Engine Tick!
I really doubt the Z has solid lifters. Most likely they are hydraulic and therefor self-adjusting.
If they are indeed hydraulic, and that is causing the noise, you could try draining 1qt of oil and putting in 1qt of ATF. Drive it for a day and then do an oil change. ATF is a detergent so if there is something gunked up keeping the lifters from pumping up, the ATF should clean it out.
I had an X3 come in for this same problem and this fixed it. This is actually a common problem on BMW's with the N52. There is actually a recall for replacing the exhaust lifters.
If they are indeed hydraulic, and that is causing the noise, you could try draining 1qt of oil and putting in 1qt of ATF. Drive it for a day and then do an oil change. ATF is a detergent so if there is something gunked up keeping the lifters from pumping up, the ATF should clean it out.
I had an X3 come in for this same problem and this fixed it. This is actually a common problem on BMW's with the N52. There is actually a recall for replacing the exhaust lifters.
no mods. it slowly started to burn oil. i think the reason it started was when i had it in the shop for a few weeks and got it back. didnt realize it was low on oil and i drove the **** out of it for about a week. it was 2-3qts low. after that it went down hill.
ill see if i can pull a video up of it before it went bad.
ill see if i can pull a video up of it before it went bad.
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,695
Likes: 0
From: Boise, Idaho
no mods. it slowly started to burn oil. i think the reason it started was when i had it in the shop for a few weeks and got it back. didnt realize it was low on oil and i drove the **** out of it for about a week. it was 2-3qts low. after that it went down hill.
ill see if i can pull a video up of it before it went bad.
ill see if i can pull a video up of it before it went bad.
but i will say that the tick got louder and louder. to the point where i wouldnt roll my window down so i couldnt hear it. but people would tell me when i drove by they heard the ticking and knew it was me.... i know it wasnt the injectors, and we couldnt tell with a stethoscope where exactly it was coming from. i think it would have blown soon if the rings had not burned either way
i hear mine more with the windows up, it seems to be coming from behind the dash. if i have my windows down, the road noise drowns out the ticking. the ticking is the worst at idle. if i give it gas, the ticking rate speeds up and gets quieter until the engine reaches a certain rpm to where i cant hear the tick anymore
Okay guys a couple months later but i found the issue.lol It is the timing chain tensioner.
My buddy works at infiniti of memphis and said the vq's are bad about the tensioner goin bad thats why we have alot of people sayin thay heard this. Im about to repl the tensioner and chain while im at it and maybe some cams now
just maybe lol....
My buddy works at infiniti of memphis and said the vq's are bad about the tensioner goin bad thats why we have alot of people sayin thay heard this. Im about to repl the tensioner and chain while im at it and maybe some cams now
just maybe lol....
I think the biggest cause of a noisy timing case is the various tensioner assemblies. The upper tensioner is probably the problem most talked about. The cam follower system is very unlikely to be anyone's problem. The system is setup up in a way that works right until something breaks or is changed.
Driving hard on low oil pressure and low oil levels is more likely to hurt a bearing. Depending on the amount of damage, high oil temps could cause the bearings to begin to tick, or more of a light knock from the excessive clearence created by the abuse. Also caused by bogging your motor down low in the rev range excessively. Doing this loads the crap out of your bearings.
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,695
Likes: 0
From: Boise, Idaho
Driving hard on low oil pressure and low oil levels is more likely to hurt a bearing. Depending on the amount of damage, high oil temps could cause the bearings to begin to tick, or more of a light knock from the excessive clearence created by the abuse. Also caused by bogging your motor down low in the rev range excessively. Doing this loads the crap out of your bearings.
RE the comment on the tensioner being "bad". Bad as in it ticks, or it fails? I havent heard of tensioner failure being an issue on these cars. It sure was on the 02 prelude I had though!
Your right, it doesn't fail very often but it does get noisy. And depending on your interpretation of tick it could be the problem. Personally, I would classify it as a rattle but depending on the problem it could easily come across as a tick. I believe its caused by excessive play in the guides or in some cases one of the two tensioners becomes semi-locked and binds.
