I have a '09 Justaclubman with 3873 miles. I will be bringing my car in for the 1 year maintenance in February. Recently, when I was driving with the radio off, I noticed a very faint, fast ticking noise when I accelerate.

There are two strange things about the noise a) I can only hear it when I am accelerating gently, because if I stomp on the gas the engine noise completely masks the ticking noise, and b) it only starts up once the engine is warmed up. Since I bought the car, I have only used Shell Premium (93 octane) . I am going to go buy a bottle of Techron and fill up at BP ( we don't have Chevron in IL or any other Top Tier Gas Stations nearby other than Shell) to see if it's bad gas, but have you guys ever noticed this sound?

 

I'd examine the tire treads closely I picked up a similar noise and it was a screw stuck in the tire ... could also be a rock wedged in

 

Might also be a bad CV joint. Does it get louder while accelerating around a street corner?

 

lifters and injecters make ticking sounds. ticks are ok loud knocking is not.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I don't think it's a CV joint, because it isn't around corners or when steering the car. It's only when I hit the throttle gently and only when the car is warmed up. It is definitely a ticking noise and not a knocking noise.

I don't know if this is related, but within the last 4 months, I have had to top off my coolant (BMW coolant/distilled water 50/50 mixture) twice (second time this morning). The coolant level never went below minimum, when I checked on a cold engine, but level has gone down from where I topped off the coolant (half way between min and max). I guess I will have to bring this up with the service dept. in the next month, because I don't see any fluid underneath the car unless it's an internal leak.

 

Is your wife mad at you?
She may have hired a hitman who installed a cheap, alarm clock bomb.
Hey, it could happen. Look under the dash.

 

Kimbo80,

After the maintenance check, would you mind posting back here and tell us what the mechanic said about this condition?

Thanks...

 

Absolutely. I have been slammed at work lately, but I should be going in before the end of the month for my one year maintenance. Most likely I will have to drive with the technician. Are you experiencing a similar sound?

 

My 09 Clubman S is experiencing the same thing. I only hear it at partial throttle. Stops immediately when it goes on vacuum. Doesn't seem to be RPM dependent. Sounds like something is arching on the passenger side of the engine.

 

I took my car in a couple of weeks ago. The SA said it was normal. Based on the threads I have researched on NAM, a lot of other members hear the same thing. I guess as long as it's not knocking, we are ok.

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