SLK/R170: Why the ticking?
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Boston, MA
2001 SLK320, 6-speed, black, two-tone black/tan interior.
Why the ticking?
Hi,
Regarding my '01 SLK320, and more out of curiosity than anything else, I just took my car out of storage after the winter and, like it does every year, for the first few minutes there is a ticking sound, maybe from the lifters but the sound is definitely coming from the valve area. I usually go into panic mode until it stops...my question is whether or not it is taking the engine a bit of time to properly lubricate itself after sitting all winter, or was Mercedes smart enough to build in some sort of self adjusting mechanism in the valve system. Also, is there any damage being done and is there anything I can do in the future to avoid this. I use synthetic oil and the car has 35k miles on it. I do not fog the engine when I store it, perhaps I should. Thanks, in advance.
Regarding my '01 SLK320, and more out of curiosity than anything else, I just took my car out of storage after the winter and, like it does every year, for the first few minutes there is a ticking sound, maybe from the lifters but the sound is definitely coming from the valve area. I usually go into panic mode until it stops...my question is whether or not it is taking the engine a bit of time to properly lubricate itself after sitting all winter, or was Mercedes smart enough to build in some sort of self adjusting mechanism in the valve system. Also, is there any damage being done and is there anything I can do in the future to avoid this. I use synthetic oil and the car has 35k miles on it. I do not fog the engine when I store it, perhaps I should. Thanks, in advance.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 6,211
Likes: 2
From: Laguna Niguel, CA
The top of the engine is bone dry after a while, so when you start the car, it takes a bit of time to build up oil pressure and get it flowing again. So what you are hearing is metal on metal tapping. If you want to try some aftermarket oil additives that are supposed to help, check out zmax. I don't have any personal experience with the product but they did a mini infomercial on Two Guys Garage a few days ago and it looked good.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,537
Likes: 2
From: Arizona, USA
W205 C300
Don't use any additive in your Benz. The ticking is normal even when your car sits for a week without being driven. There is a Service Memo out at the dealerships about it because MB has received a lot of calls about that same thing. ZMAX is a joke as well. it is basically just Kerosene. You dump it in and it is thin enough to quiet things down but is it any good for the engine? You can only put very little in and that is why it comes in such a small bottle and for a big cost. If it was so good, why can't you replace all of the oil with it? The truth is because that would cause damage. Remember, The guys on Two Guys Garage got paid to say those things about it.
