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Diesel sounding 318i

28K views 19 replies 16 participants last post by  IrieHarry 
#1 ·
Hi Guys

ever since i bought my car (black liquorice), people have been asking me if its a diesel, which is highly annoying.
its a late 2004 318i 4cyl

the engine, when idling, sounds like it has rowdy tappets or fuel injectors
i haven't had the chance of hearing other 318i's idling, so im wondering if anyone else has this problem. (if it is a problem)

also, i get around 11L/100km fuel consumption with mixed driving. is this ok for a 318i?

attached is a pic of liquorice
 

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#8 ·
hi Nish,

I have a 318i Individual ..the sound is totally normal nd when i first purchased it i thought excatly the same as you ..however the sound is really only noticeable at first start in the morning ..there after it is much quieter ... ive notioced that switching on my car everymorning and letting it idle for 5 minutes before i drive eradictaes the prob .. on the fuel economy .. im getting very similar to you
 
#13 ·
Hi I have a 2003 318i A/T with 101000 on it and it does the same. I do not drive much with the car since I ahve a company vehicle but when i go on the road with the family and turn into a fuel station it sounds like a 320d at idle so much so that the attendant nearly put diesel in my tank. I am happy to hear that its normal.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Hey suprising how the section for RSA is so lonely...anyway i got a 318i too. the car is great but for that annoying *metal like sound. i have tried to locate the source and it seems to originate from around the belt areas. the sound gets more pronounced when i press the clutch sometimes even the accelerator while idling.
 
#18 ·
Hi Everyone
i have a BMW 318i 2004 model, and it also sounds like a diesel engine. when i got the car @ 131000km's on the clock it did not sound as loud but now @ 176000km's i am getting very worried. Searched for solutions online and changed the timing chain tension er as suggested on one of the sites but noticed no difference. what worries me is the ticking noise varies in volume at times and seems to be coming from the front of the engine around the timing chain. does anybody have an idea why the sound varies when idling and what else i can try do to eliminate the sound or at least quiet it down a bit. Will a thicker oil make a difference or do i stand a chance of causing damage by using a thicker grade of oil. Maybe it's a dumb question but i would really like to sort this out
 
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