Got BMW E36 Engine Tick? A Crazy Fix Lying In Your BMW's Cylinder Head!!

In this video I explain another common cause of engine ticking in a higher mileage E36 (aside from the typical VANOS rattle)!
Use the info from this video at your own discretion! Lifters are one of the quickest engine components to experience wear. Even with meticulous maintenance the pistons inside the lifters can start to collapse as the inner ball spring that acts as a "one way" oil feed become clogged. If this ball spring is held open be debris or if the inner piston is out of tolerance, it will hit the inner casing surface as the camshaft lobe makes contact with the lifter during normal engine operation. Although I would prefer buying new lifters, they are expensive and I thought that I'd make a video showing a process that could help those with a very tight budget when rebuilding E36/E36 motors that contain similar lifters.
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#Pawinning #bmwmaintenance #E36engineteardown #bmwe36mods #e36projectcar #m50 #m52 #m54 #s50 #s52 #bmwlifters #e36howto #e36build #bmwenginedisassembly #diycarmods

[@DivaniKingston]

Dude. I'm new to my BMWs... have a couple e46s. none of them tick, but this was great for when I start my builds! I pride myself on knowing my stuff, but you just taught me something. Thanks!

[@Pawinning]

+DivaniKingston welcome to the bimmer world :)! Thank you for choosing my channel to learn about bmws!

[@mi16t]

Change your oil regularly, overfill (yes, you can safely overfill the m/s 5x motors) and your lifters won't get stuck. Usually happens from poor maintenance and oil starvation S52 here, zero tick. I just bought an abused n52 and it has a tick

[@kratu6625]

Did you get rid of the tick in the n52?

[@molliarti]

Bro bro in the last time test your tip for dismount lifter parts and its the best method!!! Serious,its perfect! Easy,fast,secure,tested! Thanks bro best wishes and GAS!!!!

[@Pawinning]

Thank you for your feedback! I'm glad my content has helped you with your personal projects :)

[@Megidify]

It took me an hour just to get 2 lifters open with pliers. With this technique I finished the rest in about 5 minutes. Thank you so much!

[@Pawinning]

You’re welcome! Im glad the video helped!

[@quiksr20]

I really wish I saw this before I did my S52 cams hahah... Great video.

[@SoullessNav]

My m52b28 has been ticking for awhile now I might actually have to try to dive into looking at my lifters.

[@Pawinning]

+Navin Solis good luck :)!

[@yope01]

Excellent video! I am definitely going to inspect the lifters on my M52B20. I had the engine partly rebuild a few years ago, and I say partly because AFAIK the guy who did it (on the cheap) did not replace lifters nor crankshaft bearings. Cylinders were honed, new piston rings, head cleaned and resurfaced, but I still hear slight ticking near the valve cover.

[@xFrontcountryx]

Great video. I am getting some tickng on my S52. May be time to go through and check/replace the followers as needed.

[@Pawinning]

+Matt Mauro thank you!!

[@ukkomies100]

you can assemble the piston under oil and press any air out with say a dremel drill that is small enough to poke the ball valve in but will not go through the hole and poke the ball valve assembly away. pump the piston under oil like this until bubbles stop coming from it and then after you have verified it holds pressure you can jam it back into the lifter

[@odiffat]

Man you deserve more subs! Great video!

[@Pawinning]

+TeamOdiffat thank you!

[@bdusanek]

GOD BLESS YOU, i've been searching for something like this for months now...

[@Pawinning]

+bdusanek thank you for your support :)!

[@jpsabbey]

Wd 40 in the oil filler works just fine 😉...no taking apart anything. Just spray 1/3rd can straight into oil filler then let idle until silky smooth then change oil with recommended viscosity. Never use thicker oil. Happy days 😉

[@Pawinning]

Hey! Thanks for that awesome tip! That makes sense with the wd-40 trick, I'll have to give it a try in the future! Cheers 👍

[@draganpetrovic9487]

@@Pawinning I use 20w50 and it's the same sound beatwin 1000 ond 1500 rpm...

[@MrScottViolette]

Many thanks for your video. Rebuilt my lifters in ‘95 M3 but, needed vice grips to remove buttons.

[@photojnt]

That might explain why a few of my lifters look different. Previous owner probably replaced a few. Can't wait till reassembly! Block is getting some work done atm.

[@Pawinning]

+photojnt I'm glad I can help out! What work are u doing to ur block atm? I'm curious cuz I'm deciding on services myself for my m50 block

[@photojnt]

Pawinning sent my s50b30 and head to both get cleaned and resurfaced for a better seal for a turbo build. Also having them rehone the cylinders as little as possible until the egg shape is gone. Once I get it back I'll know what piston size I need.

[@Jay-dx9fi]

wish I found this video when my lifters were ticking lmao

[@andrewshaw4428]

Wish me luck! Im just about to pull our '92 e36 318i down for see whats going on with it! Thanks for the vid bloke! 😁

[@Pawinning]

Good luck!!

[@andrewshaw4428]

Didnt get very far when I realised the cam might need to come out aswell..........But all lifters felt ok........I did find one of the oil drip holes was blocked with crap. I might try just removing the loose rocker arms then rotate engine by hand to get the rest out........Possible so you think? Cheers

[@M3NACE]

sweet vid my friend! keep it up.

[@Pawinning]

+M3NACE thank you!!

[@raduorban]

been here done this. ended up just buying new ones .were like 180$ all 24 of them.

[@Pawinning]

+raduorban im glad they're cheaper!

[@stylerunner2959]

Such good info brotha.

[@Pawinning]

Thank you 🙏

[@Pwnetizator]

Hello , i am driving an E36 320i M52B20 1996 and i have this ticking problem and it is very annoying. After i drive the car abit , if I drive it hard it will start ticking very loudly? Can this be my solution to the problem?

[@Pawinning]

+sasho dimitrow it can be! Especially if the ticking is consistent. If u do a fresh oil change/flush and the problem persists then yes your lifters can be the problem

[@anthonygalzarano8099]

I only hear the ticking when the air temperature is under about 40 degrees and the car has been sitting overnight. Once the engine is warmed up the noise goes away. Lifters?

[@tigerblack4742]

Helloo man...i have bmw e34 with m50b20 non vanos engine ..and i hear ticking sound only when i start the engine in the morning specialy when its cold with that sound the oil light stays on for 3 to 4 seconds and when the light gose off sound gose off too..so what is the solutions of this ...and thanks for helping...

[@Pawinning]

+Tiger Black that noise should be normal, oil drains back to the oil pan and the older the car, the noisier the car can be, if the ticking doesn't go away at normal operating temperature then there's an issue

[@rajanroo]

Been following your m50 build. Just picked up an m50tu for my e30. For the top end, what would be good to upgrade? Just brand new hydraulic lifters or solid lifters? And better camshafts and heavy duty valve springs?

[@Theoriginalmichaelmiachel]

Best way to take them apart is to electrical tape the lifter to a piece of wood and smack the wood on flat ground works first try with out fail

[@Jmp1019]

My man! Was having trouble getting them out with the wood and mallet/cardboard. ended putting small dents in the lifter edges. Your trick worked with little effort. Thank you 🙌

[@abdullahhamadeh]

Can this be the same thing as an e34 ? ... I have an e34 and the ticking drives me crazy

[@Pawinning]

yes, the e34 has a similar engine platform with similar parts as e36 engines

[@abdullahhamadeh]

Pawinning thank you so much man ... Finally i could stop that annoying ticking

[@SCHWEBS7]

Rotella T6 5W40 will quiet the lifters

[@Pawinning]

+Jared Schwebel thank you for the advice 👌

[@curtisritchie1571]

Jared Schwebel u lyin

[@molliarti]

Bro,after clean the lifters,you charge oil inside lifters and press the ball for aliviate pression? Thanks imperdible info ;)

[@Pawinning]

Your welcome! Yes clean it out as best you can. The ball spring is usually the culprit of clogged lifters

[@emilcladoveanu1875]

Good man thank's

[@marestorm]

How can you convert them to solid lifters as you mentioned?

[@Pawinning]

U can either purchase a set of solid lifters from a few vendors, but typically people also just replace the inner piston with a solid mister to “convert” them to solid. I’m not sure which one is a better option, but I know that it has a lot of hype on the forums. Solid lifters are really only needed if you’re building a high-reving engine

[@tigerblack4742]

Ohh..i want to ask you question couse you have experience...i want to have more horsepower or torque in low end engine speed..couse i feel the car is too much heavy for this engine ..i live in a country that roads are up and down hills..if i stop in hill or even if engine speed drops under 1500 rpm the car wont move whatever i tried...

[@Pawinning]

+Tiger Black I'd try upgrading to a lightweight flywheel, lightweight wheels, exhaust, intake and a tune. The lighter components should decrease rotational inertia from the drivetrain system. People use lighter flywheels for more aggressive acceleration/engine braking, but in your case it should get you up hills easier since the engine has less rotational strain

[@davallynadams3971]

Hi Pawinning, the rattle sound is around 2000 revs can it also be the lifters? its a 318is

[@Venemoth666]

It is possible that after my camshaft broken in middle when i tighting nuts (i replace camshaft) lifters in middle side has broken springs? My car engine ticking when engine is hot..

[@Pawinning]

You can’t tell if the springs are broken until you pull one out and test it yourself by squeezing the piston in your hand. If it’s solid then your fine. If its springs back then it needs to be cleaned internally according to my steps. If it just freely moves in and out then yes the spring is broken and you need to replace the part

[@Venemoth666]

Pawinning Big Thanks for Your Reply, i have 1 more question. 1 or 2 lifters is ticking im my engine. I notice some circle on 1 lifter on e3 lifter like on your video. So that lifter i must inspect yes? zapodaj.net/30697f1d7dd37.png.html

[@0802Productions]

What are the benefits of a solid lifter?

[@Pawinning]

+BC Builds solid lifters don't "float" like hydraulic stock ones at high rpm speeds. Essentially they would give a larger power band range for a tuner to work with in a race car. U can run it on the street just it'll be much noisier

[@FreakSX93]

Their lighter (less moved mass). As being said they thus can take higher RPMs. Downsides are the need of measuring and adjusting the valve play (intervals are varying). Hydraulic lifters are self adjusting and did replace solid lifters for the most part. For example, regular M50 engines of the E36 all have hydraulic lifters. The German M-Sport engine S50B32 has solid lifters and also a higher RPM limiter. The downside of higher maintenance are less important then the engine performance of the M-Engine. There is no good or bad, just advantages and disadvanteges :-)

[@teo5793]

+Pawinning I'm not completely sure if they must be under oil pressure when you re-install it. Check out jafromobile channel about lifters: he says, at the end, that they have to be lubricated with oil but not under pressure (full of oil). Try it out and tell me if I'm wrong. Thanks!

[@Enlightzz]

Yeah once you pump them up and install them in the engine, let it sit 30 minutes or more to bleed out or loose pressure before starting the car or turning the camshaft over. Some people don't fill them up before re-installing but I think its better to do so, so that its not dry on the inside when started.

[@williamwalters9403]

97 e36 is 15w40 a good oil to use?

[@garywhapples365]

Please help - I've got a 328i with M50 manifold. Got a rattle / lash sound from under the manifold kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmbVl2mGebV7fas could this be the valves?

[@sollykimball3576]

Zip ties should fix it

[@Pawinning]

+Solly Kimball always 😂

[@jackmccormick3824]

268k miles on my m52tu, ticking is the least of its problems lol. Great video, always earn my thumbs up!

[@Pawinning]

+Jack McCormick thank you for ur feedback! And lol yeah with a motor that old, a lot of things will need to be refreshed haha

[@cadpietre4378]

m54>m50>m52 looks like u got the worst m5x engine :P

[@throtl]

Great Video Pawinn!

[@Pawinning]

+throtl thanks guys!

[@kowboykel665]

Arggh why didnt i find this video when i had my M62TU apart doing the chain guides, I will probably now have to open it all up again to check all 32 of these things to make sure they are all 100% because its ticking like crazy now.

[@garymarquett2922]

put solid lifters on it

[@bamidelekoledoye1161]

The continual usage of the engine with the ticking noise. Hope it wouldn't harm the engine. I have been hearing such sound for about two months now and it tends to be louder than before now.

[@desmondmoonbear4143]

Get a E34 525I

[@josepeixoto3384]

all those round cookies amount to a lot... you heard the bird singing,but you don´t know where the song is coming from; look up (if you can find it,i no longer have it,or need it)the procedure VW put out ,to determine *which* lifters are bad and which are keepers ...

[@brucemaier3943]

Thank you for this video. No one else took the time to explain to a blue-collar guy like me what a lifter looks like. My 99 740iL suddenly starting ticking loudly yesterday after a 30 mph run to town and not the day before when I was up and down the highway. Seeking information, hoping for a not so costly fix. Thank you Pawinning !

[@Pawinning]

That's unfortunate to hear about your 7-series! I hope you resolve your ticking issues, I'm glad I can provide you with useful information. You're welcome :)

[@brucemaier3943]

It turned out to be the timing chain tensioner on the passenger side front up by the cam. A single 19 mm bolt holds it in. The inner spring had collapsed, possibly because the car went a quart and 1/2 lo on oil due to a leaking valve cover gasket. having said that, should anyone else have to replace the TCT as described here you only need to remove the airbox to get to that one 19 mm . I don't care what the doubters say, I love my BMW and I plan to be her doctor!

[@brucemaier3943]

It appears to have been the lower timing chain tensioner on the passenger side of the car. A single 19 mm bolt and it's out! I had a valve cover leak so I did have to remove a few other things like the fuel rail, injectors and inside, the coil packs but I want to stress to others reading, this wasn't rocket science even for a novice mechanic like me. BMW did the right things by design of ergonomics and I only needed a small flathead screw driver and a 10mm socket. I moved the air box aside and I was in. About $100 DIY solution!

[@timfisher3570]

are you planning on doing a video on putting everything together on the engine??

[@Pawinning]

+Tim Fisher yes I am! At this point it's mostly just saving up for new parts :)

[@timfisher3570]

Pawinning awesome love your channel thank you!

[@rtradu]

Tanks dude, i was wondering how to clean the lifter and you showed me how, thanks

[@Pawinning]

You're welcome!

[@CallofDevon]

Keep these vids comin!! Wanna do an m50b25tu swap on my 318is and already have a donor car but definitely needed all these diagnostic vids and teardowns. Unreal man hope your channel blows up!

[@Pawinning]

+CallofDevon thank you for your compliment!! I appreciate your support :)

[@frontspring1]

Growing out the beard ehh!

[@Pawinning]

+Grab America by the Flaps ehh 😎

[@realbadtech9318]

Could the lifters be related to an intermittent low oil pressure light? I also have a tick in the engine, which at first I thought was direct injection tick since my other BMW is an N55, but then I realized the S52 is port injected.

[@arvinbadz]

So basically bad lifters are the one that you can press it with hand? And the hard one is good?

[@Pawinning]

Yessir, a good lifter should feel very solid in your hand with minimum scoring/wear on the exterior surfaces

[@arvinbadz]

@@Pawinning thanks for your quick answer really appreciate it! I'm currently working on my car wich has really loud noise. And just two of them are feel solid when i press it

[@Pawinning]

No problem! I'm happy to help as I can :). Yeah I'd definitely recommend cleaning out All the lifters just to be safe. If you can afford it replace all the lifters 🤘

[@Enlightzz]

I just took apart all my lifters and I have 4 lifters that the ball check valve is not sealing even after soaking in detergent. I will be replacing all 12 of the intake lifters thanks for the great insight on how to bleed and take these apart it was actually a lot of fun learning and doing this! Is it okay to replace the lifters by them self? I don't need to replace them with a new camshaft tray do I?