Anyone have any idea what this transmission whine is?

[WWONG]

Called two dealers just now. First dealer tried to play the logic game with me. "So your warranty expired, and you're wondering whether it's covered under warranty?" Second dealer was much nicer and they said they will see if it can be covered but I'd have to come in to get it diagnosed first, costing up to $160 and seeing if that will be covered by BMW. Set up an appointment... it's three weeks out. Ouch. Just hope it's something stupid like maybe needing more fluid somewhere. I'd gladly pay that. If it needs a new transmission and they won't cover it... jumping ship for a Japanese car.

[ard]

When you had the recall work done, do you recall the SA you dealt with?

Go back there, find him by name and have a chat/ "Hey, you were very helpful with the recall, I am having and issue- the car is just out of warranty- and I am wondering if, in your opinion, this is something I should have you look at." See if he/she will give you any positive indication.

Just an idea.

Setting up an appointment, telling the telephone clerk the issue- them already having the vin pulled up as out of warranty(and the days' cars all listed on the service managers hit list) is not when you FIRST want to see if they will be nice.

[davidmaria1]

Verify that it's not the steering pump. In park, crank the wheel to one side and hold it firmly against full lock, see if the sound gets louder. That sounds like the noise mine made, but a steering fluid flush cured 90% of the noise.

[split71]

If you haven't already, try turning the AC off and see if that makes any difference. I've change many noisy AC compressors through the years.

[X5Boise]

I had an annoying whine that developed in my 35d and it was a bad alternator bearing.

Symptom: engine whine, increased with engine speed, whether in Neutral or Drive. Also, any other failed bearings in the belt pulleys can make the same noise. Just get your assessed and go from there.

I replaced it with a new alternator, although I probably could have found a reputable shop to rebuild it but decided to just go with new.

[LeiZ]

Next step, you can let somebody rev the engine while you put your ears close to the pulleys and see if it gets louder. If you can pinpoint the pulley that'll be the best.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WWONG]

Originally Posted by davidmaria1

Verify that it's not the steering pump. In park, crank the wheel to one side and hold it firmly against full lock, see if the sound gets louder. That sounds like the noise mine made, but a steering fluid flush cured 90% of the noise.

Tried that, sounds the same. My father had an E39 with a screwed up steering pump and that hilarious sound it made still is in my head... doesn't sound like that. The sound I'm hearing sort of sounds like what happens when you leave the transmission at a lower gear and accelerate slowly but never shift up... like a gear is spinning too fast

Originally Posted by split71

If you haven't already, try turning the AC off and see if that makes any difference. I've change many noisy AC compressors through the years.

Makes no difference. I also did just that in the YouTube video in the original post (you can see me turning it off so my phone can try to capture the noise better)

[WWONG]

Just called one dealer to see if I can get the transmission fluid changed and to get a quote on that.. was told it's lifetime and they simply don't do it unless it's leaking. I asked how much it would be to check if it's leaking and top it off and he said it was over $200... lol.

[X5Boise]

As you've mentioned the noise is engine speed dependent, and occurs in Park and Drive, it's directly connected the engine and not the transmission. I wouldn't touch the transmission or transfer case as the noise is still made when it's disengaged when you shift it to Park.

You need to find a good independent shop to get an assessment of what pulley bearings are out. A good shop will have a good stethoscope to use see which is causing your noise. I've listened to your video and it sounded just like my bad alternator bearing. However, any pulley bearing can make that noise.

[WWONG]

Originally Posted by X5Boise

As you've mentioned the noise is engine speed dependent, and occurs in Park and Drive, it's directly connected the engine and not the transmission. I wouldn't touch the transmission or transfer case as the noise is still made when it's disengaged when you shift it to Park.

You need to find a good independent shop to get an assessment of what pulley bearings are out. A good shop will have a good stethoscope to use see which is causing your noise. I've listened to your video and it sounded just like my bad alternator bearing. However, any pulley bearing can make that noise.

Thank you for your reply. It looks like this might be the answer. I parked the vehicle, pressed on the gas with the door open while standing outside. Then I did it again with the hood open and it is definitely louder. I'll have a friend verify it this weekend when I have someone to help me but now it defintely seems to be coming from the engine bay. The hard part now, if it is a pulley, is finding out which one is making the noise. Hopefully, it's the pulley with the bolt replaced from the recall so I won't have trouble having it repaired free.