Noises - normal?

New owner - 2002 325I. auto 27,000 miles. Are these normal noises?

1. The first 5-10 minutes after starting, I have some lifter noise. Sounds a bit like a diesel engine, then I will get a tick-tick-tick sound once in a while when cold.

2. I have an electrical sounding whine coming from the bottom rear of car. Possible fuel pump problem, or are they loud normally?

3. When I first put my car in reverse in the morning, I hear a slight bell-like clank noise!

I'm probably just paranoid. I'm pretty anal about such things when I buy a car.

Fortunately, I still have the full factory warranty if these are problems.

The diesel sound you hear is probably the "secondary pump" this is an electrical air pump that helps reduce emissions on cold starts., that sound is normal.

Originally Posted by gitpicker

New owner - 2002 325I. auto 27,000 miles. Are these normal noises?

1. The first 5-10 minutes after starting, I have some lifter noise. Sounds a bit like a diesel engine, then I will get a tick-tick-tick sound once in a while when cold.

I'll second Artslinger - for the first few minutes in cold weather, the engine note is very rattly and spitty. My engine has a lot of valvetrain noise anyway (it's a Valvetronic) but this is noticeably louder than normal, warmed-up operation.

2. I have an electrical sounding whine coming from the bottom rear of car. Possible fuel pump problem, or are they loud normally?

Mine is loud when the fuel load is low. Solution? Fill up .

3. When I first put my car in reverse in the morning, I hear a slight bell-like clank noise!

Are you at a dead stop when this happens? If I am a bit quick selecting reverse and the car is still rolling forward, the shift to R is delayed, and is accompanied by a mild audible complaint. When dead stopped, the shift is quick, and noiseless.

Originally Posted by andy_thomas

I'll second Artslinger - for the first few minutes in cold weather, the engine note is very rattly and spitty. My engine has a lot of valvetrain noise anyway (it's a Valvetronic) but this is noticeably louder than normal, warmed-up operation.

I've had my 330i for 3 months, during cold temperatures (as low as 10 degrees F.). I have never heard any valve noise, or "rattly and spitty" sounds coming from my 3.0L. Also, I don't think the 3-series engines have Valvetronic, although they do have Double VANOS. I just recently read that the new E90 3.0L will have Valvetronic.

Thanks for the replies, guys. I talked to my dealer, and he concurs with you on the noisy cold startup. He gets asked that a lot. And, my fuel was at about 1/4 tank. Filling it up did quiet down the pump noise. And I haven't heard the transmission clink now for a couple of days. I did kind of " wring it out " on a country road Sunday, so maybe that did the car some good. It had been sitting on the dealer's lot for a couple of weeks, so I think things just needed loosening up a bit. Man, these things are fun to drive!! I find myself driving without the stereo on just to listen to that sweet engine. I traded in a Maxima, and I was worried about stepping down about 40 horsepower. But this 325 has plenty of torque and zip. I believe it is a quicker car. I don't think I'll be happy now with anything else but a BMW.

Originally Posted by gitpicker

Thanks for the replies, guys. I talked to my dealer, and he concurs with you on the noisy cold startup. He gets asked that a lot. And, my fuel was at about 1/4 tank. Filling it up did quiet down the pump noise. And I haven't heard the transmission clink now for a couple of days. I did kind of " wring it out " on a country road Sunday, so maybe that did the car some good. It had been sitting on the dealer's lot for a couple of weeks, so I think things just needed loosening up a bit. Man, these things are fun to drive!! I find myself driving without the stereo on just to listen to that sweet engine. I traded in a Maxima, and I was worried about stepping down about 40 horsepower. But this 325 has plenty of torque and zip. I believe it is a quicker car. I don't think I'll be happy now with anything else but a BMW.

Congrats on the new car !!

You already know this but be regular on oil level checking, I dont rely on dummy lights etc etc... One other quick note sometimes a "normal" slight tick sound is just fuel injection doing its thing & not lifters whatsoever, this is the case on my pick-up...its very quiet and smooth idle, so I can actually hear the subtle injectors working.

Originally Posted by markl53

I've had my 330i for 3 months, during cold temperatures (as low as 10 degrees F.). I have never heard any valve noise, or "rattly and spitty" sounds coming from my 3.0L. Also, I don't think the 3-series engines have Valvetronic, although they do have Double VANOS. I just recently read that the new E90 3.0L will have Valvetronic.

You are right - no Valvetronic in your car; the headgear is quite different. The 2.5 litre, Valvetronicked 325i I played with at the weekend had a noisier idle than the previous M54-powered car, even when warm.