strange noise

[RChoudry]

Since new, my car's had a strange chatter (almost sounds electrical) when in 2nd gear that I hear with the window down while in the parking garage. It's readily reproducible. It's been there both before and after the clutch replacement I had when the pedal had the clicking noise and feel. It doesn't affect performance in any way, but I'm curious to know what it is. ?dual mass flywheel ?problem with the gearbox ?no problem at all.
?catalytic converter cover

I vaguely recollect that my previous 330i did something similar but I'm not 100% sure.

It last about 1-2 seconds and then goes away. It's only in 2nd gear between 5-20 miles per hour. It comes back while I'm in 2nd gear if I slow down and then speed back up to 5-20 mph. It doesn't occur in any other gear. It's coming from underneath the car between front-middle area

Like I said, I'm not gonna pull anything apart, it's purely an academic curiosity. Any thoughts?

[jamietre]

On mine it's easiest to reproduce in 2nd gear at low RPMs (e.g. 1000-1500) again I only hear it in parking garages. I actually tried to get a tech to hear it when I had my car in for another reason, but we didn't have a parking garage available and I couldn't really hear it driving next to a wall... so nothing came of it...

to me it sounds like a crackling, almost as if something was brushing against the wheel or rotor. But it seems gear & torque related, not speed related

[AF]

Let me put you in a garage with my Eclipse and all of a sudden you'll notice how incredibly quiet your BMW really is . . .

. . . Holy Sh*t does that car make some weird noises . . . but the crazy thing is, these noises are all normal and they are on all similiar cars.

So what I'm telling you is DON'T SWEAT IT !!!

All cars make certain strange mechancial & electrical noises when they are in garages . . . 99.9% of the people don't hear them or notice them . . . only us guys who have good old OCD :) :)

[RChoudry]

you know what Alan, you've calmed down quite a bit in regards to e46 problems!

your level-headedness and words of wisdom are always welcome!


I still wanna know what that noise is!

did you get my belated PM?

[RChoudry]

jaimetre,

that's exactly it. you've got the same noise. when I see that more than one owner has a particular symptom, it's somewhat reassuring at times.

[AF]

Originally posted by RChoudry
you know what Alan, you've calmed down quite a bit in regards to e46 problems!

your level-headedness and words of wisdom are always welcome!


I still wanna know what that noise is!

did you get my belated PM?

Thanks for the kind words Buddy . . . beleive me, I've been there . . . too many times !!!

Yes I got your PM and also about wanting to know what the noise is . . . I don't blame you, I'd want to know also :thumbup:

[Ben Chou]

My guess is the Exhaust flap closing and opening. It make a metallic scraping like sound when it does this.

[jamietre]

Originally posted by Alan F
Let me put you in a garage with my Eclipse and all of a sudden you'll notice how incredibly quiet your BMW really is . . .

. . . Holy Sh*t does that car make some weird noises . . . but the crazy thing is, these noises are all normal and they are on all similiar cars.

So what I'm telling you is DON'T SWEAT IT !!!

All cars make certain strange mechancial & electrical noises when they are in garages . . . 99.9% of the people don't hear them or notice them . . . only us guys who have good old OCD :) :)

Good advice, know what you mean about other cars... e.g. I've been listening to the wierd noises that my 1994 Volvo 850 (manual) makes wondering if its got a transmission problem... very rattly gearish sound while driving in certain gear/torque situations. Check tranny fluid level, no problem... Loud as hell in a garage, you can even hear it driving normally as a thin rattling sound. Hard to compare another car since you don't see too many manual Volvo 850s...

Anyway, it's now 20,000 miles since I first noticed it so I've stopped sweating it, problably just the way that car is. but it's still hard not to listen to it and wonder a bit every time you hear it.

[bmwsfca]

As much as those strange noises and clutch pedal feel has me wondering at times. I must agree that there is something comforting about hearing that I am not alone.

I've come to just consider these things as "characteristics" of the model and make.

The car does drive well and performs better than most.

As long as it doesn't leave me stranded anywhere....I'm learing to live with it.

[Kaz]

I get a clatter that does sound like relays clicking away, but usually when slipping the clutch to crawl in 1st or reverse. My guess is the dualmass flywheel.

[WDC330i]

I have the same noise. It's especially noticeable in my office parking garage, and going over speed bumps.

The noise is louder and more obvious at low rpms in 2nd gear.

I have a 2002 330i SP, manual.

I didn't notice the noise in my 2001 330i non-sport suspension, step.

[RChoudry]

hmmm, looks like more and more people recognize this noise or "characteristic".

[AF]

Are you guys sure that sound isn't the fuel pump ??

It makes a loud kind of electrical sounding noise . . .

[debaser330ci]

I'd bet the farm that it's the exhaust valve clacking and clicking as it opens and closes. perfectly normal. took me awhile to figure out what it was.

I hear the SAME EXACT noise in my car and ONLY in the parking garage! Next time you go in there, notice how the tone of the exhaust changes from a more throaty deep burble to a quieter tone right after you hear the noise.

I've gotten to the point now where I can make the valve open and close in the garage by modulating the throttle. It's kind of fun because there's a certain throttle position that makes some of the more sensitive car alarms in the garage chirp in protest!

If you're in doubt, disconnect the valve (do a search for info) before you go in the garage and see if you hear the noise.