n52 engine ticking, serious problem, or not?

[tnorton776]

Hi my n52 in my 128i ticks from time to time. from research i have gathered that this could be the lifters not oiling the engine properly etc... one person on the 5 series forums said BMW spent $12k replacing basically his entire upper half of his n52 engine... lucky he caught the issue pre warranty expiration... ?!?!

Anyone know if this or is or is not a serious problem/defect with the new n52 engine? I dont want a colossal $12k goat fuck at 51,000 mi.. and the mechanic opens up the engine n says " hmmm interesting wonder how this happened.. " thnks.

[White1]

Its actually an air pocket in the lifters, its very common in the 1, and 3 series. Its mainly caused by low rpm driving( city). If you take it for a rip on the highway it should clear up...It will come back, but just go for another rip. Also your dealer will do a bleed on the system, but for many the noise comes back. Mine does this with frequency, and a decent run always fixes it...I took it to the dealer once and they bled the engine, and my SA told me that it was common, and not harmful at all.

[tnorton776]

well, according to numerous other bmw forums this issue has the potential to be a serious problem... I feel like i was duped into buying a project car. Really dissatisfied with BMW so far.

[Yuzi]

Your engine is ticking because you're not driving your bmw like a bmw. =)

[Evice]

No wonder I never heard this ticking, no gear change below 4k rpm for me. hell with MPG.

[bigmicj]

Originally Posted by Yuzi

Your engine is ticking because you're not driving your bmw like a bmw. =)

Although this seems a little silly, I wonder if there is some truth to this. I have a 128 that was produced on March of '08 and I haven't had this issue. I tend to shift at somehwat high revs and my daily drive is a mix of highway and street.

I also change my oil more frequently than the BMW suggested interval.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by bigmicj

Although this seems a little silly, I wonder if there is some truth to this. I have a 128 that was produced on March of '08 and I haven't had this issue. I tend to shift at somehwat high revs and my daily drive is a mix of highway and street.

I also change my oil more frequently than the BMW suggested interval.

Same here. My 128i was built in early April, 2008, and valve train noise is not an issue. I've done a fair amount of torque-peak cruising (2750 rpm = 75 mph in 6th) and only heard a what sounded like a sticky lifter once. It happened when first starting the car in cold weather after it had sat for a couple of weeks, and within 2 minutes, the noise was gone.

Tom

[mleskovar]

See post #13

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...27#post6149127

[Xyloft]

i've got 23,000 miles on my 2008 and i've never heard this ticking noise. although id' say i do a few 5500+ shifts at least twice a day.

my typical shift point is 3,000 rpm though, and i do a good bit of 75mph highway cruising.

[evifytrihteno]

Originally Posted by Yuzi

Your engine is ticking because you're not driving your bmw like a bmw. =)

owned.