natman316

went to film the car cold start....this happened


it seems like it hesitated to start and the regular bark on start ups wasnt there.

do you guys think something is wrong? has anyone had this happen to them? this is a brand new 2012 c63...first time this has happened to me. kind of disappointed.

also, later that day i heard a pretty loud ticking noise that was more frequent when i revved the engine up similar to to this:


now I've been reading the many threads about this, and some say its a problem while some say its normal so I am a little confused. I want to go see the dealer tomorrow but I'm just afraid they are going to say its not a problem and tell me to go away.

so I just wanted to confirm with everyone whether its normal or not? and if you guys think the weird start up and the ticking noise is related.

thank you in advance!

Quadcammer

that ticking doesn't sound good to me.

back to the dealer it goes.

olszowa12

DOesn't sound normal to me.
Havent heard that ticking noise in my car over the last 3 years.

Merc63

Cam adjuster(s) or lifter(s).

Did it just start making the ticking?

The lifters are hydraulic and can get stuck sometimes making a ticking noise just like that.

Also, these engines have a cam adjusters that can become loud and start ticking as well..

I believe if it ticks and increases with engine speed like that.. Its the lifters.

Try let it warm up nice and good and take it for a good drive.. I did that to mine when it ticked like that and it went away.. Basically if the lifter doesn't fill with oil there will be a clearance between the valve stem and the lifter so it starts ticking as it makes contact with the valve stem.

Helms

+1, doesn't sound right.

natman316

did that just now...abit of highway, abit of city, hard acceleration, downshifting etc. still making the sound, although i think not as loud. its only audible when outside the car though.

I guess I will take it to the dealer and have them look at it.

as to when the ticking started...honest I'm not sure. It only caught my attention last night but I feel like its a sound I've heard before. I thought it was just normal valvetrain noise.

however yesterday i swore it was louder than usual and only noticed yesterday it got more frequent as i pressed the gas more.

also...i dont know if this could be related but recently my oil message came on. i had driven the car for 3000 miles without checking the oil at all....and when the message came on i checked the dip stick and its half way between the lowest marker and the tip!

filled her up wtih 2.5 qts of 0w40 to get the oil level right in between the two markers. (couldnt find 5w40, even at the mb dealership, so I just got 0w40. they said thats probably whats in my car right now).

Merc63

You probably have 0w40 in your engine too then and that oil hasn't been used for years in 63's because of the hydraulic lifters.

Get yourself some 5w40.

Also, you really should be checking your oil every 2 weeks or so. Your oil level was extremely low if that light came on.

My MB tech friend was just over for dinner I showed him your video of the start up and he thinks it could be a crank sensor.

He asked if you got a CEL, he said you should have... Take it to the dealer and see if there is any codes and get that 5W40 in it.

izzyAMG

Is it still doing it? I had this happen one time both the poor startup and ticking... around 750miles but never again. I'm now at 2500. Maybe just part of the break-in process. Never was short on oil either.

Sheep

Take it in and get it checked out ASAP.

Sheep

pelteka

+11111111 Lifter only one...This is not good if after added oil and is still there...

natman316

yeah I will be checking my oil more often now. I never really thought about it but then i read on here that these engines do burn alot of oil.

I didnt not get a cel after that start...and it hasnt done it again. Now that I think about it, could it have been because i didnt have my foot on the brake hard enough when I started? (I have keyless go). I remember once taking my foot off the brake too early when the car was going to start and it didnt start.

I'll take it to the dealer and see what they say. As for the oil....I talked to the dealer when I was picking up oil and they said they only use 0w40 there. they are not an AMG performance center so maybe they dont have specialized AMG techs there?

Anyways, I will go talk to the dealer and see what they say.

have you been able to find any 5w40? I went to advanced, pep boys and the mb dealer....no one had it

thank you. I appreciate your input!

the ticking is still going on even after going on a 30 drive but it starts fine now.

do you have keyless go? The only other time that I had a failed start up was when i didnt depress the brakes enough when i pushed start...which is what i feel like I could have done this time too. I'll see what the tech says tomorrow.

izzyAMG

yes, I do have keyless go.

Merc63

Call different dealers until you find the proper oil weight.

You might even be able to use Amsoil, check with Amsoil if their 5w40 meets MBs requirements....

natman316

see the next closest mb dealer to me is 2 hours away ...and the closest amg performance center is 3 hours away!

natman316

by the way, is 5w40 the diesel one? i just looked online and they said they are for diesels

vasco527

yes diesel

black-clk500

Wow, that ticking is definitely not normal--my engine has ticked before, but never that loud and I want to say mine was a faster ticking sound and about a quarter the volume. I agree that you should have the oil drained and refilled with 5w 40 asap! I can't believe your dealer doesn't have the 5w 40 WTF! Maybe you could order it online and take it with you to the dealership. Good luck, hate seeing threads like this with brand new cars

Chocofishez

I bet it's lifter tick due to oil starvation..

New '63s burn a significant amount of oil. Mine burned alot.. like over 2 liters. I didn't think it would burn that much that fast so I was surprised to see the oil light when I got it. I was getting backfires and everything for the first 1500kms.

Here's what I'd do

1. Make sure that you are full of oil! Don't overfill, but make sure you aren't short of oil.

2. When you start up after a cold start let it idle for a while afterwards. let it get all the way up to temp. Another poster suggested that this will allow the oil to circulate through the motor and to the lifters without a load on it.... makes sense to me.

3. take a short easy drive, come back, shut the car off, turn it back on and see if the noise is still there. If it is, to the dealer it goes. Not much else you can do your self or want to with a brand new car.

If it's not, or if it is much reduced you need to keep watching your oil levels very closely. Your car will burn oil for a while so it may come back.

VaclavSV

I went to an AMG performance center when my I added 0W40 to the 5W40 that was in my car. I got the oil changed upon hearing a tick (but not like yours), and asked which oil should be in the car. A very experienced AMG tech told me to use 0W40. So thats whats in there right now. Ive had no problems, I wouldn't worry about it at all. Im curious if anyone can provide the technical benifets of one over the other.

As for your engine tick, it probably has to do with the lack of oil causing something to hit. The dealer should be able to fix it under warranty.

jvanbrecht

I'm not an expert, and this is mostly what I have overheard, but the only real difference between 0w40 and 5w40, is the viscosity of the oil at lower temps. specifically, 0w40 works better in colder climates..

That said, I just drained my oil via the pan method (I did not extract through the top this time), and switched out my 0w40 for 5w40, and did notice that my minor ticking (similar to the OP's, but not as pronounced or loud), did go away, however that may have more to do with the fact I have the correct amount of oil in the engine. (This past winter I got lazy on checking the oil, and it had been just under the low mark when I did check and added about half a quart of oil.

Currently I am just a hair under the max oil mark..

mthis

Idk about you guys but I been using 0-40 since 4 years ago.
That's what the dealer recommended to me to use and yes it's a AMG Preformance center.

mthis

Check u oil and see if there is any in there add what u need to add and go for a good sprint.
Heat up the car good and then see if the ticking is still there
Most of the time when I get the ticking noise is when I dont abuse the car.

pelteka

0-40 EURO is the oil for all Mercedes,AMG or not
Dont put different oil in this car unless is 1985

Roswell

Same here, I've been using Ow40 from day one.. This is what MB recommends.. So I'm kind of confused reading this thread about changing the oil to 5w40?

pelteka

Dont be confused dont changing oil to 5w40.This oil is not proof from MB