Oil Starvation - Lifter Tick after session

[M0nk3y]

M54 is a wet sump, over fill by 1/2 a quart and you'll be fine.

All BMWs lifter tick. When I say all I mean most...

My E46 lifter ticked every time I autocrossed it. Nothing happened to it.

[LivesNearCostco]

I suppose the no worries thinking is having the oil pickup tube sucking air for a second or two will not kill the engine because the existing oil film will last until the pickup tube is submerged again. This presumes whatever temporary starvation affects the valve lifters doesn't starve the bearings. I've had lifter tick many times. Usually overfilling by 1/2 quart prevents it. Is my engine still alive? Yes. Have I been wearing it out faster? Dunno.

Eventually I plan on the VAC Motorsports baffle, currently selling for $180. But I figure it will be at least $360 to have a shop install it because you have to support the engine, drop the front subframe, remove the oil pan, clean it, then weld this puppy in. I suppose if I buy the HF engine support, drop the pan myself and clean it, a shop might weld it in for somewhere between $30 and $80. Good time to do something about the OPN and/or oil pump shaft and sprocket.

[Dave_B]

LNC, that was my thinking too. When I do the oil pan gasket, I'll look into the baffle, OPN and pump shaft.

[Katu]

Like the OP I don't enjoy the sound of lifter tick, even if it is "normal". After autocross last year I had some very noticeable lifter tick. This year I switched to Castrol 0w30 (euro), it's supposed to be a little thicker than BMW Castrol 5w30. I also put about 1/4 quart of extra oil after already reaching the full line on the dipstick. I didn't have any noticeable tick this past weekend at autocross. Could be coincidence though!

[wertyu78]

I'm running Getman Castrol and still have the tick. This oil is awesome though.

[az3579]

Just out of curiosity, why are some hesitant to put an extra 1/2 quart in? Most of the cars burn oil anyway so that 1/2 extra will eventually come down to full.

This is normal though. You can take any one of our ZHPs and they will tick after an autocross. I do agree, this shouldn't be a problem, but it is what it is.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

[terraphantm]

I've heard of E36 guys fitting EuroS50 / S54 oil pans to help prevent the oil starvation. Don't know if it'd fit the M54b30

[Dave_B]

Just out of curiosity, why are some hesitant to put an extra 1/2 quart in? Most of the cars burn oil anyway so that 1/2 extra will eventually come down to full.

This is normal though. You can take any one of our ZHPs and they will tick after an autocross. I do agree, this shouldn't be a problem, but it is what it is.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

I look at it this way... would you starve your brain repeatedly of oxygen if a group of Dr's told you it was normal? I'm sure some Navy pilots experience this

Sure, we all might not see signs right away of an issue and honestly you may not have an issue if you do this say once a year. But there is an issue with this. We only get to hear the lifters... what else is going on in the head? What do the cam journals look like after repeated abuse?

At the end of the day, for me I have to weigh in how much I will track my car. If I anticipate more than once a year, I'll be putting a baffle in. To answer the question about why not just add more oil. Simple, I don't believe in band aiding the issue.

All this said, I'm also a stubborn son of an ASE mechanic who owns an Indy shop. Take it with a grain of salt.

[M0nk3y]

It isn't band aiding the issue. I have multiple friends who run S52s autocross and track who all add extra oil. It is a nature of the beast.

Regardless, on the track the lifter tick would be less of an issue since the oil will settle on the straights between turns. Autocross is much more pronounced because you are sloshing around the oil left and right constantly.

[Dave_B]

I respect your opinion and don't want you to sway from what you or others may choose to do.

IMHO however, there is a permanent fix for this. It's a baffled oil pan. It removes the issue completely. Again, all dependent on how much track time you may see.