318i M40 ENGINE TICKING

Post Sat Mar 10, 2012 6:36 pm

Hi fellow zoners I've got a bmw e30 318i with the m40 engine,she has just reached 100.000 miles. When I last changed the oil I put fully synthetic oil in it 5/30 I think but now it ticks really bad tappets I suspect anyone else had same issue. and how can I fix it ?or what oil should I have put in it? cheers zoners

Post Sun Mar 11, 2012 7:14 am

The M40 has hydrolic tappets so they are very sensitive to the oil you put in.
I think 5/30 synthetic may be too thin...I have always used Castrol 20W/50 dinasaur oil with no problems and have done about 190,000 miles....hydrolic lifters were replaced about 70,000 miles ago

Post Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:19 am

10/40 is what I would use or you will get bad cam wear

Post Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:23 am

An make sure your oil feed bar to the cam is not blocked

Post Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:28 am

fooked camshaft?

Post Sun Mar 11, 2012 12:41 pm

Alex wrote:fooked camshaft?

Could be but from what I can gather the OP only had the ticking problem soon after changing the oil...if driven for too long like that I believe the camshaft will become fooked.

I am sure puting thicker oil in will help.

Post Sun Mar 11, 2012 1:01 pm

10/40 oil, and if the cam is a little worn, opening out the holes in the spray bar (1mm is plenty) will really put some oil on the cam. The standard holes are a bit too small and like every spray bar ever made, will block up eventually. The 1mm enlarged holes don't block though.
If the cam is okay, changing M40 lifters isn't a bad job.