The Mysterious N54 Loud Tick

Hey guys, I decided to upload this N54 loud ticking noise video to get some help from our community, as well as to serve as a guide to anybody else who may be experiencing the same type of ticking / knocking loud noise. I will continue doing a follow-up and point out everything that I see and how to fix this issue. Throughout the help of our community I will gather all the information provided and I will make another video on how to check all parts required. I will be showing you how to check those parts or areas to find the issue.
Once I find out what this ticking noise or knocking noise is then I will proceed to show you a detailed DIY on this issue.
If you have experienced or hear anybody who has dealt with this type of noise before, I would love your input. I have some ideas as to what this engine ticking noise may be, but honestly I'm kinda lost and I have no idea where to start.
I'm hoping some of you guys may have experienced this before and can pinpoint or advise me where to start and what to look for.
I truly don't want to start swapping or replacing parts because of the "it might be". The video of the actual noise I am experiencing is about 3 mins and it starts from a cold start. I do have to say this noise does not go away and it’s permanent.
In this video I am showing 2 sound clips. First sound clip, is a ticking noise from 2 years ago, which to my understanding is completely normal. And the second sound clip is the actual noise I'm experiencing right now. I'm hoping some of you guys can relate.
I also started a group discussion on a forum and on a facebook group;
So we can have some additional information about this tick noise.
If you wanna follow along the group discussion, here are the links.
- N54 Tech facebook grup discussion:
/ 351403313535262
- e90post.com forum group discussion:
www.e90post.co...
Please let me know what you guys think the noise may be.
Thanks in advanced, 👍
If you have any questions about this N54 loud ticking noise,
feel free to drop me a comment. Hope you guys enjoy the video.
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#n54loudtickingnoise #n54loudknocking noise
#bmwrattlenoise

[@x503Garage]

It’s hard to diagnose thru a video but I’d say start with checking to see if all injectors are bolted down tight and aren’t loose. Could also just be a loud injector. What Index are they ? Next I would check your oil filter to see if there’s any metal shavings in there or see if the oil that’s sits inside the oil filter housing isn’t metallic color or with metal shiny flakes. If all looks good and it isn’t a pulley try doing an oil change and add liquid moly hydraulic lifter additive and see if that’s works. Best of luck 🤞

[@CrazyCarMods]

That's some solid suggestions bro 💯 I didnt even think to check the oil filter. And yes, I will definitely take out that serpentine belt to look at the condition of the belt and see if it can be a bad pulley / tensioner. Currently, I'm running index 11's. What do you think is the actual cause of a noisy injectors? And do you have any suggestions on how to test if there is a faulty injector? or how can I check if the injector is in good condition?

[@giulihoho4421]

What it there is metal shavings in the oil filter ?

[@richardaguirre3719]

Missed your videos. Glad you're back

[@CrazyCarMods]

Thank you brother 🙏 I been working on a couple of other things and man time just flew. I didn't realize how much time passed by before the previous video. We're on track to start pumping more videos.

[@SanDoval201970]

the pitch change around 4,5,6 this type of noise can only be 3 things: injector, lifter, bend valve, get a an automotive statoscope and try to isolate the noise, do a compression test, and get a borescope and inspect he valve seating correctly, this will give you a better understanding of what is the noise

[@CrazyCarMods]

Ufff hell of an answer man. Thank you so much for your help and input. I’m waiting on some stuff I order and will definitely take a look on what you suggested. Thank you once again bro 👍

[@CrazyCarMods]

Question. What would I be looking for when doing a compression test? I’m new to the whole compression test. Never done one before. Also which way would it be better to look at the seating of the valves? Through the cylinder or through the manifold / throttle body? I appreciate your help bro 👍

[@SanDoval201970]

@@CrazyCarMods with the compression test you would see if there is a problem with one of the valves not closing, so you would get a lower reading then the rest of the cylinders, the best way to look at the valves is with a bore scope , through the spark plug hole

[@CrazyCarMods]

@@SanDoval201970 ​ ah ok, got it. Thank you for your response again bro. And my bad for keeping with the questions but, Is there a difference in the reading if it's an intake valve? as compared to an exhaust valve?

[@SanDoval201970]

@@CrazyCarMods not with a compression test , but can determine with a leak down test

[@DefaultLoginDetaiIs]

Try unplugging the electrical connector to the injectors 1 at a time while engine is running and see if the noise changes on 1 cylinder.

[@CrazyCarMods]

hmmm, not a bad idea man thanks 👍

[@jesseplascencia4114]

It was about time you made more videos, Papo. Keep making more great videos. Ke dios te bendiga.

[@CrazyCarMods]

Gracias mi hermano de Corazon. Time just flew by on me, pero ya vamos a empezar a poner mas videos. Bendiciones igualmente 👍

[@mariovucic5198]

i have the same sound. i replaced everything except the valve lifters. The sound remained the same. I will replace the valve lifters and see if there is a difference. the engine is completely disassembled. crankshaft, new main bearings, new flying bearings, new chain and guides, new piston rings, new injectors, completely all new seals, serviced alnaser and alternator, shaved cylinder head and valve seats, new high pressure fuel pump. the sound remained the same. i just didn't replace the valve lifters. I guess they are the problem. all engine parts that have not been replaced are professionally measured and are within tolerances, pistons, connecting rods, etc.

[@rudy5135]

Was it the valve lifters ?

[@CLOFFEtheSwede]

Was it lifters?

[@autopatina8337]

The old video did sound like valve lifters, N52's do it too. It comes and goes and is generally worse after the car has not been used regularly. At first I thought your new noise was chain lash, either stretched chain or defective tensioner, but the noise seemed to persist as you moved along the engine. The direct injectors are quite noisy, hence all the insulation under the valve cover trim. How noisy is it with the cover in place ..🤔

[@CrazyCarMods]

Originally I thought it was the valve lifter tick, especially since I use the car just on the weekends for short drives. But the clip from the second video is really loud. Loud to the point, I decided to call my road side assistance to tow the car to my house (valve cover will make no difference in sound). Definitely not something that I can call normal. After staring the car again I notice the ticking / knocking / rattling noise persist towards the top middle of the engine. So Im hoping its not bad hydraulic lifters (which will mean more work). That sound may be injectors, but for know its just a guess until I take a look at it and verify. I'm planning to check plugs, injectors, and pulleys/ tensioner first before removing the valve cover. But we'll see.

[@e92cruz_]

@@CrazyCarMods my e92 bmw has a pretty rough ticking not as bad as urs but it’s rough when im at 2000 rpm’s luckily i have warentee still until 150k miles i’m at 110k right now i’m gonna take it in hopefully they can fix it but i also got a code p0175 which is my engine running to rich i guess i honestly don’t know what it could be i see mixed reviews and people trying to fix it themselves but i think it’s a vaccum hose cracked

[@mariovucic5198]

i replaced the valve lifters and now the engine works great. without any knocking. only the injectors tap lightly

[@Littllewilly0316]

So what was the ending result ?? I know it’s been a little while now. Would really appreciate Kate hearing back from you.

[@Fungustus1]

I had a mix of outdated injectors, one of them had a blown seal, missing decoupling ring and had blowby shooting out of the injector bore with the injector vibrating in the cyl head! 😱. I could wiggle the injector in its place... The ticking sounded similar but different pitch / tone. Ticking would match engine RPM. A new set of index 12 injectors with some Teflon seal on the cylinder that had the blown seal, plus proper installation fixed misfires, long crank and ticking. And the Teflon still holding the seal with good compression! Hope you figure out this annoying tick, sounds pretty gnarly. Good luck bro!

[@CrazyCarMods]

Thank you for your response, brother. I thought I replied to your message 🤔. That's quite interesting. By the blown seal, do you mean the rubber seal that by the tip of the injector? So you put Teflon tape on top of that new seal, along with new injectors?

[@Fungustus1]

@@CrazyCarMods correct, the hard rubber plastic at the tip was brittle and partly disintegrated from blowby. There is a metal ring that also pairs with the injector that freely spins (decoupling ring) which was missing. A big detail that I forgot to mention was the injector hold down bracket was damaged. Probably that is what caused the seal to fail. I wrapped the Teflon tape around where the injector would seal against the head, not around the black seal. Vehicular DIY has an old injector video doing this when he was chasing his misfires. Also, a quick search on Google images "bmw n54 injector bore Teflon tape" will show exactly what I did.

[@Fungustus1]

@@CrazyCarMods also good luck again fellow n54, down but not out! I'll regularly check back as I'm genuinely curious what this could be... sorry again brother.

[@CrazyCarMods]

No no prob bro. Your response is actually very informative. I actually had no idea of this whole Teflon tape, which is quite interesting. This is actually what I was looking for. Personal experiences is what we all can really relate to. Thank you man for real.

[@F80__Los]

it sounds like the microphone gets some pressure on it when you were going over the top of the engine. I would check spark plugs make sure they’re not loose, press down on your coils and see if they change in noise, also check your injector seals, make sure there’s no air escaping

[@JustForLaughter374]

Had that same issue which turns out to be a rod knock. Check for metal shavings in the oil and oil filter

[@MalindoWe]

I second that. Running low on oil or contaminant or a piece of paper rag got inside blocked an oil passage

[@EricShoots]

need a video of you revving it, at the beginning it definitely sounds like rod knock. but then it slowly starts sounding like loose spark plugs or injector. My take is Rod Knock unfortunately. I’m scared to death because I have the same ticking you had on the first video. it won’t go away ever now running the car for 1,000 miles with 2 oil changes, same ticking. Idk if it’s the beginning of a failing rod bearing or what. I definitely hear it at the bottom of the oil pan too.

[@CrazyCarMods]

Ouch bro, I finally going to check it out and I will give you an update. I'm hoping soon.

[@Versace_693]

Hello, What was the noise at first video 2:10 ??

[@rudolphrainmaker6560]

Rod knock…. Maybe. But sounds a bit like piston slap. Did you look at cylinder walls for any marking? Have you figured it out or did you give up and dump the car?

[@markt9438]

High Fuel Pressure ! Notice it was much loader when cold !

[@MalindoWe]

btw just occurred to me that this may not be a rod knock but a piston/valve timing issue from vanos issue. Get under that first and verify if it is a rod knock or not then take it from there

[@Carlos-ro4ji]

Hey mi Hermano were you able to figure out the noise. From what I heard could be pulley. Did you fix it?

[@Eazykilldavis]

Thats lifters make the noise, do you have a stuck open cvp valve

[@DavidN5X]

Solved the problem,? I got the same sound

[@primitivegaming2080]

i didn’t watch the full vid but one of my pulleys are bad and it sounds identical to rod knock or a bad case of lifter tick

[@dibnah46]

Sounds like rod knock but hard to tell on video

[@jonoverton9251]

What ended up being your issue?

[@viraltitawala6008]

Did you figure out what was it?

[@AllThingsFlightSim]

Idk what it is but mines been doing it for the last 6 years and 40k miles so I assume it's no big deal😂. I figure it's just a lifter sticking at idle with lower oil pressure. Mine goes away over 2k rpm

[@midnight_.v]

Did It end up being rod bearing failure

[@CrazyCarMods]

Well, so far Rod bearing is one of the pieces that was damaged. As I keep working on tearing this engine apart piece by piece I will definitely document the main reason of the damage and how we all can prevent this from happening. It'll be a little while till I'm done fixing the car and editing the footage. Keep posted though. It's definitely interesting.

[@carcrazyguysa4059]

Whats the update man!? What did it turn out to be??

[@deckraider1]

What was the problem?

[@MrWillrock64]

I had the same noise. I replaced the tensioner the power steering pulley and the two adler pulleys and the noise was gone.

[@CrazyCarMods]

It's kind of crazy right. I will be taking a look at all this. Hopefully, it's not something major. Thank you for your suggestion Will 👍

[@Dangerboy2069]

I just fixed a noise just like this. Everyone said rod knock. It turned out to be a bad pulley bearing on my AC compressor. $2k later and the noise is gone.. Oh, they wanted 11k for a used replacement long block installed.. Missed that bullet...

[@sdmerkr]

Was it ever resolved?

[@kelseymoyer4504]

Did you find the problem?

[@CrazyCarMods]

I’m actually working on it right now. I am tearing apart the engine to find the issue. 😭

[@Littllewilly0316]

@@CrazyCarMods So what was the ending result ?? I know it’s been a little while now. Would really appreciate Kate hearing back from you.

[@TheSlimanthony]

Did you figure it out or what? Specifically the first video if It's not the same issue.

[@omarmckenzie2380]

Sounds like an small exhaust leak my 335 did that and my fix was new down pipe and flange gaskets

[@BullThunder]

Did you ever figure out the first noise?

[@CrazyCarMods]

So far is looking like an injector ticking, but I'm actually working on it today. I'm hoping to have the video soon.

[@alechharper2681]

Could also be a vacuum leak or exhaust leak I noticed one of your vacuum lines was bouncing up and down by the vacuum canisters looked like air was traveling passed it

[@CrazyCarMods]

Alech, I just noticed that on the video, too. I will take a look at that for sure. That vibrating was excessive. If this is where the sound is coming from, then there may be something loose? Ah. There are so many things to look at. I'm waiting on the deep, thin wall socket for the spark plugs. Then, I will go over everything. Good observation, brother. Thanks.

[@landenremsburg]

Either a loose injector or rod knock

[@itstim8690]

HPFP?

[@-neptun3]

spark plug/coil issue

[@Dangerboy2069]

I just fixed a noise just like this. Everyone said rod knock. It turned out to be a bad pulley bearing on my AC compressor. $2k later and the noise is gone.. Oh, they wanted 11k for a used replacement long block installed.. Missed that bullet...

[@Maxdubi]

2k?? You got robbed bro

[@Dangerboy2069]

@@Maxdubi BMW cost for a new A/C compressor is $1025. It is what it is. We were going to call and donate the car to Kars for Kids but we had a feeling it wasn't a rod. You obviously never had your car fixed at market prices. An hour labor at my local BMW repair guys is up to $155 now.. It is getting pretty bad out there. I bet a rebuilt A/C compressor would have been 1/2 the price of a new one at $1025 but the car only has 50k miles on it and was worth the servicing and inspection..

[@Thejohnmyster69]

Did u ever find the problem?

[@CrazyCarMods]

No man, not yet. So far I know the issue is internal. I have had my car parked for a long time. I decided to drive it to see how it felt. While driving super slow, it sounds like something is loose internally.

[@user-xm6oq9gz9u]

Probably a injector. I have lifter noise and it doesn’t sound like this

[@c.c7263]

it's rod bearing.

[@grayjamili663]

That is a bad injector. I experience same problem and we did almost end up tearing the engine apart. But it was just a small injector that is causing all that ticking noise.

[@TCON42499]

Mine sounds like 2:15 and neither of my previous 2 335s sounded like that. I hope it doesn’t get worse

[@N54.135]

My n54 sounds like this too.. but i dont have an idea what it is..

[@TCON42499]

@@N54.135 if it makes you feel any better I’ve put almost a thousand miles on the car driving a 2 hour round trip to work and doing a good amount of pulls over the past month and it hasn’t gotten any worse. I wouldn’t worry man.

[@John.doe26840]

Hey there ever find the issue ??

[@CrazyCarMods]

Not yet, brother. I'm waiting for the inje tor seals. Since I'm planning on pulling those out to see if it may be a seal. Either way, every time injectors are pulled out, it is best to replace the injector seals. I am planning on making a video pointing out all things that need to be taken a look at; in order to diagnose and serve as a DIY guide for everyone else. It just taking me lo ger than anticipated. Stay tuned bro.

[@John.doe26840]

@@CrazyCarMods ohh okay, I hope your car is okay and it’s just a faulty injector

[@CrazyCarMods]

Thank brother, I truly hope so 🤞

[@John.doe26840]

@@CrazyCarMods find out what happened yetv

[@CrazyCarMods]

@@John.doe26840 I being working on it bro. hopefully soon.

[@brendanlogan8798]

Sounds like injector 6 is out

[@darag2358]

That is not injector noise. That sounds like maybe timing chain slap.

[@CrazyCarMods]

Ouch, I hope not.

[@Eliasccv14]

Wow, the second video sounded so similar to rod knock 🫣

[@ms-wz6qu]

oh shit i thought my was loud but this i think is dead