Engine Loud Ticking Noise - Need Advice

[WestBankM4]

Man, such a small error can cause this much catastrophe. I'm still shocked I didn't screw something up when I was reinstalling my head, but I was going super slow and methodical.

Anri Whats the problem with this valve train setup in terms of aftermarket parts?

[duracellttu]

Lang needs to cover all of this, period. If you want to make him do it (and if he doesn't, sue his ass), you can ship the car to me and I will use one of my AAA 100 mile tows to drop it off to Lang. A 1500 mile tow will cost you about $900-1200 one way through the car shipping guy I use.

You might have to eat the towing costs but Lang should pay for 100% of everything since he fucked up and caused the shim to become loose.

I appreciate the offer. At this point I am trying to determine the me most cost effective option. If I spend $2.5k in shipping and local labor to do all the repairs at Chicane is

[EthanolTurbo]

Update: I reached out to Lang and we have been exchanging messages on my issue. Good news is that he has offered to cover parts and labor to fix the damage. Bad news is that being in the military I recently moved and am no longer in LA. Lang said he would provide all parts if I decided to have the work done locally, but won't reimburse for labor charges. This is a lose-lose situation for me because I'll be coming out of pocket either way should I ship the car to him or pay for labor at a local shop.

I live just outside of Kansas City now. I know Chicane Motorsports is close, but haven't reached out to see if they are able to tackle this job. Are there any other shops in KC I should consider?

Lang needs to cover all of this, period. If you want to make him do it (and if he doesn't, sue his ass), you can ship the car to me and I will use one of my AAA 100 mile tows to drop it off to Lang. A 1500 mile tow will cost you about $900-1200 one way through the car shipping guy I use.

You might have to eat the towing costs but Lang should pay for 100% of everything since he fucked up and caused the shim to become loose.

[sapote]

First question: The shim retainer looks trashed. But is the rocker and cam salvageable? It only appears to him micro-abrasions.

Second question: Can the shim retainer be replaced by just removing that single cam or does the entire head have to come off?

Third question: How does a shim even get thrown? The rocker was still in place. However it did appear that the retainer clip wasn't fully fully seated in that side. Even so that rocker didn't appear to be out of position at all.

Forth question: What leverage do I have over the shop who performed the valve job last? I have less than 500 miles on the car since this happened.

Last question: does the wear on the cam lobes look normal. The cams only have a couple thousand miles on them total.

1. rocker is damaged -- check its bottom where it hit the sharp edge keeper. The top might look not bad due to the smooth cam lobe.
2. yes
3. It's impossible unless the rocker retainer had moved off. The rocker might have moved off a little for the shim to escape and then got back. Yes, the retainer was not installed properly. If the rocker moved off the valve then the cam lobe had hit and bent the valve.

[sapote]

Mine sounded just like that when a shim popped out of the seat.

Did you find the cause? It's impossible unless the rocker keeper moved off.

[Slideways]

Update: I reached out to Lang and we have been exchanging messages on my issue. Good news is that he has offered to cover parts and labor to fix the damage. Bad news is that being in the military I recently moved and am no longer in LA. Lang said he would provide all parts if I decided to have the work done locally, but won't reimburse for labor charges. This is a lose-lose situation for me because I'll be coming out of pocket either way should I ship the car to him or pay for labor at a local shop.

I live just outside of Kansas City now. I know Chicane Motorsports is close, but haven't reached out to see if they are able to tackle this job. Are there any other shops in KC I should consider?

Brad at Chicane was an active member on M3F and he did VANOS, rod bearing and RACP reinforcements for people local to him. He also swapped an S62 into his E46 M3 track car. He took a few minutes out of his day to answer some RACP questions I had a while ago, so I'd check with him on this valve train issue you are having.

[duracellttu]

Update: I reached out to Lang and we have been exchanging messages on my issue. Good news is that he has offered to cover parts and labor to fix the damage. Bad news is that being in the military I recently moved and am no longer in LA. Lang said he would provide all parts if I decided to have the work done locally, but won't reimburse for labor charges. This is a lose-lose situation for me because I'll be coming out of pocket either way should I ship the car to him or pay for labor at a local shop.

I live just outside of Kansas City now. I know Chicane Motorsports is close, but haven't reached out to see if they are able to tackle this job. Are there any other shops in KC I should consider?

[jet_dogg]

Good luck getting those guys to stand behind their work.

I'd lump lang into the ecs/turner/pelican category.

[EthanolTurbo]

glad to know other people share this sentiment

Yeah you should post up the pics of Lang's work on your engine. That's such a disgrace.

[Chanman1029]

Please make sure that you keep us posted with Andrew Langs response to this. If his response is anything like his response to my cylinder scores 1k miles after a full rebuild, he will pretty much tell you none of his work is warrantied, and that you are welcome to bring it to him for repair, but he will still charge you full price.

Hope your encounter with him is much better than mine…

[Chanman1029]

Also, stop going to Lang.

glad to know other people share this sentiment

[Slideways]

That looks like normal wear. It's deep scoring or flat spots that would be a concern.

[duracellttu]

Thanks for the advice everybody. Im going to reach out to Lang tonight and see what they come back with.

This picture is of another cylinders cam lobes. Is this wear normal? I didn't expect this discoloration/coating wear.

[Anri]

@duracellttu


The following failure from this parts combo! you are number 354..and continue to count.

I wander when people will learn how it works....seems like it will never happen..

To do it properly everything has to be out. Camshafts out, rocker shaft out to replace the
damaged rocker, Bridge-depressor tool is needed, constant compressed air is needed in
the cylinder. Inspect the valve tip for any potential damages. New camshaft indeed, DLC
rocker. (I am having 3 sets of DLC rockers I can assist with 1 for your need)

A very close friend Ant had exact the same failure last month on his fresh cammed 288/280
but did not get lucky like you..his valve dropped inside and destroyed the cylinder....

Let me know if you need any help.

Regards,
Anri

[ugaexploder]

I would do anything possible to make sure Lang is going to help you cover this. I wouldn't go in guns blazing, but there is no way this is your fault.