Signs That It’s Time to Replace Your BMW Valve Lifter

BMW cars are well known for their high performance, but however they get some unique issues, that is they get those issues that are very rare in other vehicles. One of those issues about which BMW car owners commonly complain is the lifter issues. If there is some problem with the lifter then it generally makes a ticking sound. If you are a BMW owner and your car is having the lifter issue or about to face this issue, then this article is for you. Here, you will know about all the signs that your BMW can show if there is problem in the valve lifter.

BMW valve lifter and its problems

The engine used in BMW are N52 engines. The N52 engine are no doubt one of the advanced engines, it is liked by many car drivers. But still these engines have a demerit. Generally, after the cars reach 50,000 miles, the car users complain that a disturbing sound comes from the engine. The sounds are mostly rattling and ticking. In BMW such sounds mostly indicate that the valve lifter is malfunctioning. The valve lifter malfunctioning is found commonly in BMW cars whether they are properly maintained or not.

A valve lifter is a small cylindrical part of engine located at the sides of intake and exhaust valves. Its main role is to make the engine run efficiently by controlling the valves. The lifters are connected to the valves by a small rod caller rocker arm.

Common signs of malfunctioning valve lifter

Ticking or tapping sound

Unusual sounds are the first sign if the lifter is failing because a failing lifter would obviously create such strange sounds. So, the best way to find out whether valve filter is failing or not, just have an attention towards the sound coming from the car. If there is unusual sounds and you identified that it is a tapping sound, then you can have your lifter repaired. And save your engine from costlier repairs afterwards.

Loud banging noise

If the diagnosis of lifter is delayed even after having a tapping sound at the engine, then the lifter gets severely damaged and produce loud banging and knocking sounds. The sounds would get louder and worse with time if the problem is not solved.

Lifters become sticky

Good lifters work by moving up and down. But sometimes the lifters get stuck in one position and refuses to move, so the oil pressure is not maintained properly.

Increase of noise with RPM

If there is some problem with the lifter, then a ticking noise will be created. But the noise will also increase and will be more disturbing when the car is accelerated.

Misfiring

A faulty lifter can make the valves to malfunction and hence proper amount of air and fuel is not mixed to have a correct type fuel mixture. A faulty cylinder can affect the whole combustion process. So misfiring in the combustion chamber occurs.

Glowing of check engine light

The check engine light glows if the problem remains unsolved for some time, the engine performance gets badly affected and then check engine light glows. When the check engine light is on, some trouble codes are stored in the car computer. You can have these codes read by a code scanner and have all the problem in the engine identified to fix the issue.

What makes the lifter to malfunction?

l Engine oil is dirty- if the engine oil is dirty then it would not able to lubricate the engine parts properly. Instead of protecting the engine parts from wear, a contaminated engine oil can damage the engine parts quickly.

l Lifter is wearing- lifter wears due to accumulation of dirt in the system.

l Wrong type of oil- a type of oil that is not recommended for use by the manufacturer can be very harmful for engine it can damage the engine components including the lifter

l Oil filter is clogged-an oil filter traps the impurities from oil. As a result, the filter gets clogged with dirt and other impurities and the flow of oil through the filter becomes very low. So a very low oil can have a bad impact on many engine components.

l High vehicle mileage- if your car has covered several miles and aged, then there is more chance of getting ticking sounds as the old lifters wear down easily in BMW engine.

Conclusion

You can have your lifter replaced if changing the oil doesn’t work and the lifter is damaged. The labour cost vary depending on which type of engine you have and how many lifters are to be changed.

We at European Auto Tech are Plano area’s leading luxury auto service centre. Our auto repair & body shop specializes in European and Asian cars like Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Rover, Lexus, Mercedes, Mini, Porsche, Volkswagen and Volvo. Moreover.