Hello
Im new to this usenet thing so i don't really know the netiquette behind it, i do appologize in advance.
So here is the scenario:
2000 BMW E46 323i 4-door with 81000 miles on it. This noise has been happening off and on for the past year or so and shops can't figure out what it is. It basically sounds like a "a tennis ball being hit with a racket but more metallic". The popping gets faster as I accelerate but it stops around 40mph. The noise does not happen when i coast, only when i step on the accelerator.One interesting observation, but hardly scientifically tested is, that the noise went away for a few days and when i went to fill up my tank, I checked my air(last time i checked was around 2 weeks prior) and it was at 28psi. I filled it to 34psi all the way around, and the popping noise came back.
Any ideas?
Also, today I will drive it in different gears (its an auto with "steptronic") and see if it occurs only on particular gears.
Lastly, an off topic question. Has anyone taken out their A/C faceplace? Do you know how far back it goes or is it just a surface thing.
The reason I ask is, I got the crazy idea to remount the faceplace on to two hinges on the bottom so i could hide an LCD where the A/C is, and have the A/C faceplate "pop down" when I want the LCD screen to appear. Just an idea.
Thank you all very much for your help.