Odd howl/whine at 15mph

N

njmurvin

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My wife's 2001 330cic has the strangest howl/whine at 15mph or so. It goes away as soon as the speed goes above or below. I haven't checked to see if it does it in neutral (now that I think of it, that would be some valuable input, DUH!). Anyway, I thought I'd post in case anyone has an idea what it could be.

I bought the car with 50k on it and have put another 30k or so on it. It has done this since we got it and I attributed it to the rear tires. However, I replaced the tires and it's still doing it - I swear it's getting worse with time.

Any ideas . . . wheel bearing, differential, ????

I have the BMW CPO warranty still in effect. Hopefully, whatever it is, it will be covered.
 
aNoodle

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njmurvin said:
My wife's 2001 330cic has the strangest howl/whine at 15mph or so. It goes away as soon as the speed goes above or below. I haven't checked to see if it does it in neutral (now that I think of it, that would be some valuable input, DUH!). Anyway, I thought I'd post in case anyone has an idea what it could be.

I bought the car with 50k on it and have put another 30k or so on it. It has done this since we got it and I attributed it to the rear tires. However, I replaced the tires and it's still doing it - I swear it's getting worse with time.

Any ideas . . . wheel bearing, differential, ????

I have the BMW CPO warranty still in effect. Hopefully, whatever it is, it will be covered.
Click to expand...
Yeah, would be a good idea to check it in neutral so you can tell them. Could be a number of things as you say....torque whine, wheel bearing, differental (though not at your miles i hope), pulley squeal...just too many possiblities with your wifes limited description.
 
N

njmurvin

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I've observed it myself . . . and feel stupid that I have never slipped it into N to see if it goes away - but I will.

It seems to be most noticeable on deceleration, if that makes any difference. Once you get below or go above about 15mph, it completely goes away. As I said, I thought it was tires. But, after replacing the tires, it persisted.

I'm just hoping it isn't a drivetrain issue (trans, diff, etc.). It might be time for a dealer visit while the CPO warranty is still in effect.
 
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njmurvin

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OK. Finally got around to checking.

It does it in Neutral too. It still sounds like a tire to me, but the tires (back) are new. I suppose it could be the fronts, but it sure sounds like it's coming from back. Also, I suppose it could be a bent rear rim or bad wheel bearing.

Any other thoughts?
 
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William330

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Some tires do make lots of road noise. I used to have Goodyear
Gatorbacks on my 300-ZX and people would turn around half a
block away to see what all the noise was about.

The tread block size and spacing can interact with the road at certain
speeds, which essentially translate into resonance frequencies.

Not saying this is definitely your problem, but it could be the problem,
 
///M SPEED

///M SPEED

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William330 said:
Some tires do make lots of road noise. I used to have Goodyear Gatorbacks on my 300-ZX and people would turn around half a
block away to see what all the noise was about.
Click to expand...
Man those were some great tires. I love them when they were made...
 
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