2002 318SE "ticking" at idle.

[gareth.france]

Hi all,
Recently bought a 2002 318SE. I have noticed the engine has developed a pronounced ticking noise at idle.Car has only done 34000 miles and had an inspection1 service at 29k.

The oil level is at max and otherwise the car behaves fine.Anyone got the same noise or have any ideas as to what the cause could be?

regards G.

[CassiesMan]

Ticking like a click or a grind? Is it rapid or slow?

[Scrapper]

it could be a injecter on the ticking...

[gareth.france]

Its a fast ticking at idle.As soon as I increase the revs it stops.

[CassiesMan]

It could be a lifter. Basically, a hydraulic lifter could be bleeding down oil in the lifter body. Fixing it, dunno. I would say either take it to a BMW dealership and see what they say (could be pricy, might just wanna go to a mechanic you trust). Might be able to fix it by using some commercial engine flush product in the oil and drive the car for a while then replace oil and filter. If that doesnt work, then you would need to replace the lifter, and that is gonna be pretty expensive.

[gareth.france]

You are the 2nd person to suggest the same thing.I think you could be right.Is this a situation that could cause engine damage or is it just an annoyance?.

What do you think about repair cost at a dealer?really painful or is it jsut going to sting a bit?

Thanks for the advice so far.

[CassiesMan]

Originally Posted by gareth.france

You are the 2nd person to suggest the same thing.I think you could be right.Is this a situation that could cause engine damage or is it just an annoyance?.

What do you think about repair cost at a dealer?really painful or is it jsut going to sting a bit?

Thanks for the advice so far.

I'm not sure. I just looked it up, and the sight I was at said that it wouldn't cause any major damage...but when you have oil leaking out, I dunno. I would fix it just to prevent any damage down the line.

The oil flush and change out technique (I can get a more detailed description) shouldn't be too expensive. However, if you have to go into the engine to fix it, it'll be pretty expensive. It's gonna require some deep work into the motor.

[gareth.france]

Thanks for looking into it.Think I will try the flush and change idea.Do you have a product in mind for adding to the oil for the flushing process?

Its not something I have done before so I am not familiar with possible products.

Thanks for the response.

[CassiesMan]

Originally Posted by gareth.france

Thanks for looking into it.Think I will try the flush and change idea.Do you have a product in mind for adding to the oil for the flushing process?

That I can't help you with. You would probably need to take it to an oil change place, I don't think it would be that expensive at all, maybe 10-15 more than a regular oil change. I'm sure they would know what product to use.