Loud tapping in bank1
 

Hey guys been using this forum for years but finally decided to join for 2 reasons. Well yeah the first one is because i need help but i also want to contribute as i know my fair amount. So anyways let me set the stage:
02 X5 4.6is. Got the oil pressure warning engine shut off while driving at 25mph. Got the truck towed and after adding a bit of oil (1/2 q) the engine started making ratle sounds, normal since no oil pressure. Decided to drop the pan and saw guide pieces . So remove upper pan and looking at the oil pick up tube the plug in the back was removed by PO. Essencially by passing the screen. Got to the oil pump took it apart and saw a piece of guide stuck in the gears that seize the pump, and shredded the shaft key holding the sprocket in place. So then i removed the front and changed all the guides, chains, o rings, vanos seals, vanos gaskets, cam sensor, solenoid etc. Also changed the intake gasket, oil circulation hoses and all. Started it and all noise went away and had good pressure. Drove 500 miles and developped a loud ticking on bank1 and got P0012 code. Since both are dependend of oil pressure i tore it down again and verified vanos oil flow from remote filter hoses and channels was ok, checked one way valves, gaskets o rings etc. Took the oil pan off and noticed some stuff in the stainer pick up(minimal atv sealant) so cleaned and put it all back together and tapping still persist and is very loud. Did bleed procedure to no avail. Is there a diagram somewhere that shows the entire oil circuit from the filter to bank1? I did notice that all the lifters on bank 1 are smooshy instead of rock solid like bank2 which is not tappng. I also wondering if removing the pick up tube plug like the previous owner did will allow more oil to flow thru?? Risky but if quiet i am ok ...i m using 10w40 mobil 1. Not sure what to do or check at this point any help is much appreciated

Ouch, and I feel your pain. I would investigate the oil passages in the head due to your comments on "squishy" lifters. And your mention of finding RTV on pump screen. That stuff should never make it thru the pump gears, but who knows where else it could have found it's way up there. There are diagrams that show flow and I am pretty sure there is an allen screw in the head by the cam sprockets that allows access to the passages. Secondly, when I purchased my 01 4.4 I too had a "tick" I fought that thing and searched, replaced parts for a good 3 months trying to locate it. It had to be in the head somewhere. Won't bore you with all details, but ended up being a scored cylinder/bad piston. The knock I must have been hearing was piston slap. I found it by taking the pan off and looking up into cylinders and just by chance saw the scoring. So, don't assume it's in the head, noise travels and I would have sworn it was in the head. Keep us posted.

Man dont say that ! lol I am assuming it s oil restriction on Bank1 some how because of 2 things:
1) Vanos over retarted..needs oil pressure to advance
2) All lifters on bank 1 are soft - need oil pressure
I lied... 3) The oil is fed to the block on bank 2 side where the oil filter hoses connect so by default the far side Bank 1 is not getting enough pressure somehow.

Now that being said, I can't find any internal oil passage diagrams to start investigating..

I did blow compress air in the vanos oil passages behind the check valve and the oil filter tubes but didn t do the trick...

Thx for the feedback!

Dumb question, is the oil filter and lines clear?

yes, checked oil pick up strainer, oil filter housing hoses, filter, etc.

Oil pump? Might be blocked by some debris

It s brand new, I changed it. Debris wouldn't make it pass the strainer on the pick up tube.

It would then be interesting to find a pressure gauge and check the pressure at the oil filter.

An inline pressure gauge fitting and any sender with specs and a voltmeter would do. you don't need the gauge

Not sure how to do that. The intake hose from the pump to the oil canister has a ring fitting on one side mounter to the block and a solid end with a o ring on it mounted to the oil canister... I wish it had a port somewhere to tap on oil pressure gauge... How do you check the oil pressure on a M62?!?!! lol is the question..

oil pressure
 

I am assuming that the oil pressure sender is the same on a 4.4, which is on the filter canister. Look for a single wire going to a round thingy on the the bottom of the canister. If so, you need to remove the existing sender, get some pipe fittings from any hardware/home center, and fabricate a mechanical gauge. Actually if you go to NAPA, they should be able to hook you up if you bring in the stock electrical sender. This is a good recommendation for diagnosing. Start here and get back to us.