C36 AMG, C43 AMG (W202) 1995 - 2000

Engine started making ticking noise

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Rate Thread
 
Old Feb 11, 2014 | 05:57 PM
  #1  
PJmak's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,566
Likes: 421
05 c55 silver, 98 Imperial Red C43
Engine started making ticking noise

My engine started making noise recently. When i start the car i can hear it for a second until the engine turns down from the rpm jump that it gets when you turn the key.

As im driving with my windows open i can hear the noise bouncing off walls as i accelerate. I should mention that at idle right after startup the engine sounds normal but after a minute or so it starts quietly ticking on the driver side somewhere.

My valve cover is due and is leaking a bit and i can tell the oil is slightly reaching one or two of the plugs on that side. Could this a be a missfire problem? Would it make the engine sound that?
Reply
Old Feb 12, 2014 | 12:14 AM
  #2  
Somalia757's Avatar
Member
 
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 172
Likes: 1
From: Virginia Beach
1995 AMG C36
To me its sounds like the valves ticking a bit, which isnt unusual in DOHC cars. Maybe they need an adjustment? I'm not an expert on Mercedes yet, but I had similar issues in my Hondas and a valve adjustment fixed it. Just my 2 cents, I'm curious to know for sure what it is though, keep us informed.
Oh yea btw C36 or C43?
Reply
Old Feb 12, 2014 | 09:14 AM
  #3  
Sulaco's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,418
Likes: 194
From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
Are you sure it's not the MOT valve? Very common complaint, but it's a normal tick. Happens in both my C43's at times, and it's a VERY LOUD and easily noticeable tick.

The lifters in my 99 tick sometimes, but it has 268,000 miles on it. A fresh oil change hushes the tick for at least 5,000 miles. Of course, Mobil 1 0w40 only.
Reply
Old Feb 12, 2014 | 10:01 AM
  #4  
DRBC43AMG's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 5,889
Likes: 323
From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
As Sulaco says, an oil change will reduce the hydraulic lifters for a while. They will all tick a bit specially when the engine has not been started for some while (weeks/months). However some day they need to be taken care of as mileage builds up.
Reply
Old Feb 12, 2014 | 11:25 AM
  #5  
PJmak's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,566
Likes: 421
05 c55 silver, 98 Imperial Red C43
Thanks for feedback guys

This is a 98 c43. I have about 165k on it atm and ive changed oil regularly. My last oil change was 300 miles ago but the click started maybe a month or so before that and its still there. I always use 0w40 mobil1

I dont know much about valves and all of that. Is that a big job?

Ive done a lot of smaller stuff on my car and i have some experience. Im wonfering if this is something i could do my self...
Reply
Old Feb 12, 2014 | 12:31 PM
  #6  
Sulaco's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,418
Likes: 194
From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
If it turns out that your car does need a valve job or new lifters, then give it up. Dealing with the timing alone would be more than I'm willing to bite off.

Lifters would involve removing valve cover, cams, but leaving the head on the engine.

Valves involves pulling the head off the engine.

But before you start jumping to conclusions, you need a 2nd opinion on the sound itself. Could you record it with your smartphone or something? Could still very well be something completely different.
Reply
Old Feb 12, 2014 | 12:56 PM
  #7  
PJmak's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,566
Likes: 421
05 c55 silver, 98 Imperial Red C43
Ill record and upload at some point today
Reply
Old Feb 13, 2014 | 01:16 PM
  #8  
PJmak's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,566
Likes: 421
05 c55 silver, 98 Imperial Red C43
I got a few clips but i have no way of uploading them :/

Btw where would this MOT valve be? I wanna look into that
Reply
MB World Stories

The Best of Mercedes & AMG

story-0

6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Feb 14, 2014 | 02:16 AM
  #9  
DRBC43AMG's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 5,889
Likes: 323
From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
Drop the videos in Photobucket, YouTube or something like that and then paste the links in a post. Job done ;-)
Reply
Old Feb 14, 2014 | 01:13 PM
  #10  
PJmak's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,566
Likes: 421
05 c55 silver, 98 Imperial Red C43
I tried but it always says upload failed. Ill transfer to my pc then upload from there
Reply
Old Feb 15, 2014 | 03:26 PM
  #11  
Pagz's Avatar
Super Member
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 672
Likes: 15
From: New Zealand
C43 w/clk55 Organs
Before you go nuts on the valve train,check the oil pump chain isn't hitting the timing cover, the spring gets tired. I think the timing chain tensioner can also cause the ticking you described if worn just the right amount.
Reply
Old Feb 15, 2014 | 05:04 PM
  #12  
PJmak's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,566
Likes: 421
05 c55 silver, 98 Imperial Red C43
Im gonna pull my plugs today because my check engine came on and the car has been pulling kinda weak. Im starting to think it might be a bad sparkplug.

Ill report back
Reply
Old Feb 15, 2014 | 11:10 PM
  #13  
Sulaco's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,418
Likes: 194
From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
Poor combustion can definitely cause rattles and ticks.
Reply
Old Feb 17, 2014 | 03:45 PM
  #14  
PJmak's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,566
Likes: 421
05 c55 silver, 98 Imperial Red C43
Swaped my cables for the stock ones even tho they have lots of miles onem. I feel like magnacore cables are ****ty quality honestly. The rubbery ends make it hard to connect properly and over time the metal connection expands which causes missfires. Pro lem is still there but it was worth a shot. Gonna have the codes scanned soon and ill go from there. In the mean time heres a short video.

The ticking noise you hear for a few seconds at startup is what im talking about. Its not there at idle but as i accelerate it starts doing it again and it can be heard clearly as i drive by

http://s5.photobucket.com/user/preja...aa8c1.mp4.html

Last edited by PJmak; Feb 17, 2014 at 03:48 PM.
Reply
Old Feb 17, 2014 | 05:16 PM
  #15  
Pagz's Avatar
Super Member
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 672
Likes: 15
From: New Zealand
C43 w/clk55 Organs
Sounds like the chain is slapping the rail,because it goes away after oil pressure builds my money is on the main tensioner, but I wouldnt pass up checking oil pump chain tensioner and also your aux belt tensioner.

Last edited by Pagz; Feb 17, 2014 at 05:23 PM.
Reply
Old Feb 18, 2014 | 06:57 AM
  #16  
Sulaco's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,418
Likes: 194
From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
What Pagz said.

I'd do an oil change first, just for kicks. If that hushes it, then you've got a different issue. Curious to hear what you refer to when you say people can hear it as you drive by.
Reply
Old Mar 11, 2014 | 01:37 PM
  #17  
PJmak's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,566
Likes: 421
05 c55 silver, 98 Imperial Red C43
Friend who is MB certified looked at it and is pretty sure its bad lifters. Not sure why this would happen on my motor. Ive treated her good...

But anyways, looks like ill be looking into 5.4s pretty soon
Reply
Old Mar 11, 2014 | 04:17 PM
  #18  
mickey13's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,649
Likes: 46
From: New Jersey
1999 AMG C43
Yeah. I'm waiting for something like that to happen to pick up my 5.4, for now I'm just planning out my suspension. Will start hoarding parts next week. Springs, shocks, pads, ball joints, bushings, etc.
Reply
Old Mar 12, 2014 | 02:30 AM
  #19  
KJI3jflarryfe93's Avatar
Banned
 
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 0
Likes: 36
running cheap engine oil ruins the engine, maybe previous owners used oil for frying french fries saving some ca$$$h?
Reply
Old Mar 12, 2014 | 08:28 PM
  #20  
PJmak's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,566
Likes: 421
05 c55 silver, 98 Imperial Red C43
Na ive had the car for over 70k, always used mobil1

Ill check all the plugs before making a final decision on whats gonna happen...
Reply
Old Mar 13, 2014 | 02:59 AM
  #21  
DRBC43AMG's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 5,889
Likes: 323
From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
Originally Posted by kowalski
running cheap engine oil ruins the engine, maybe previous owners used oil for frying french fries saving some ca$$$h?
That's what you use to burn in the place of diesel fuel. It makes a fast food smell at the exhaust...
Reply

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 


You have already rated this thread Rating: Thread Rating: 0 votes,  average.


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:16 AM.

story-0
6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

Slideshow: Not every Mercedes design becomes timeless, some feel stuck in the era they came from.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:09:07


VIEW MORE
story-1
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

Slideshow: Yes, Mercedes built manual cars, and some of them are far more interesting than you'd expect.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-02 12:36:58


VIEW MORE
story-2
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 11:19:28


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

Slideshow: Before curves took over, Mercedes mastered the art of the straight line, and some of those shapes still look right today.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-25 12:05:49


VIEW MORE
story-4
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

Slideshow: The 190E Evolution II shows how a homologation necessity became a six-figure collector icon.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-22 17:53:47


VIEW MORE
story-5
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

Slideshow: Mercedes is turning one of its core nameplates electric, and the details show just how serious this shift is.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:58:06


VIEW MORE
story-6
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

Slideshow: Faster charging, longer range, and a controversial steer-by-wire system define the latest evolution of Mercedes-Benz EQS.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-15 10:35:34


VIEW MORE
story-7
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve

Slideshow: These overlooked Mercedes-Benz models never got the spotlight, but they quietly delivered more than most remember.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-13 19:35:45


VIEW MORE
story-8
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping

Slideshow: A well-used 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300D with more than one million miles is now looking for a new owner, and it still appears ready for more.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-10 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used

Slideshow: From bulletproof sedans to surprisingly tough SUVs, these Mercedes models proved that the three-pointed star can go the distance.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-08 09:55:49


VIEW MORE