Cold start rattle 2-3 seconds then gone.

[lemoose]

I think I have this sound. It's the loudest when the car has been sitting for multiple days without being started. Then on first start only, I hear it for about 2-3 seconds. After it has been started once - even for just 5 seconds - I won't hear it again.

Leads me to believe it's the tensioner, but mine is new. I don't know if there's a wrong way to install the tensioner...I just tightened it in until i hit the torque spec.

In this video you hear it just briefly at the 5 second mark. It's not as loud as it was this morning when I started it for the first time in a week.

I have this noise too- I thought it was normal though?

[Andratch]

I think I have this sound. It's the loudest when the car has been sitting for multiple days without being started. Then on first start only, I hear it for about 2-3 seconds. After it has been started once - even for just 5 seconds - I won't hear it again.

Leads me to believe it's the tensioner, but mine is new. I don't know if there's a wrong way to install the tensioner...I just tightened it in until i hit the torque spec.

In this video you hear it just briefly at the 5 second mark. It's not as loud as it was this morning when I started it for the first time in a week.

[TexaZ3]

Check valve in the oil filter housing?

[Andratch]

I'm having these exact same symptoms, funnily enough, it only started happening AFTER I completed my top end rebuild. It has been making a rattling, knock sort of noise for 1-2 seconds upon a cold start, it's always in the morning when the car has sat overnight. Vanos has been upgraded to Beisan and had less than 500 miles on it at the time, so I knew it wasn't that but I too searched high and low for the source. Sounds like you found the culprit for me, I appreciate you updating this thread. Going to order an OEM piece and get to work, most likely upgrade the pulleys since I'll be in that general area anyway.

Did you end up replacing your oil filter housing, and did that fix the problem?

IMO this totally feels like a tensioner-not-tensioning issue, but like others I also have a new tensioner, so I assume there's some sort of pressure leak somewhere in the system. I didn't realize the oil filter housing had anything to do with that, and I'm willing to give it a shot, but at $500 for the part and pretty labor heavy to get out, I don't want to just throw it at the car for fun.

[Lavatoad]

I think I have a similar issue. After the car sits overnight, I get a rattle for the first 3-5 seconds on the first start. No prolonged oil light, and it won't happen if the car has been recently driven. The sound also ends very abruptly, like flipping a switch (or sufficient pressure built).

Going to try to pinpoint, but sounds like I'll be replacing the housing.

[Moi]

think i may have this sound as well. does anybody have a video i can compare it to ?

[heinzboehmer]

The new filter housing comes with gasket and a BMW oil filter, no oil cooler O rings though.

Oh cool. Did not know that.

[Cmamainer]

Good time to replace the oil filter housing gasket (11421719855) and oil cooler o rings (17222245358) too.

The new filter housing comes with gasket and a BMW oil filter, no oil cooler O rings though.

[Cmamainer]

A normal amount of time, the rattle only lasted around 1 to 2 seconds

[eacmen]

No, I was in contact with a member from the old forum that went by the name "Zaharias", he was having the same exact issue and had rebuilt the vanos like I had and changed the rod bearings with no improvement. His mechanic recommended changing the oil filter housing believing that it was allowing oil to drain from the topend while sitting for extended periods such as overnight and it seems he was correct.

How long was your oil pressure light staying on during cold starts? Seems like if that check valve was bad then it would take longer to build pressure.

[heinzboehmer]

I'm having these exact same symptoms, funnily enough, it only started happening AFTER I completed my top end rebuild. It has been making a rattling, knock sort of noise for 1-2 seconds upon a cold start, it's always in the morning when the car has sat overnight. Vanos has been upgraded to Beisan and had less than 500 miles on it at the time, so I knew it wasn't that but I too searched high and low for the source. Sounds like you found the culprit for me, I appreciate you updating this thread. Going to order an OEM piece and get to work, most likely upgrade the pulleys since I'll be in that general area anyway.

Good time to replace the oil filter housing gasket (11421719855) and oil cooler o rings (17222245358) too.

[WestBankM4]

I'm having these exact same symptoms, funnily enough, it only started happening AFTER I completed my top end rebuild. It has been making a rattling, knock sort of noise for 1-2 seconds upon a cold start, it's always in the morning when the car has sat overnight. Vanos has been upgraded to Beisan and had less than 500 miles on it at the time, so I knew it wasn't that but I too searched high and low for the source. Sounds like you found the culprit for me, I appreciate you updating this thread. Going to order an OEM piece and get to work, most likely upgrade the pulleys since I'll be in that general area anyway.

[sapote]

To anyone who is still having this issue I replaced my original oil filter housing with a new one and the cold start rattle is gone.

Makes sense if the engine oil was drained due to the plastic check valve cut a slot on the OFH.

[Cmamainer]

No, I was in contact with a member from the old forum that went by the name "Zaharias", he was having the same exact issue and had rebuilt the vanos like I had and changed the rod bearings with no improvement. His mechanic recommended changing the oil filter housing believing that it was allowing oil to drain from the topend while sitting for extended periods such as overnight and it seems he was correct.

[eacmen]

To anyone who is still having this issue I replaced my original oil filter housing with a new one and the cold start rattle is gone.

What caused you to take this action? Were you observing low oil pressure?