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Hi Everyone,
1- Because of leaky gasket, I removed the valve cover, driver side. Once removed, I checked the valve lifters. Most of them have some slack, couple of millimeters or so, side to side direction. Please see the attached video. I wonder if that's how they're supposed to be. A few of them though are rock solid, no slack at all. All of them are solid in up/down direction. Please give me some guidance. I do have ticking sound when the engine is cold.
2- The breather cover which is somehow glued to the main cover, also leaks but it doesn't come off. I tried prying, impact by mallet, hair dryer, acetone, WD-40, no luck; the glue/rtv is off white in color. The whole thing is so fragile I applied gentle force throughout. I wonder if I can use blow torch. Any suggestion please.
The solid ones are most likely the rockers that are under tension from the camshaft lobes. The loose ones should then be closed valves with no tension from the camshaft lobes.
To determine if the side to side movement is the same for all the rockers, turn the engine so those rockers that are now under tension from the lobes, run on the based circle of the cam. The valves for those should then be closed. Then check them for movement. I bet they will be the same. Every rocker will have some movement when its not under tension and the engine isnt running as the lifters are also hydraulic and won't have oil pressure to pump them up. You didn't state how many miles your car has done, but I'd bet what you are seeing is normal as if that level of play wasn't normal, your engine would be running pretty badly.
Last edited by BlackML550; Dec 28, 2020 at 06:04 AM.
The solid ones are most likely the rockers that are under tension from the camshaft lobes. The loose ones should then be closed valves with no tension from the camshaft lobes.
To determine if the side to side movement is the same for all the rockers, turn the engine so those rockers that are now under tension from the lobes, run on the based circle of the cam. The valves for those should then be closed. Then check them for movement. I bet they will be the same. Every rocker will have some movement when its not under tension and the engine isnt running as the lifters are also hydraulic and won't have oil pressure to pump them up. You didn't state how many miles your car has done, but I'd bet what you are seeing is normal as if that level of play wasn't normal, your engine would be running pretty badly.
Thank you. The mileage is around 140k miles. Is there anything that I can do while it's open to get rid of the ticking noise when the engine is cold? Thanks
Thank you. The mileage is around 140k miles. Is there anything that I can do while it's open to get rid of the ticking noise when the engine is cold? Thanks
If you have a problem it will most likely be the lifters that sit between the rocker and the camshaft. I'd say change the oil first and make sure you are using the correct grade oil and a good one at that. If the problem persists you will need to dismantle the valve train to inspect it. Only then will you know what the source is. Ticking when cold is almost always lifters. Lifters aren't the biggest job in the world, but it will still be reasonably expensive given you've got 32 of them plus labour. Maybe others have different experiences. I haven't seen valve train issues on the M273 noted here but they seem to be more common on the W166 and beyond on the V8s it seems.
If you have a problem it will most likely be the lifters that sit between the rocker and the camshaft. I'd say change the oil first and make sure you are using the correct grade oil and a good one at that. If the problem persists you will need to dismantle the valve train to inspect it. Only then will you know what the source is. Ticking when cold is almost always lifters. Lifters aren't the biggest job in the world, but it will still be reasonably expensive given you've got 32 of them plus labour. Maybe others have different experiences. I haven't seen valve train issues on the M273 noted here but they seem to be more common on the W166 and beyond on the V8s it seems.
The sound is back, and it's on all the time, not only in the morning. Please have a listen to the link. It's very pronounced but it seems to be coming from front of the engine. Any guidance will be appreciated. Thanks.
Have you checked the oil level using a dipstick and checked the level via the Inst. Cluster?
Thanks Major, This car is only equipped with the red oil tube cap that is shown on the very beginning of the video. It's not a dipstick. I only go by the the cluster info panel. I check that periodically. I must say that the mileage has passed due date. But since it's only time related service time I haven't changed oil. Not much kilometers added since last oil change about 8 months ago. It has been mainly parked. But I'm changing the oil today as you suggested to see if it makes the ticking go away. I will report back later today. Thanks
Remove the red cap and slowly insert the stick until it hits the bottom of the oil pan. The stick is much longer than required, so don't think the entire stick must be inserted.
Oil change requires 9.1 qts.
Last edited by Maj. Dundee; Jan 19, 2022 at 12:15 PM.
Remove the red cap and slowly insert the stick until it hits the bottom of the oil pan. The stick is much longer than required, so don't think the entire stick must be inserted.
Oil change requires 9.1 qts.
Over the years, for some unknown reason, I've never been able to extract and replace more than 7 to 7.5 qts, including this time, with hot engine.
Since the dipstick only shows graduation, what would be the min/max on the graduation scale? Thanks.
Once the oil was changed, amazingly, and thanks to your guidance, the ticking sound is now completely gone Thank you.
I had to drive the car with ticking sound for about 20 miles, and now everything is fine, do you think any damage was done because of that short drive.
Also, why do we have to use 2 methods to check the oil level. I haven't received that dipstick yet, I only rely on the info by the cluster menu.
Thanks again for the help.
About the oil level, the Onboard Check will only tell you when you are low starting at 1 qt, and not before that. With your troubles, do you want to drive with low 1 quart?
Last edited by Maj. Dundee; Jan 21, 2022 at 05:58 AM.
Hi Everyone,
1- Because of leaky gasket, I removed the valve cover, driver side. Once removed, I checked the valve lifters. Most of them have some slack, couple of millimeters or so, side to side direction. Please see the attached video. I wonder if that's how they're supposed to be. A few of them though are rock solid, no slack at all. All of them are solid in up/down direction. Please give me some guidance. I do have ticking sound when the engine is cold.
2- The breather cover which is somehow glued to the main cover, also leaks but it doesn't come off. I tried prying, impact by mallet, hair dryer, acetone, WD-40, no luck; the glue/rtv is off white in color. The whole thing is so fragile I applied gentle force throughout. I wonder if I can use blow torch. Any suggestion please.
I used a blow torch to heat up the breather covers until the sealant started smoking .then with some leverage & a screwdriver they popped right off . Then soda blasted everything clean !
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