Evening all,

What do we make of this noise? I started the car and had it idling silently as usual this afternoon, but when I got home after a 50 mile drive I had a disturbing new rattle from the engine. After googling and looking on this forum, the consensus seems to be that it is a common but non- terminal thing that a good oil flush and change will eradicate if I'm lucky?
(http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/topic/45630-the-infamous-m62-tickingknockingtappet/)

There are videos online but they all seem a lot lot louder than mine, and I'm surprised it has.come on from nothing in 50 miles? It is due an oil change - could a bit of sludge have suddenly got into a tappet or vanos gear?

Here is a video of mine:
 NW060

"Red Shed" - 1982 Series 3 88" County Station Wagon
"Spirit of Great Britain" - Rolls Royce Meteor V12 engine
ZG875 - Westland Sea King (cockpit section)
"Carly Rae Jeepsen" - 2006 Jeep Commander 5.7 Hemi
"Pride Of The Road" - 1/4-scale Marshall traction engine - sold
"Georgina" - 2000 Discovery 2 TD5 ES - sold
"Windsor" - 2005 Range Rover Vogue 4.4 - dead

I have same engine. Yes to me that does sound like vanos gear rattle. It normally does this when first started, ie cold as, often the non return valves that are easily changeable, allow the oil in the vanos gear to run back, and therefore rattle upon start up. I would research changing the oil maybe one grade thicker at high temp. (That's just my gut feeling)
I have renewed my chain and tensioner and the dreaded chain guides.... AND at same time replaced the vanos seals. Just the seals and tool is about £100 via 'besian systems' .com I think I remember. That's a 60£ tool and four o rings, and a couple of clever tools to lift them out, and postage from USA that totals £100. . But it's a chain off job, and engine timing lock and set. Requiring a £400 tool set. So it's often left to get worse. The seals harden and allow oil pressure in them to bleed through the seals. causing knock. Yes, it's not terminal. As you say plenty of you tubes with worse. The £60 tool Is a sort of crimping tool to fold over the top of the vanos body creating a bigger lip. this will squash the vanos body and squash the seals to work better where there was play. There's a very good how -to under a Google search for 'e39 vanos procedure' that's what I used.
I bought my car ( as a known non runner) with a dreadful chain rattle, as guides were broken. and just did it all, and it's perfect now. I could not prove the vanos rattle was better. But at 150k it's silent now.
To be on safe side. When you drop your old oil out. -from underneath remove lower sump pan, (12 inch square tray) to reveal anything to do with brittle chain guides -the nylon pieces starting to break up, and dropping into the sump. Just in case it's the source of this rattle, or complimentary to it.

Last edited by johnboyairey on 9th Jun 2015 8:18am. Edited 1 time in total

Thanks Jon, very informative

I presume I need a new sump gasket if I get the garage to drop the pan, or will the old gasket and smear of sealant do the trick? NW060

"Red Shed" - 1982 Series 3 88" County Station Wagon
"Spirit of Great Britain" - Rolls Royce Meteor V12 engine
ZG875 - Westland Sea King (cockpit section)
"Carly Rae Jeepsen" - 2006 Jeep Commander 5.7 Hemi
"Pride Of The Road" - 1/4-scale Marshall traction engine - sold
"Georgina" - 2000 Discovery 2 TD5 ES - sold
"Windsor" - 2005 Range Rover Vogue 4.4 - dead

for the cost of a gasket i'd fit a new one. Otherwise if you put it all back together and it's leaking that's £70 worth of oil you've wasted, because you'll have to drain it again to replace the gasket.

Of course you could drain the oil into a clean container and refill it, but it's messy, time consuming and you risk contamination.

i would get one first, as like above, you could then be waiting for one to come in, should it tear etc. i think you only have o remove the front diff mini-guard and then just unbolt it. (after draining.)

further to above. if you are going to comtemplate the chain and guides, then its is quite a big job. but enginge stays in, but 'all' front of engine to come off. ie upper and lower timing covers. rocker covers and then the chain and guides, as the 'e39 vanos procceedure' explains. -its possible to remove vanos gears with just the upper timing covers off, but as said, tools to lock camshafts are necessary. you dont want to buy new vanos gears as they are very expensive.
its a lot of work for just four o rings. but thats basically, what you need.

here's the proceedure..
http://www.beisansystems.com/procedures/m62tu_vanos_procedure.htm

you wont find a more thorough write up than this!

Thanks.

Luckily, it turns out I may not need to bother as I showed it this morning to someone who has had both VANOS and timing chain rattles on their car. He is pretty sure that it is VANOS gears as it is too quiet and too tappety (ie not a horrid loud scraping noise) to be the timing chain.

Here's hoping the oil flush and change (and refill with some good, thick 5w40 Castrol) will cure or at least quieten it. I have neither the funds or the inclination right now to be stripping my engine down and replacing the units! NW060

"Red Shed" - 1982 Series 3 88" County Station Wagon
"Spirit of Great Britain" - Rolls Royce Meteor V12 engine
ZG875 - Westland Sea King (cockpit section)
"Carly Rae Jeepsen" - 2006 Jeep Commander 5.7 Hemi
"Pride Of The Road" - 1/4-scale Marshall traction engine - sold
"Georgina" - 2000 Discovery 2 TD5 ES - sold
"Windsor" - 2005 Range Rover Vogue 4.4 - dead

Ebay item
Search for 80 deg thermostat for BMW M62
Hope this helps
More of an explanation!
BMW increased the engine cooling temp as an attempt to comply with imisions regs
The original M60 engine was designed to run a 80/87deg tstat. But read the blurb on it.
The chap goes by Sebastian_workshop_2011
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/80-C-Thermostat-...2a51f6168a
On another note I notice you have a Marshall traction engine.
We knew Henry Marshall and he bought my inlaws old house at Corringham North Links when he moved fro Pillham hall. Nice bloke Eddie the eagle watch out 👀

Morning Matt, I had a very similar noise on my car, changed the lower tensioner & the left bank solenoid valve, noise gone, also change oil for 5w 40, hope this helps.
Regards
Tommo

Not sure how you stumbled across this post but it’s five years old lol Current stable:
2006 BMW M6
2007 4.2 V8 S/C FF
Gone:
2002 4.4 V8 FF

Morning Danwilderspin, LOL, I haven't a clue, I was just having a look through the web site, as i haven't really looked through it before & come across it, told my son, he laughed his socks off, I'm putting it down to an age thing, well that's my excuse for it anyway, LOL. but thanks for pointing it out to me, in future I'll make sure the topic is currant !!!!!
Regards
Tommo

Lol good stuff well done catching up with the archive Current stable:
2006 BMW M6
2007 4.2 V8 S/C FF
Gone:
2002 4.4 V8 FF

I think you just woke up Bagpuss.