2000 540i Engine noise

[maisurati]

Hi Folks! I had my car for 3 months. At night when it is very quiet,
if I listen to the engine carefully I hear some kind of noise.
like something is knocking from inside. its not really noticable but sometimes
it catches my attention.
do your bmws make same noise too?

[ashtangaz]

sorry no.I would take it in.nice choice of car though.i have a 540 wagon.

[billB]

what year model is your car?
start with silly and simple stuff like checking the condition of your oil?
Try to use BMW synthetic oil if u using different oil (look up my post regarding oil and engine knock) and then check to see if u still have the same knocking.
so what type of oil you use?
Is the check engine light turned on? and then take it from there.
good luck

[maisurati]

Thanks for replies. It is 2000 540i sport package. only has 33K miles.
I bought it from a reputable dealer. I have not changed
the oil yet but I am assuming that it has the synthetic oil.
I am glad that I also bought extended warranty so I am not
worried about the repair costs. I just want to take good care of it and
keep it for along time. because it is a best looking beemer ever.
I dont really like new body style. And I dont want some small problem to
grow into big one.
To be more clear about the noise:
it's knocking like a diesel engine. I could not even notice it, untill
friend of mine told me about it.
It is still fast as hell though.
no performance degradation of any kind.

[billB]

GOOD NEWS you have the warranty so just take in to the dealer; let him worry about and fix it then ask him though what he fixed for a furture reference

[97alpineM3]

You are probably just a little low on oil... valves are tickin.. best bet.. since its under warranty I would just take it to the dealer... something with only 33k miles on it should be making ticking noises... I have 158k on my M.. and it still runs like a champ with no noise. Good Luck!

Les

[d3ity]

Depends on the sound.

Does it sound like a valve tap? its a defined, rather loud tapping that increases speed with acceleration/engine revs. Valve tap indicates two things. Valves out of adjustment, but your car has VANOS, so this cant really be the case unless your vanos is failing. Check the valve cover gasket.

Where is it coming from, try to pinpoint this. If its coming from the oil pan, it could indicate a leak/failing oil pump.

If its coming from the valve covers, its a valve issue. check your spark plugs for oil. If the oil is apparent around the "top" of the plug, then you need a valve cover seal. I'm in the process of this.

Fan clutch is another suspect. When the car is off, spin the engine fan, it should spin with a little resistance. If its "freewheeling" your fan clutch is bad, if its difficult to spin, fan clutch is bad.

Also look for something hitting your fan.

Hope it helps!