Does anyone here who also have the M3's 2.3L sadan have this ticking/tapping noise from the engine comparment? it's really annoying and only has 2400 miles but the ticking/tapping started at about the first 1k. It starts at first start up and not bad a first then after the car has warmed up and driven for little while and the ticking/tapping gets little louder. I just wanna know if other's who have the same model have this. Thanks all!

 

I have an 04 2.3 M3, i get the same ticks. More pronounced after I get around the 3000 interval before fluid changes. Which makes since. I dont think its anything to be worried about if its the same tick Im talking about. I think its basically the knock of the engine, which is mostly fuel dependent I beleive, so if you live in moderate climates the fuel mix will change and your ticking may be louder on some days and softer on others depending on the temperature shifts going on. Where I live, we have a winter mix fuel, but sometimes it can get up to 60 in the winter so the fuel blend isnt perfect for the temp, I get more knocking. Nothing to be worried about.

 

You might just be hearing the fuel injectors, although that's more common on the 2.3 Turbo (CX-7, Mazdaspeed 3, Mazdaspeed 6) motor. Just make sure you have 4.5 US quarts of 5w20 motor oil at each oil change. If you believe something is going wrong, since you're so low on miles, take a visit to the dealer when it's really loud, and ask them about itsee if it's a problem or if it's normal. Make sure you get that assessment from a senior or master technicianNOT the service advisor (front counter guy). Sometimes the service advisor may know, but they don't work on these cars. We (the technicians) do, and are trained by Mazda on them. If for whatever reason the advisor refuses to let you speak to a technician when one is free, find another dealer. Good luck! =>