only done 75k and it did sit for quite a few years in some doctors garage so could this be a contributing factor to the fuel fail clogging?

the mini is my gf's 1275 sprite, we both are minis freeks its just i bottled it first when i couldn't keep up with the repairs mine need, so i bought an e30 with just as many problems haha lol

[BMshed]

ok myke how long have you been driving with yours like it? i was told mine could "go" anytime!!

is the camshaft difficult to change on these? can u get to it from under the rocker easily??

thanks for the great advice guys

[maxlee]

mini's ate for winners repairs on mini being welding i am gessing , they pull strong money now on ebay



if the bmw has been sitting about for years and the oil hasn't been changed i would defo do it maybe flush the engine???

75k and its doing it can't have been looked after can it??

i drove my 318 coupe round for 2 months then the mot run out but it still starts and drives my 316 (doing the same) i have been driving about for 3 months i will get a video of mine 2day so you can see if yours sounds the same or not.

[BMshed]

yeah minis equal rust and welding!! lol but the best fun you can ever have if you want to go round corners fast!

ok i'll pop down to halfords and get some engine flush later and change the oil and filter, see if it makes a difference.

if you get chance max a video would be brilliant! cheers

[riklusby]

If you change the oil and spraybar then youl be ok, the camshaft although tappy wont GO anytime soon i dont think, mine makes a hell of a noise but still runs, its just a bit embarrassing running around town with the noise !!

[maxlee]

will get one 2morrow (well later to day) didn't get a chance to get a vid 2day as i ended up bilding a trailer

riklusby nothing wrong with the sound i have done this to my car to make it sound louder



i like the looks on peoples faces when they see its not a 1.1 fiesta going past like they thought from the sound coming up the road

[BMshed]

yeah its really embarrassing! lol especially when your family come out to laugh at you when you leave ... lol

dont worry max i was planning to get a vid too but ran out of time. however i should have some time to change the oil etc today! fingers crossed.

[march109]

Run diesel grade oil in the car.

Change the oil for diesel oil and run it through for a couple thousand miles, diesels are typically dirtier and as such the oils made for them contain detergents and cleaning agents so as the oil is going round lubricating your engine it will also clean it from the inside. After a few thousand miles or so or when the ticking stops change the oil back to normal. Change filters both times too and use the standard BMW items each time.

Also because the M40's lifters are hydraulicly adjusted (by the oil) the cleaning agent in the diesel oil is also sure to reduce the noise heard here too, and will also possibly add life to a previously doomed engine.

However if you have the typical toblerone spec camshaft none of this will help and it is sure to be new cam time.

[BMshed]

would diesel oil not cause any damage to the internals?

its prob worth a try. where can i buy the standard BMW filters? halfords? unipart....etc?

how can i tell which spec cam it is? engine/car is from Aug 1989.. thanks for the help march109

anyway i managed to get a quick video of the noise.... this is how the engine sounds once warm, the fanbelt squeals on cold start-up too, but die's away...

http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n230 ... V00184.flv

hope the video works...

[march109]

would diesel oil not cause any damage to the internals?

its prob worth a try. where can i buy the standard BMW filters? halfords? unipart....etc?

how can i tell which spec cam it is? engine/car is from Aug 1989.. thanks for the help march109

anyway i managed to get a quick video of the noise.... this is how the engine sounds once warm, the fanbelt squeals on cold start-up too, but die's away...

hope the video works...

Nope oil for diesel cars and petrol cars is essentially the same (baroperating standards) except diesel oil contains detergents. I don't see any reason why you couldn't use it forever but I only use it as a petrol oil flush.

You can get a bmw filter from bmw for £7ish, or a OEM replacement from GSF for £4ish, as well as other motorfactors, the cam will be a standard bmw item again avaiable from BMW, GSF and other motorfactors.

GSF do mail order, as does zimmerbimmer1 who supplied BMW parts from a BMW dealership on the zone in the genuine bmw parts department forum you'll get at least 10% discount through zimmer too. Though I think hes off work at the moment.

Remember give the diesel oil a good few thousand miles to work, change the filter to a new one when you put the diesel oil in and again when you change that out. Also make sure the operating range is as close to possible as the BMW recommended oil too.

[daimlerman]

When you remove the rocker cover to clean the spraybar you will be able to examine the cam.You are looking for grooves or lines on the lobes(lumpy bits.. )at the point where the cam lifts the rockers.Be aware that cam/rockers/lifters/spraybar can easily cost £200 plus in bits alone,so unless wear is obvious,go with the diesel car oil first,a 10/40 or 15/40 marked for diesel engines will do.

[maxlee]

good point with the diesel oil should of thought of that

this should make your engine sound alot better




there is 2 as i tryed my camra didn't work so used my phone (crap) then found out i was uploading them wrong

but there you go dose it sound like that? that was up to 2000rpm max is a little bit louder but i couldn't find away of turing the mike up on the camra if i put it to close just sounded like air and banging

[Myke_Gee]

Mine's definitely sounding more like Maxlee's, tinnier rather than lumpy, but i'd say they're all forms of 'cam-knock'. Am VERY surprised that yours is sounding quite SO Lumpy at 70 odd k BMWshed. Mine's done in the region of 150 odd! It doesn't so much as bother me as annoy me, especially when my Scorpion exhaust sounds beautiful Am defo gonna give the engine a flush with the diesel oil.

Will keep ya posted guys.

[BMshed]

thanks for the help march and daimlerman! and cheers for the vids maxlee

yeah Myke_Gee i think at now 77k its a bit odd too... especially as a friend has 170k on his iS with no probs..

ok so i've just been out and bought the diesel oil, filter and hydraulic lifter cleaner as suggested

will have a bash at this and post up my findings a bit later on tonight, but i dont expect it to work straight away..

[BMshed]

just drained the oil and swapped over the filter, took the rocker cover of the find that both the inlet and outlet lobes on piston one of the cam are really badly worn and covered in swaf and bits of cam.

see pics...





hopefully this will help other people with a ticking 318!

[maxlee]

looks like thats had lack of oil was the spray bar blocked???

that is bad compeared to even mine

i didn't even see your vid when i posted

when you put it back together tighten up the fan belt

[dobbie82]

gutted! is there anyway the car was clocked? or the engine switched? never heard an e30 run so rough (and I have had about a dozen!)


some tapping is normal for m40's but thats no tapping!


best of luck fixing her

[BMshed]

the spray bar was blocked yeah, ive cleaned it out now.

no i dont think the car was clocked the numbers look all straight and inline

the story is the original owner was a doctor, and he went a bit barmy so the car sat in his garage 8-10 years! and the guy before me had it at 35k and has basically trashed it upto 75k when i got it!..

hey ho

[maxlee]

could also have 10 year old 50k mile oil in it to then

[BMshed]

yeah i think that has to be the reason

i may just run it like that with the new oil, filter and clean spraybar. if i get time i'll put it back together this evening and post up the results..

[magpie]

hi there my18i m40 sounded well bad when i got it done wot u r doin but also take off sump and clean pick up pipe use new gasket or good instant gasket or it Will leak .diesle oil sounds good idea will help but do pick up pipe to or same will happen again i've done all this to mine also cam belt kit but boughjt second hand head wiv cam,took out cam/tappets changed over bill. lab &cambelt kit came to £200 second hand head was £50 still not quiet bloke on ebay sold me ticky set up {wanka} is lot quieter though but not sweet never heard good one yet they just vary in noise level looking 4 2 ltr now {adjustable tappets more horses soreted}don't get mugged

[Brianmoooore]

Don't use instant gasket on sump gaskets unless you use it exceedingly sparingly! The excess breaks off in the sump, and does an excellant job of blocking the oil pump inlet filter.
Since M40B18 engines are virtually valueless (or were before scrap got valuable), then I'd consider changing this engine completely, especially if it has a ten year old cam belt to match the oil.

[BMshed]

car going to be up for sale on the forum section soon..

i dont have time to work on it and new job means i need something a little bit more professional sounding!! lol

its a shame cos the car drives really well.. hey ho

will make a great project or donor vehicle

thanks for the help anyway guys

[madaboutthe30]

Hey guys, what exactly is a spray bar and can it be seen in any of the photos posted??

Thanks

[BMshed]

spray bar sits above the camshaft and supply's oil through small holes along its length..

not in picks as ive removed it, but you can see the holes where it bolts to.

[mt1104]

Hello,

After buying the car I have inherited the ticking sound Going to be removing the hydraulic lifters sometime next week and am wondering if anyone knows of a service repair kit exists for them - as I have a feeling the seals on the lifters have failed and so they are not being sufficiently pushed onto the cam. The hydraulic lifters cost 12 quid each so for 8 it will get quite expensive so I'm after 8 seals instead, anyone got any suggestions?

Sorted its idling issues as well, there was two dirty great big holes in the vacuum tubes so after replacing those its now idles at 1k when cold and about 800rpm when warm. I am very surprised it managed to idle semi-successfully at just 350rpm - must be a fairly balanced engine.