95 M3 Lifter tick, common in the M??

[m3f_M3gonnabe_05bb2175d9]

hey guys my car seems to tick pretty good and I'm pretty sure it's the lifters. My question is for anyone who has had this how can I solve it? I tried seafoam in the oil to clean them up which usually works for me. Not this time though. Thanks

[m3f_00poop6x_6dca3456a4]

hey guys my car seems to tick pretty good and I'm pretty sure it's the lifters. My question is for anyone who has had this how can I solve it? I tried seafoam in the oil to clean them up which usually works for me. Not this time though. Thanks





Yeah, a growing problem in almost all M's. Will cost $3000 if not under warranty. Going to court soon with the BMW stealership here about this, cause it was under warranty and they're BS'ing with me. :bs:

[m3f_Extrav.Dre_53c7fb859e]

I see, you are still quaraling with yours. I have yet to fix mine as well.

[m3f_Dakhar_517a2ad3bd]

Yall,



I notice that mine makes the noise when first started, then after warming up, it is not as bad...



36K original mile on mine at the moment

[m3f_M3gonnabe_05bb2175d9]

I think I will live with it if thats the case

[m3f_///sleeper_f29d08a5a4]

yeah, my lifters tick for the first 10 or so seconds during startup and then quit when the oil pressure builds. M3gonnabe, are you sure it's your lifters? Our car's have quirky vanos's that can sorta sound like lifters ticking...Is the noise there through all RPM's?

[m3f_00poop6x_6dca3456a4]

I see, you are still quaraling with yours. I have yet to fix mine as well.

Yes, court should be within a month now. :smash:

[m3f_00poop6x_6dca3456a4]

I think I will live with it if thats the case



valve adjustment.....that's what it comes down to, i have a brand new VANOS unit.

[m3f_Sirius_880bd69485]

Have you checked your oil level? Low oil can cause ticking.

[m3f_Bufalo]

The M3 engine uses what are called Hydraulic Lash Adjuster lifters (HLA's) which is pretty rare in the industry. My MX-6's V6 engine is one of the few others that does, and yes, the initial tick during start up can be pretty irritating. Best thing you can do is be religious about oil changes with Mobil 1 synthetic and as Sirius said, make sure the oil is full.





If you're mechanically capable, you can take them apart, clean them, and reassemble them to make the ticking go away. Still, that requires having the camshafts out of the engine (and for the Mazda V6, having all 4 of them out) and being able to set up the cam timing and everything when you put it all back together.











For my own info, what's the general level of DIY in this group? In the Probe GT / MX6 world (we share a chassis and driveline) very few people have their cars worked on in a shop and do a lot of significant car work (engine rebuilds and swaps) in their own garage. My time with my MX-6 is coming quickly to a close, and I've got my sights set firmly on a 98 or 99 M3. I would suspect that I'll still be turning my own wrenches on anything that needs repaired, is that the norm? I don't know a whole lot about these cars yet, other than the little tidbit about the HLA's, just because they're something that is common to the Mazda K-series V6 and the E36 M3's inline 6.

[m3f_Buzzfish]

Bufalo,

How do these lifters differ from standard roller lifters? Normal roller lifter will inherntly compensate for lash, that's why I'm asking.



(new to this m3 thing too, just bought a 97 sedan)



Still fascinated by the technology in these cars..

[m3f_M3gonnabe_05bb2175d9]

my oil was actually a quart over full from the previous owner. I figured I would change it so I did with the correct amount of oil and a new filter. Still ticks but not at start up once it is warmed up it ticks. Then if you rev it up it goes away for a few seconds. I run castrol gtx. Do you think synthetic would possibly make a diff?

[m3f_Edgy_592e912c16]

Bufalo:



I think you'll find a lot of DIY guys on this board.



Personally, I can do some little stuff myself, but I have a trusted mechanic for the larger stuff, thankfully. Can't go to the dealer much with these cars.



Here's a really good site to read up before you take the plunge:



www.logun.org

[m3f_00poop6x_6dca3456a4]

Have you checked your oil level? Low oil can cause ticking.



Yeah, if 7 quarts is enough...change it with Mobil 1 5w-30 synth every 2500 miles. 80k on my car

[m3f_csk24]

95s are notorious for faulty lifters. the price to fix, as noted above, is pretty ridiculous. i also have a 95 and have experienced similar problems. i went to a BMW master technician and he suggested replacing them since i am doing increasingly more track events. However, the ticking noise does not mean there is damage being caused so if you are not driving overly aggressive you should be fine. (overly aggressive=more than 3 schools/track events a year). if you start getting into more events i would suggest replacements, it's much cheaper than a seized engine!