Whiny Engine Noise w/video

Hey guys!

A month or so ago I noticed a sound coming from the front end of my vehicle. The noise is similar to a howling type of sound. I heard it while driving, during acceleration. A short time after the noise went away. The noise recently came back. I noticed that when I am making sharp turns that the noise appears to be coming from the engine bay. Could this be the belts? The noise is too inconsistent for me to tell. The best description of the noise is that is similar to a whiny sound.

Neutral! Does that soind occur in neutral?

Sounds like something that is forced onto something else and gets eaten up...
crankshaft pulley?

No, during acceleration and when turning.

vsix wrote

Neutral! Does that soind occur in neutral?

simpleM3 wrote

No, during acceleration and when turning.

Wait...so it occurs when the driveline is involved....
Please be exact on your above mentioned issue. You have these sounds on acceleration AND turning? Not just at acceleration or turning?
The reason why I'm askng is to rule out the steering pump.
Did you allready looked into your engine bay and checked the pulley's? Pulley wobble somewhere?

Check your power steering fluid... That is what it sounds like... It's probably very low... It takes 1 min to check it and you can at least eliminate that easily by looking... If the fluid is low top it off with fluid... Local dealer or order online only... Auto part stores don't usually stock it, as it is brand specific... If not low on power steering fluid, then move to the pulleys and belt area for further trouble shooting...

It's inconsistent, meaning that I don't always have the issue. It comes and goes which doesn't make any sense. Like this morning, i drove 16 miles and had no issues. I also didn't have any issues yesterday either. It randomly appears and goes away on its own. In terms of what causes it, i've noticed that hard turns initiates it some times. when the noise appears, it gets louder when I accelerate. I'm not a mechanic and I am no expert on the engine, but it sounds it could be the belts or pulley's. what you're seeing the in the video is me driving down to the third level of my garage. You'll notice that the noise gets louder every time I am turning

vsix wrote

Wait...so it occurs when the driveline is involved....
Please be exact on your above mentioned issue. You have these sounds on acceleration AND turning? Not just at acceleration or turning?
The reason why I'm askng is to rule out the steering pump.
Did you allready looked into your engine bay and checked the pulley's? Pulley wobble somewhere?

IIAp3x wrote

Check your power steering fluid... That is what it sounds like... It's probably very low... It takes 1 min to check it and you can at least eliminate that easily by looking... If the fluid is low top it off with fluid... Local dealer or order online only... Auto part stores don't usually stock it, as it is brand specific... If not low on power steering fluid, then move to the pulleys and belt area for further trouble shooting...

Agreed, sounds like power steering in the video.

Thanks. How do I properly the fluid?

IIAp3x wrote

Check your power steering fluid... That is what it sounds like... It's probably very low... It takes 1 min to check it and you can at least eliminate that easily by looking... If the fluid is low top it off with fluid... Local dealer or order online only... Auto part stores don't usually stock it, as it is brand specific... If not low on power steering fluid, then move to the pulleys and belt area for further trouble shooting...

simpleM3 wrote

Thanks. How do I properly the fluid?

Take the cap off and check the shaft protruding from the bottom; fluid should register close to the full indicator on the shaft... Pentosine makes the fluid for BMW and it comes in a rectangle aluminum can sold by the liter...

Thanks. Found old threads on the matter and from what I can tell it's likely the P/S. Hopefully it just needs to be topped off and there isn't a leak. Picked up a can during lunch so I will check it out after work.

IIAp3x wrote

Take the cap off and check the shaft protruding from the bottom; fluid should register close to the full indicator on the shaft... Pentosine makes the fluid for BMW and it comes in a rectangle aluminum can sold by the liter...

Be sure to post up if you find the problem to be P.S Fluid

It'll be a few days before I'll be able to confirm or rule out the P/S fluid. The problem is that I didn't always get the noise. It would come and go on it's own. I also don't DD the car. With that said, the P/S fluid was really low. I topped it off, so time will tell if the issue is resolved. I didn't find any signs of a leak in the engine bay, but I'm not sure if that's the only place where I should be checking for leaks.

k3silk wrote

Be sure to post up if you find the problem to be P.S Fluid

.

I haven't had the noise come back since adding fluid and I've been driving my car more often than usual. The fluid in the reservoir tank was really low. What's interesting about it now is that I can hear faint noise from the steering column. Not sure what that's all about.

Mach_M3 wrote

In the same exact boat ... I never drive my e92 m3 hard, yesterday decided to slide it a little and that exact same sound came on... it happens when you turn hard... I'm pretty sure its the PS fluid, ill be taking a look at mine today, let keep each other posted on the progress. It gets louder on turns for me too, and isn't always there either, its like the exact issue you are having.

I never do donuts or slides or burnouts, I notice when I put a lot of pressure on the car, like yesterdays powerslide, that sound came instantaneously and was so embarrassing, please tell me what happens with yours!

I will prob add more PS fluid.

Good to hear the noise has subsided now
The only concern I would have now is, where is the fluid is going? Might be worth checking the boots on the rack if there are no drips on the garage floor.

Will do, but what are the boots on the rack?

OzCraig wrote

Good to hear the noise has subsided now
The only concern I would have now is, where is the fluid is going? Might be worth checking the boots on the rack if there are no drips on the garage floor.

*

simpleM3 wrote

Will do, but what are the boots on the rack?

Mach_M3 wrote

I'm thinking that is an analogy hes using... or one of those old time sayings hahah

It might be my Aussie accent And I'm only 38 thankyou hehe

The boots sit between the box and the steering arm. They essentially shield FOD ingress into the rack and wearing the heck out of the rods.
There is typically a teflon seal that sits around the rod to keep the oil in but they can wear and leak over time, then it tends to run and pool into the rack boots. If you give them a bit of a tap and squeeze you can 'feel' if there is any oil in there. If so, time for a rack rebuild.

Hope this helps

Craig


*EDIT* Added a generic boot pic for reference

OzCraig wrote

Good to hear the noise has subsided now
The only concern I would have now is, where is the fluid is going? Might be worth checking the boots on the rack if there are no drips on the garage floor.

Mine was low and I had to add quite a bit to top it off... And I have no leaks... Not really sure what happens to the fluid; maybe it shears down or very slowly evaporates...

I wondering why am I now getting noise from the steering column when I turn right.

simpleM3 wrote

I wondering why am I now getting noise from the steering column when I turn right.

How long did you drive it while it was making noise? if it was very very low you could have jeopardized the pump... Not to freak you out, but when the fluid becomes very low it can introduce air into the hydro lines and pump which is not good... The only thing I am not certain on is whether or not the power steering system will push the air to the top reservoir once it is filled again... It may need to be bled out like a brake line... Flushing it out is good to do occasionally anyways..

Anyone else want to take a stab at the noise?