Subtle Wine from Engine

Hey guys, I just picked up a 2008 335xi.

Recently I have noticed a subtle police siren sounding wine coming from the engine which can be faintly heard between about 2000-4000rpm in first and second gear.

Any ideas what this could be?

Thanks in advance.

Does this only occur while the engine is still cold/cool, or all the time?

Originally Posted by galahad05

Does this only occur while the engine is still cold/cool, or all the time?

Now that you mention it, I do believe it occurs mainly while the engine is still cold.

Is your car boosted? That is, tuned?
If you wish, "hypothetically speaking".

Originally Posted by galahad05

Is your car boosted? That is, tuned?
If you wish, "hypothetically speaking".

Nope. It's all stock.

How about when the air conditioning button is on? I'd you turn air conditioning off, does the sound go away?

(My 2008 535xi does this but it is very faint)

Originally Posted by cordoor

How about when the air conditioning button is on? I'd you turn air conditioning off, does the sound go away?

(My 2008 535xi does this but it is very faint)

Makes the sound when the air conditioning is off.

i used to get the whine on my old 2008 328. Would usually happen between 35-50 mph when coasting. When it happened I would try and pretend it was a ferrari

Some people say turbo shaft play, but lots of people with a very loud siren sound would end up tearing into the engine bay and find no end-play.
Some people have mentioned accessory fan belt pulleys.
Some people have mentioned power steering pumps.

As far as I know, no one knows for sure...

Originally Posted by galahad05

Some people say turbo shaft play, but lots of people with a very loud siren sound would end up tearing into the engine bay and find no end-play.
Some people have mentioned accessory fan belt pulleys.
Some people have mentioned power steering pumps.

As far as I know, no one knows for sure...

So would you recommend taking it in before things get worse? Or do you think its a minor issue? I think I'll have a mechanic take a look when I get my winter tires changed.

Also, one guy mentioned alternator clutch....


Generally, the dealerships haven't been able to find anything wrong when the cars were taken in.

Personally, I think all wine should be subtle. Brazen and bold tastes should be left in the gas station flavored-vodka aisle, IMO.

Originally Posted by jiggidy03

So would you recommend taking it in before things get worse? Or do you think its a minor issue? I think I'll have a mechanic take a look when I get my winter tires changed.

Honestly, I'm not sure.
If you can get a mechanic to look it over on the cheap, I guess that would be the prudent thing to do.

Originally Posted by galahad05

Is your car boosted? That is, tuned?
If you wish, "hypothetically speaking".

And if you heard this with a car that has a tune? Hypothetically, of course??

Slightly more likely that it was turbo shaft end play. But even then.....
A tuned N54 is simply going to have more turbo noise than un-tuned. I still haven't seen anything out there that says that this noise is the harbinger of doom. A few people have claimed this, but haven't backed it up with anything. FUD.

OK, sorry, I thought this was about a Corton Charlemagne.

Carry on.

Originally Posted by Kamdog

OK, sorry, I thought this was about a Corton Charlemagne.

Carry on.

I can't believe that took so long.

Was it just too obvious? Or is there a " Performance Vineyard Package" that I missed when spec'ing the jummobile?

jummo

BMWs produce subtle wine from the engine? Merlot, Zinfandel, Riesling?

Police siren whine is deffo turbo on the way out...

Originally Posted by Roleez

BMWs produce subtle wine from the engine? Merlot, Zinfandel, Riesling?

I was thinking Gewürztraminer...

I came for the wine jokes, and am leaving satisfied.

Indeed, but I was hoping for some pairing advice. Any recommendations on what goes well with a subtle Engine Wine?