Tapping noise on bmw e46

[Vicious_tuning]

Good afternoon guys.
I require some advice regarding my BMW E46 2002 318i facelift. My last post was sometime last year regarding the gearbox which i had to replace. 1 months back my exhaust camshaft broke and was replaced. But my problem is a rattling noise from the engine which has been there ever since i bought the car a year back. It sounds like a tapping noise which gets louder when the car is in strain like going up a hill. I noticed when the camshaft was replaced that the upper chain guide has a play from back to forth and was wondering if that play could be causing the problem.

Another issue is with my rear diff bushing. It has a crack .. so the car is clunking very bad when breaking but when each gear is changed, there is that clunk but it's something that's not so seviour than when breaking. Could this be the reason why my transmission light has turned on...

Any help will be appreciated. Thank you

 

[Tinuva]

You mention the upper chain guide has play. Could be the chain tensioner, which is know nto eventually go on these engines (N42/N46). Probably want to look at that soon as it can cause nasty failure if the chain jump over the teeth.

Its easy to see if the chain tensioner have been replaced, the newer version released by BMW is bigger (I think) than the old one, so its something you can inspect on the engine without opening it up even. There even guides on youtube that shows you how easy it is to diy.

I replaced mine as preventative maintenance even though it was fine.

Keep in mind, this may not be the reason for the tapping noise. What you could do, is record a video around different parts of the engine while it makes the tapping noise. This will allow others to give better advise of what the cause could be.

 

[KingKalie]

Hydraulic lifters could also be an issue if it seems like a constant timed/rhythmic ticking although I could be wrong because I am unsure if the 4 cyl has hydraulic lifters

 

[evnmopwr]

Good afternoon guys.
I require some advice regarding my BMW E46 2002 318i facelift. My last post was sometime last year regarding the gearbox which i had to replace. 1 months back my exhaust camshaft broke and was replaced. But my problem is a rattling noise from the engine which has been there ever since i bought the car a year back. It sounds like a tapping noise which gets louder when the car is in strain like going up a hill. I noticed when the camshaft was replaced that the upper chain guide has a play from back to forth and was wondering if that play could be causing the problem.

Another issue is with my rear diff bushing. It has a crack .. so the car is clunking very bad when breaking but when each gear is changed, there is that clunk but it's something that's not so seviour than when breaking. Could this be the reason why my transmission light has turned on...

Any help will be appreciated. Thank you

Get yourself a Mechanics Stethescope and us it to isolate the Issue.
Its a handy tool to have in any garage

But "tapping" could be a few things
Your observation is but 1 of a few possibilities..

maybe post a Video of it??