ticking sound

[rastapopolus]

I have an E-class with a ticking soun when you start the engine, sound continues even when driving, My friend says they are "lifter" noise, is there an additive I can add to get better lubrication to make the sound go away? A mechanic told me they can fix it for 800 dollars

[OliverK]

Does it go away after it gets fully hot?

It could be lifter tick, but you can't know unless you isolate it.

Get out a long extension or a mechanics stethascope and isolate the noise.

Could be anything from some piston slap (if it goes away when hot) to lifters, to an exhaust leak, etc.

[rastapopolus]

It does not go away when it is hot, by the way the car is a 1997 E420 with 96K miles

[Tacjam]

Are you in a cold climate or hot climate? You might want to consider a heavier weight oil. MB recommended oil is VERY thin.

[gobenzgo]

I'm buying a '97 E420 and noticed it has a ticking sound as well during a test drive. The seller agreed to have it checked out at an independent MB shop. They indicated a loose oil feed tube. Apparently there is one per cylinder. This shop does a cyl. bank at a time rather than just one feed tube. They quoted ~ $460 for one bank, ~ $830 for both.

Does the ticking come from near the valve cover and one side or another?

[Rhansantiago]

When I warm the car in the morning I do notice the ticking sound, but it hasn't bothered me that much is this a known issue on the M119 motors ??

[gobenzgo]

Originally Posted by Rhansantiago

When I warm the car in the morning I do notice the ticking sound, but it hasn't bothered me that much is this a known issue on the M119 motors ??

I just was talking to the independent mechanic about this yesterday and he indicated that the oil feed tube issue that causes the ticking can lead to bigger problems if not addressed. As the name implies this tube provides lubrication to the camshafts.

See the page I found about ticking noises in the Hydraulic lifters on the 119 engine: K6JRF Auto Page

This guy also suggests in a later update that it is possible that the problem is NOT due to a broken oil tube but could be due to partial plugging of the oil passages from use of engine additives that contain Teflon.

[ProV1x]

ticking hydraulic lifter noises are a VERY COMMON problem on the M119 motor. JimF's website is very helpful, here is another excellent DIY writeup.

This is not a very challenging procedure. If a few of us got together and did it together, it'd be not bad at all.


MercedesShopWiki: Replacing Cam Oil Line Fittings (Oil Guides)