Engine ticking sorta found, help me!

[Mercenary(FH)]

Ok So I Finally took a little time to narrow down this engine ticking (under acceleration) i found, and my VANOS noise
i used my dads stethescope, and went to work
after taking off the valve cover I revved it and listened around
ok now pardon my MS paint 1337 skills but I drew a psuedo diagram, perhaps yall can tell me what it is(btw took a google pic, but same engine etc.)


Ok it's attached but it's VERY VERY Small im sorry, but ccant upload any large pics

but let me explain the colors
the vibrating/knocking sorta noise(when revved, and sometimes after driving hard when idle) is the Green Arrows (vanos I suspect)

the blue area is where the ticking seems to be coming from when I rev it, I dunno what that area is? but it wasnt near the YELLOW area, which under stethescope sounded fine, obviously a little loud, but hey it's an engine, im guessing the yellow area is where all ur cams and important stuff is right?


I pretty much can guess the green arrows are vanos? vanos noise seems to be pretty common, the blue area ticking tho.....i just have no clue?

remember tho, my car drives fine? it's just annoying
plz help me tho!

thx, and sorry for small pic!

[94bmw325i]

my car used to make a slight ticking noise, but then I changed the viscocity of oil and the noise went away. If it sounded almost like marbles then your vanos would probably need replacing, or at least the solenoid.

[Mercenary(FH)]

Yeah I do use like Durablend, is the solenoid expensive? or hard to replace, and yeah it does kinda sound like marbles under acceleration

is the ticking/marble noise under acceleartion like damaging to my engine? or just more of an annoyance

[Mercenary(FH)]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WHgZS5KrzI

right there, when the car decelerates thats exactly what my VANOS sounds like, of course my car sounds a TON better, but when the car is like unrevving? it makes the almost exact same knocking noise, im guessing thats my vanos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krNxZwxDmz8
this i guess is a lifter noise when they say ticking? because that is DEFINETLY NOT what my car sounds like, so im guessing it's not the lifters, mine is definetly more of a marble sound?

but it's coming from that blue area? so i dunno whats on the blue area?

[Mercenary(FH)]

btw is the blue area anywhere near the lifters? or are the lifters in the yellow area, so if they were making noises i would hear them in the yellow area?

[94bmw325i]

hmm that seems strange then

[B_w.]

honestly just take your valve cover off and take a look inside....its EASY and that way you dont have to guess where all the parts are...if you take it apart you will understand everything much more clearly

[Mercenary(FH)]

when u put the valve cover back on, do u need that "goo" shit that seals ur valve cover gasket?

and the blue area i pointed out tho, thats not where the lifters are right, their in the yellow area am i correct?

[B_w.]

you just need some silicone sealant ($10) to seal the gasket at the back behind the cams...the lifters are underneath the cams

[Mercenary(FH)]

Ah ok, i might have to do that, but ticking on the right side of the engine(passenger) is still kinda weird

but can someone plz answer me this, the LIFTERS (that are known to make noise) are on the driver side of the engine (aka the yellow part i drew on the picture up top)
correct

[B_w.]

you have lifters underneath each lobe of each cam

[Mercenary(FH)]

and the cams would be on the left side? im assuming, i called the mechainic he said the lifters would be in the middle?

[B_w.]

you have an intake cam on the driver side of the cylinder head and an exhaust cam on the passenger side...

the cam pushes on the lifter which acts on the valve spring to open and close the valves...

[Mercenary(FH)]

hmm since it's in the middle of my enigine I guess that makes it hard to diagnose

the exhaust lifter being bad would prolly be less serious Im assuming

[B_w.]

noisy lifters are not necessarily a bad thing...