Engine Replaced (S55)

[Almin.M3]

Originally Posted by terahertz

Mine has this sound and it's a MY16, but Nov 15 build. I took it to the dealer and they said it was normal. I might have to take it in again.

Mine was the same way. They did not acknowledge it the first time and told me it was normal. So i kept sending videos to the service manager and finally they got a BMW engineer to come out. They first replaced vanos units and that did not resolve it, after that i got an email stating they signed off on a new engine. All is well now

[alz0rz]

BMW does not replace engines just based on sounds. So the fact that they signed off on a NEW engine means this might actually be an issue they are aware of and are just resolving by removing and replacing, as evidenced by a few cases in this thread.

[Almin.M3]

Originally Posted by terahertz

Mine has this sound and it's a MY16, but Nov 15 build. I took it to the dealer and they said it was normal. I might have to take it in again.

Thats what happened to me. And finally they got an BMW engineer out to take a look.

[CaryTheLabelGuy]

That single cylinder tick/knock is not normal guys. That is indicative of rod/main bearing issue or piston slap/wrist pin slop.

[2SNAILS]

I heard that this is from noisy lifters coming from the injectors on cold start

[alz0rz]

Just recorded this on my Jan 2016 build M3. This video started about 1 minute after a cold start. Sound frequency changes as rpm drops. Can also notice as I moved the camera that it definitively came from one side of the engine.

[2SNAILS]

Originally Posted by alz0rz

Just recorded this on my Jan 2016 build M3. This video started about 1 minute after a cold start. Sound frequency changes as rpm drops. Can also notice as I moved the camera that it definitively came from one side of the engine.

Does ur ticking/tapping sound go away after cold start and car reaches operating temp?

[Slimjim8201]

I assume we have no communication from BMW regarding this issue beyond what we can infer from engine replacements?

[logicalunit]

2nd video with a warm engine... you can easily tell the difference.

[2SNAILS]

Originally Posted by logicalunit

2nd video with a warm engine... you can easily tell the difference.

I don't hear the tapping/clicking on the 2nd vid when engine warm

[Kbueno]

Originally Posted by 2SNAILS

I heard that this is from noisy lifters coming from the injectors on cold start

That's what I've been told as well. Mine does it a bit on cold start...seems normal to me.

[logicalunit]

@Almin.M3, you don't have any notes, references or information from BMW regarding this issue?

Originally Posted by 2SNAILS

I don't hear the tapping/clicking on the 2nd vid when engine warm

There you go. And I believe it ain't consistent anyways, because I can't hear "the noise" on some cold starts. I don't know what triggers it.

[2SNAILS]

Originally Posted by logicalunit

@Almin.M3, you don't have any notes, references or information from BMW regarding this issue?

There you go. And I believe it ain't consistent anyways, because I can't hear "the noise" on some cold starts. I don't know what triggers it.

As mentioned before, this ticking/tapping noise the sum experience is on cold start only, until car reach operating temps and goes away. It was explained that it comes from noisy lifters/injectors that cause this tapping sound. This goes away once warm. Pls let's not confuse this with engine knock which is heard consistently during cold start, idle and load. At this point the knock is persistent from the motor and does not go away. Hope this helps

[CaryTheLabelGuy]

Noisy lifters and injectors both make very specific sounds. You shouldn't be able to hear either of them from below the engine.

Piston slap/wrist pin slop, and bearing issues can also all get quieter as the engine warms up, depending on exactly what's wrong and how bad it is.

[Almin.M3]

Originally Posted by logicalunit

@Almin.M3, you don't have any notes, references or information from BMW regarding this issue?

There you go. And I believe it ain't consistent anyways, because I can't hear "the noise" on some cold starts. I don't know what triggers it.

No sir i have nothing. I asked my SA what they think the noise was and he told me they won't know. The engine will be shipped to BMW so they can tear it apart. He also said if he had to take a guess he thinks it was a rod knocking. Mine was just like these videos, cold starts it was noticeable and after about 5 minutes of running it would go away. They kept telling me it was normal and I refused to agree with that. The car did not make the noise when i got it and it shouldn't do it after 9k miles.

[logicalunit]

Originally Posted by Almin.M3

No sir i have nothing. I asked my SA what they think the noise was and he told me they won't know. The engine will be shipped to BMW so they can tear it apart. He also said if he had to take a guess he thinks it was a rod knocking. Mine was just like these videos, cold starts it was noticeable and after about 5 minutes of running it would go away. They kept telling me it was normal and I refused to agree with that. The car did not make the noise when i got it and it shouldn't do it after 9k miles.

Too bad they couldn't give you more info, but I appreciate your help! I've send videos to my dealership but they basically told me to bring the car in when it's making the noise. It's a 1 hour drive, so no chance that will work anytime soon.

[logicalunit]

Originally Posted by 2SNAILS

It was explained that it comes from noisy lifters/injectors that cause this tapping sound. This goes away once warm. Pls let's not confuse this with engine knock which is heard consistently during cold start, idle and load. At this point the knock is persistent from the motor and does not go away. Hope this helps

Thanks 2SNAILS. To confirm, I asked a friend of mine (with 40 years of experience working as a mechanic), and he seemed pretty confident that this is caused by a valve lifter. A slight clearance issue or dirt (a bit lost in translation, but you know).

[Almin.M3]

Originally Posted by logicalunit

Too bad they couldn't give you more info, but I appreciate your help! I've send videos to my dealership but they basically told me to bring the car in when it's making the noise. It's a 1 hour drive, so no chance that will work anytime soon.

Good luck to you man. Hope it works out.

[logicalunit]

Originally Posted by Almin.M3

Good luck to you man. Hope it works out.

No tapping sound occurred since its last oil change, meaning all is good now! And I guess we don't need to kill a fly with a bazooka because an intermittent lifter tick looks to be quite common if you do some research. Previously they used 5w30, and now 0w30 LL4, what is a better grade for cold starts anyways.

[Almin.M3]

Originally Posted by logicalunit

No tapping sound occurred since its last oil change, meaning all is good now! And I guess we don't need to kill a fly with a bazooka because an intermittent lifter tick looks to be quite common if you do some research. Previously they used 5w30, and now 0w30 LL4, what is a better grade for cold starts anyways.

That is awesome. Im glad it worked out

[MCamachoF80]

I just dropped off my car at the dealer for this ticking/metallic tapping problem. I hope they resolve it soon. Here is my video which is exactly the same symptoms:

Starts about 1 minute after cold start and goes away after the engine has warmed up.

[logicalunit]

I cheered too early. Topping of the oil and an oil change is what kept it quite for a little while, a week (or 2), so it seems. I don't know if that makes any sense.