What is causing my X5 3.0 to whistle during acceleration? past basic troubleshooting
 

Hi everyone, my 03 X5 3.0 with 61K is whistling during acceleration, the sound is mostly noticeable while accelerating from the stop until 15-20mph. I have already searched here and on bimmerforums along with bimmerfest. The air intake has no visible leaks or tears in it. Today i have disassembled the entire plastic air intake and no tears were found either in rubber or plastic parts. I feel that the whistling sound it's not normal as some dealers say. My 03 530i is not making any whistling sound. I know that some members have successfully eliminated the noise by replacing the plastic square box that is attached to the plastic intake manifold on the driver side. I'm bit hesitant to replace it until i could confirm that this part is causing whistling sound.

Please share your thoughts on what to do next. I feel that the extra air that is not metered by the MAF sensor is causing poor gas mileage along with other problems i have been experiencing lately. Last month the ECU threw a code for rich running condition. I've cleared the code and it has not come back yet. Yesterday, my transmission threw a dashboard warning light that i was able to reset by following the reset procedure from the owners manual. Two weeks ago the yellow traction control light along with ABS was illuminated as well. I have cleared the lights and they have not returned yet.

I enjoy the X5, but i don't like how the problems with components/parts have snowballing effect on those vehicles. A small variance in operating parameters on one part causes a handful of problems through out the whole car. A true challenge for home DIY.

Thanks a lot in advance

http://i817.photobucket.com/albums/z...i/IMG_4742.jpg

That whistling sound you are hearing is a common issue with I-6 BMW's its most likely an intake boot leak. I actually have the same whistling it usually kicks in at about 1,800-2,000RPM range. Sounds like a supercharger :)

The tears are normally in the smaller tube that makes a 90' bend. The accordion style adds flexibility however can crack in the folds in cold weather. This happened to me last year AND this year. Good thing that the part is cheap.

To confirm, the sound is a high pitched whistle around the 2k mark. Its loudest during coasting at that mark or initial speed up. It does kindof sound like a supercharger. :)

BMW E53 X5 M54 3.0L > Engine > Intake > ES#34028 Throttle Body Boot - 13541440102

vacuum leak somewhere. start checking your hoes'

Yep, y-pipe on the smaller tube. It's one of many "prone to failure" parts on the X. When you get the new one you will be able to see the poor engineering/design of it and why it cracked on you. The rubber should have been molded in the shape of the bend, instead it was molded straight and becomes permanently stressed when you bend it to install it. Add a few heat/cold cycles to it and you've got crackola. Also, the rubber in the area of the bend is extremely thin. You'll need one of these every 50K miles. This is one of the many parts that were poorly designed originally and that BMW has neglected to redesign. But of course I can see their point of view why they wouldn't. They are making a ton of money off us on the repair/parts side. Also, you have to consider if there will be any long term engine damage done by this cracked part allowing dirt to be sucked right into your engine w/o the benefit of air filtering.

Every 3.0 on the road needs/has needed one or two of these . . . just part of the BMW ownership experience. If you own a 3.0 and haven't replaced it yet, you should because it is cracked.

I'm gonna backup Repoman on this. BMW doesn't design plastic and rubber bits well for dryer climates.

Repo, I got a 1998 GS400 with 130k. Doing the starter this weekend (fingers crossed)

Sweet, that Lexus GS just goes and goes doesn't it.:thumbup: I haven't had to replace my starter yet . . . but come to think of it I haven't had to replace anything else either, what a great car and a great company! Good luck with the starter project . . . shouldn't be too bad.

I can't wait to get rid of my problematic X and replace it with another rediculously dependable Lexus. Afterall, if I wanted to be a mechanic I would have gone to school for it.:D

I had the same issue when I purchased my used x5. We checked all of the vacuum hoses, the gaskets, etc. We found that it was the intake boot. Which is a common problem for x5s!

I'm waiting for the GS350s to depreciate to 20k or so. That 3.5 v6 is a great engine (assuming the brakes work). It's hard to argue against the Lexus

Sorry for the threadjack

Mine whistled and it was the intake boot, mind you I don't know which one or where, it was still under warranty and was replaced by the dealer.

If this part is prone to failure over and over, would wrapping some black duct tape around it before installing it help it live longer??

That's a good question and a good idea. I also was contemplating wrapping mine with a black duct tape or electrical tape before I installed it the other day. I also remember thinking that's pretty sad when I have to wrap new OEM parts on a high-priced vehicle with tape to keep them from failing.:tsk:

I've noticed my x also whistling in the last few months (through the winter time)...sounds like i'll be replacing the intake boot

Thanks for the replies, i've checked the rubber the intake boot and found no tears in it.
Somebody mentioned the DISA unit rubber gasket as another source of whistling noise.

This is the particular spot that you should look on the Y-pipe:

Yes, the DISA valve seal appears to have been designed by a 5 year old so it is definitely a potential vacuum leak too. I have read several posts where members have either made a homemade gasket or just used some kind of RTV gasket maker tube sealant as a backup to the original poorly designed seal.

bump for updates

The update is that if you didn't get rid of your X5 since the last post on this thread then you have wasted tons of money in repairs on a poorly designed and built vehicle...:tsk:

:bustingup :bustingup :bustingup I bought another one LOL

its a 15 dollar intake boot, I don't see replacing it as very hard to do, or expensive for that matter.

I have one sitting on my garage shelf waiting for a couple hours to throw in, I'm not sure if its ever been replaced, but I do get a slight whistling at idle/low rpm's, and with 68k on there now I'm sure its due.

right but if it was the intake boot, wouldnt it do it when the car was stationary? This only makes noise when the car is moving AND the RPM's are in the specified range.....

Not sure, my opinion though is if you have a 3.0 and haven't done the intake boot, just replace it so its one less problem area for a while. 15 bucks is not much money to try and eliminate one possible problem that might fix an issue, then if the whistling is still there, try the next solution, etc.

Survey says intake boot. Must have not looked hard enough the first time. Giddy up

I replaced my intake boot not long ago...
while its apart it's a good idea to clean the intake manifold and purge valve with cleaner..

looks now it's my disa valve

any write ups on swapping out this intake hose pipe?

mines ripped - gave me high pitched whistle, electrical tape confirmed it - looks like a job for a small handed octopus to get the clamps off.
THANKS - would have never figured this out on my own - even feared it was a wheel bearing...

mines ripped - gave me high pitched whistle, electrical tape confirmed it - looks like a job for a small handed octopus to get the clamps off.
THANKS - would have never figured this out on my own - even feared it was a wheel bearing...