# Engine Ticking Sound On Startup



## Richrt (Sep 1, 2021)

Hey Everybody. Well I now have another issue with my 2009 X5 BMW e70. It just started making a pretty loud ticking sound on startup. The ambient temperature here is colder now that summer is over so I just figured is was thick oil not lubricating properly. The ticking sound pretty much goes away after the engine warms up but the initial startup ticking is getting louder. As you know there's not a way to manually check the oil level so has anyone ever had this happen?


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## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

Can’t get much thinner than the proper oil, at the moment 0W. What was the previous issue? What is the indictated iDrive oil level? If you have any doubts of proper lubrication, it’s probably a good idea not to run the engine until sure.


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## Richrt (Sep 1, 2021)

Doug Huffman said:


> Can’t get much thinner than the proper oil, at the moment 0W. What was the previous issue? What is the indictated iDrive oil level? If you have any doubts of proper lubrication, it’s probably a good idea not to run the engine until sure.


Other issue was not related to this one. IDrive oil indicated all is well.


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## andrewwynn (Jul 8, 2015)

How long does the tick last? 

My M54 ticks on cold start always. 

It takes about six seconds to fill the lifters/followers and the ticks stop. 

If I let the oil get low, the ticks will last twice as long, also cold ambient will extend the time. 

Lifter tick at start is harmless from my understanding. 

Take a recording so we can listen and compare.


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## andrewwynn (Jul 8, 2015)

I find that the idrive shows correctly the oil level. I can read the mm level with my foxwell scanner as well. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## Richrt (Sep 1, 2021)

After reading various posts to this issue, I've noticed one common thread to every one of them. It is the ambient temperature being cold which as we all know will thicken the oil. So with that in mind I went back to my oil change records and found that the oil that was put in was a 10w30 and not the 0w. Next step is to change the oil to what is recommended and hopefully that's the cure. Thanks to all who responded and Happy Turkey Day! Stay well.


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