Cold start lifter tick - info request

[JHZR2]

Hello,

My 91 318i has 110k miles on it.  Runs great, though a tad bit cold.  

Recently changed my oil (I run 5w-40 syn oil in my engine, year round, with very good results in oil analysis, etc.), and also went from using a Mahle filter to a Mann filter.

Its wintertime, but not that cold.  Low 30s typically... started my car after sitting overnight, and I get a growl and then a tapping sound.  The growl is the tensioner pressurizing, and is common (I have an M44 tensioner with <10k miles on it) when doing cold starts.  However, the tick is new.  If I just idle the car, it takes maybe 2 minutes to go away.  If I drive the car, by the time I go around the block, maybe a quarter to a half a mile or so, it generally goes away.  

From what Ive seen, the first time the engine goes up to ~1500 RPM, it ticks until I unload the engine, then the engine will no longer tick from idle through 1500 RPM. However, it will still tick higher - so the next load Ill go up to 2500 RPM, and at ~1500, it will start to tick, then when I unload the engine at 2500, it won't tick again at all until I let the car sit again for an extended period of time (8 hrs plus).  

I start my car and lightly use it right away, thus my drivng profile as described above.  I thought perhaps my issue was that I was using a Mann filter (made in germany, MB OE), in stead of my usual Mahle that I run on my BMW (made in austria). However, when swapping back, the issue remained.

I even then changed to a different brand of 5w-40, just to experiment... no luck.

I didnt have such a tick in past wintertime startups.  Perhaps there is some grime that got stuck in one of the passages in my lifters, I don't know.

But, in the end all, I guess I'd like to know how long do your lifters tick at cold startup after sitting a while, and how many miles do you have on your engines.  I hope this new tick at cold startup doesnt mean pending disaster for my engine.  It runs smooth and beautifully as soon as the tick goes away.

Also, any suggestions on how to keep it from getting worse?  I assume that if a hydraulic lifter is not adjusting to zero lash, there is some excess wear thatr is occurring on the valve or related parts, let alone inside of the lifter itself.  Anything that I can do to minimize this?

Thanks for your insight!

JMH

P.S. The oil pressure dummy light goes out immediately after startup, anytime, summer or winter.

[tjts1]

Maybe try a 0w30 or 0w40 oil in the winter. Have you removed the lower oil pan to check for loose bolts?
http://www.m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=594

[JHZR2]

just saw that bolt issue... Will have to get on it ASAP...

Ive run 5w-40 through the winter in the past.  0w-40 does not porduce as good used oil analysis results - indicative of higher wear rates.  

When I drained my oil last time, it seemed that there were air bubbles in it.  this would coincide with the dropped bolt theory, if there is only one that fell out, or the movement of the gasket has just begun, I may be at a point where air is seeping but it is not severe.

Still best to check asap... will report back with respect to this issue...

Thanks,

JMH

[tjts1]

0w40 would be as a last resort. I use rotella 5w40 year round and i've never had the valve tick problem.

[Wise Old Dog]

Rotella 5w40 year round also. No problems with tick

[JHZR2]

I run rotella as well.  that is why it is so odd... there is some underlying issue that just recently showed up, which is presenting itself slowly, initially as this lifter tick...

Thanks,

JMH

[Wise Old Dog]

Lifter tick was the first sign of 2 previous M42's going down. Bearing metal gets circulated in the oil and clogs the oil holes on the lifter. Thus you have a tick. Pull your oil filter and look for metal particles. Better safe than sorry.

[JHZR2]

when I pulled the mann filter that I thought may have been the original culprit (different media, different flow resistance, etc.), I took a look and didnt see anything odd.  However, I did note what looked like some fine bubbles in the oil, and I saw two specs of bright Aluminum-looking metal in the oil at the bottom when I poured it out of the pan.  Not sure where that came from...

If I had a clog, wouldnt the lifter tick all the time?  Mine only does it when cold and after sitting for a long time.  It goes away in a little while, and doesnt come back until next time.  It also quiets to higher and higher RPM as I drive, per my OP.  

Thanks for the insight... sure hope my bearings are OK - wouldnt they first clog the filter if they were going bad???  Compression is high, economy is good, power is fine, etc.  Oil analysis shows no abnormal wear of soft metals (which is what Id expect if the bearings were going bad).  Hope its just a bit of dirt or a funky batch of oil...

Thanks again,

JMH

[JHZR2]

no indication of metallic bits whatsoever when I looked at the old mann filter.  Between UOA and optical analysis, id guess that my bearings are OK.

I suppose the oil just has displaced some junk in the engine, and it has gotten stuck slightly in the lifter.  TIme may solve and remove it, though I might do a mild oil flush.

Im currently running auto-rx, but may move to amsoil engine flush (I really dont like flushes, but it may be worth a shot) if needs be, when the weather gets warmer.

JMH

[tjts1]

BITOG nerd

[b318isp]

I don't think it is a problem - it not unusual to have a tick for a while after cold startup. The thinner the viscosity oil you use, the easier the tappets drain down over night too!

[sailer6460]

I've had a lifter tick on startup for the past five years. I asked a BMW master tech about it and he said to just let it tick. I have since switched over to a conventional 10w-40 and about one hundred miles before an oil change I top off the crankcase with Dexron-Mercon 3. While this is an old trick it still works. One word of caution however, since trans. fluid has a high amount of detergents it is wise not to let the revs get out of hand as this could cause the oil to foam.