update:rolleyes: the knocking is still there sometimes...if its the vanos would i get more of a ticking type noise? the noise i get on start up is the same noise that you would get if you had no oil in the engine! i am due an oil change in a 1000 miles!

topped up the oil the other day with a litre and its just past the max mark and i mean literally just over the mark and iv not heard any knocking since..i bet i didnt even need the tensioner which i had fitted neither..i didnt know you had to run the engine at operating temp then leave it for 5 mins to get the correct reading of the oil levels untill the other day

Wow... Everytime I read the threads you start, its as if I started it. Same noises, same vibrations, and same everything if I had those damn gunmetal 87's! Where the hell did you find those anyway?

Since I know exactly how you frustrated you are trying diagnose your problems:

I have the same noise on a cold start up. It lasts for a second or so immediately after starting. I gave up after countless hours of research with no solid answer. What I found was that its caused by the VANOS and doesn't seem to be a major concern or high priority repair. It sounds wierd buy try searching for "marble(s)" here and bimmerforums.com

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ed-fixing.html

this link is embedded in the above thread:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1041320


What I have found is that this knock on start up seems to be how my X tells me that it needs an oil change. Its not low or anything, just time for fresh lube.... I change my oil very frequently because when I went to change my oil filter for the first time, I found that there wasn't one. hahaha... what else to do but laugh and flush it. It was completely desolved and turned into a sludgy muddy paste. Knock on wood but I have no leaks, no shakes, no power loss, and no knocks other than the occasional marble clack on start up.
Changed the oil and problem solved every time. Noise comes back usually around 3 or 4 thousand miles
Unfortunately I just became a member of the 6 digit mileage club.


I stumbled across the thread below looking for the link above for you. I have no idea what this guy is talking about or how a rubber bushing can make an engine knock but I thought you might wanna take a look?
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...can-sound.html


Completely wrong thread, but did you ever replace your flex discs?

I'll say there are at least 2 posts in those thread plus I can add from my own experience, Mobil-1 0-40 helps reduce even eliminate the start up rattle on my 4.4i as well.

Yes, I don't know if it's VANOS is Priority or not, but if it was were bushings then why would it only do on cold start-ups and only for few secconds?

Vanos rebuild is in your future. Probably cost around 1200 in parts. I wonder if the new parts are designed better or the same

Sadly, even after replacing the VANOS parts, it can eventually happen again. There is website www.drvanos.com, but I've written him and he doesn't do the M62 units, nor does he have any intentions to. The 3.0 X5 guys are in luck, but not us V8 owners. This is why I intentionally bought my 7 as a 98...no VANOS, but since I didn't have a choice with the X, I also religiously use Mobil 1 0w40 in both V8's.

whats the difference for the engine when using 0w-40 instead of bmw synthetic(ibelieve5w-30). is it thicker,thinner,please enlighten me.

Thinner when cold, thicker when hot.

The thin end of the scale (0) means that there is less protection from the oil on startup, but that the oil can be pumped easier. The high end of the scale (40) means the oil can better stand up to high speed runs across the desert, for example.

What JCL said :) The stuff is like water at startup, but gets nice and thick once warmed up. VANOS rattle is basically an oil starvation issue until pressure builds up and stops it, so going thinner at startup is really the only solution. I've heard of people replacing the timing chain tensioner as well, but I haven't had to cross that road yet.