What is this ticking sound from under my car???
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C63 W204
What is this ticking sound from under my car???
My car is a 2009 c63 that's had a top end rebuild including reprofiled camshafts, new adjuster plates, new lifters and updated headbolts. It also has headers and was running 550BHP.
After the rebuild the engine oil was a bit too high (found out as it was burning oil in the dyno, right after a rebuild). Have barely driven the car since then, however its now making a ticking sound regardless of whether it is a cold start/warm start and seems to follow rpm
What do you guys think the sound may be due to?
Possible options in my head: exhaust leak, lifter tick due to aeration of oil, damage to bottom end??
any advice and opinions welcome!
link: https://youtu.be/CMYYMwyJjz0?si=chdk8vLZCcF7gYO3
After the rebuild the engine oil was a bit too high (found out as it was burning oil in the dyno, right after a rebuild). Have barely driven the car since then, however its now making a ticking sound regardless of whether it is a cold start/warm start and seems to follow rpm
What do you guys think the sound may be due to?
Possible options in my head: exhaust leak, lifter tick due to aeration of oil, damage to bottom end??
any advice and opinions welcome!
link: https://youtu.be/CMYYMwyJjz0?si=chdk8vLZCcF7gYO3
Last edited by C63 UK; May 1, 2025 at 12:54 PM. Reason: Typo
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From: Toronto
2025 AMG G 63 SUV /// 2025 AMG GT 63 S E Performance 4 Door Coupé
Ya if the crank aerated the oil to the point it was so frothy that the oil pump couldn’t pick it up, you might have some damage. Specifically the lifters, which are already prone to wear on the M156.
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C63 W204
ok thanks for the opinion. I have a sick feeling you might be right, however it was "only" overfilled by 1L and driven few miles so i am praying its a exhaust leak. I've searched for similar videos and can't find anything on m156, most ticking videos are clearly lifter ticks coming from the top end engine rather than the bottom like mine 🤔
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From: Toronto
2025 AMG G 63 SUV /// 2025 AMG GT 63 S E Performance 4 Door Coupé
ok thanks for the opinion. I have a sick feeling you might be right, however it was "only" overfilled by 1L and driven few miles so i am praying it’s an exhaust leak. I've searched for similar videos and can't find anything on m156, most ticking videos are clearly lifter ticks coming from the top end engine rather than the bottom like mine 🤔
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C63 W204
Yea, they did do the 2 dyno pulls during this period where it was overfilled but it wasn't a massive overfill, however quite a bit of blue smoke was seen. Based on the sound would you say that the bottom end is likely to be fine? From what I've seen it tends to have a different sound if bottom end damage
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From: Toronto
2025 AMG G 63 SUV /// 2025 AMG GT 63 S E Performance 4 Door Coupé
2 full on dyno pulls with an extra litre of oil might have been enough to damage a lifter, especially since the M156 is already prone to lifter wear. Plus the blue smoke, that’s oil burning. Worn lifters can allow oil to leak past the valve seals and into the combustion chamber.
As for the bottom end, it should be fine. An extra litre shouldn’t have caused enough pressure to damage the crank, or force a bearing into an unseated position, but dyno pulls are no joke…
These are relatively strong engines, the ticking is probably just an exhaust leak and the blue smoke on the dyno pulls was probably from having too much oil pressure and some was sneaking past the valve seals.
As for the bottom end, it should be fine. An extra litre shouldn’t have caused enough pressure to damage the crank, or force a bearing into an unseated position, but dyno pulls are no joke…
These are relatively strong engines, the ticking is probably just an exhaust leak and the blue smoke on the dyno pulls was probably from having too much oil pressure and some was sneaking past the valve seals.
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Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2025
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C63 W204
2 full on dyno pulls with an extra litre of oil might have been enough to damage a lifter, especially since the M156 is already prone to lifter wear. Plus the blue smoke, that’s oil burning. Worn lifters can allow oil to leak past the valve seals and into the combustion chamber.
As for the bottom end, it should be fine. An extra litre shouldn’t have caused enough pressure to damage the crank, or force a bearing into an unseated position, but dyno pulls are no joke…
These are relatively strong engines, the ticking is probably just an exhaust leak and the blue smoke on the dyno pulls was probably from having too much oil pressure and some was sneaking past the valve seals.
As for the bottom end, it should be fine. An extra litre shouldn’t have caused enough pressure to damage the crank, or force a bearing into an unseated position, but dyno pulls are no joke…
These are relatively strong engines, the ticking is probably just an exhaust leak and the blue smoke on the dyno pulls was probably from having too much oil pressure and some was sneaking past the valve seals.
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C63 W204
Definitely, I've decided I'm going to book it in to get looked at to get some definitive conclusion and fix the underlying issue ASAP. Really hope it is an exhaust leak and nothing major..
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C63 W204
cars booked for the 7th so will find out soon hopefully!
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2025 AMG G 63 SUV /// 2025 AMG GT 63 S E Performance 4 Door Coupé
yes, smooth acceleration, no jerking however there seems to be some lag when getting off the line in 1st gear. I thought this might have been gear box related as its the pre facelift and haven't reset it, but i dont seem to experience it in manual much... I need to drive it more (was avoiding driving until I got more info) but good point.
cars booked for the 7th so will find out soon hopefully!
cars booked for the 7th so will find out soon hopefully!
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C63 AMG
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C63 W204
The ticking ended up being due to my Cams which where aftermarket stage 1 63 motorsports cams. Replaced them with another set and it fixed it for the most part (still sounds occasionally).
