strange noise from under hood

SixBanger · 10-30-2012, 09:27 PM

Last night on my way home from school I noticed a cricket-like sound coming from the engine. So, I kept moving and thought it was just coming from the head of the engine due to no oil pressure and vehicle sitting for a couple hours. Today the engine still makes the noise and it's easily heard with all windows closed and no music. I go into Vista tomorrow morning because it's got me freaking out a little. Could it be the Vanos? My car only has 48k miles on it.

MGallop · 10-30-2012, 09:37 PM

record the noise and post it up

SixBanger · 10-30-2012, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PADLOCK

record the noise and post it up

I did last night and photobucket wont allow me to upload it to their website.

SixBanger · 10-30-2012, 09:57 PM

I just don't wanna go to the dealership again because I'm always there for car issues. Now this and if I hear them say " Mr. Tracey: "We couldn't duplicate the problem" again I'm gonna go nuts!!

Dackelone · 10-31-2012, 03:28 AM

Believe it or not... I think that cricket noise is coming from the engine's rear main seal. There have been a few posts how BMW dealers have to pull the trans off and replace that seal - to get rid of the noise. Mine does it too... and its not worth it to me to pull the trans and replace it now. Maybe down the road when I have to replace my clutch.

SHFT · 10-31-2012, 10:15 PM

Did it sound anything like this? If so i am also trying to find out what this noise is its been fairly intermittent but i had the chance to get it on video so My SA could hear it for himself.

SixBanger · 11-01-2012, 10:48 PM

Update: I brought my car to Jiffy Lube to do an oil service about 3 weeks ago and now it has caught up to me. I brought my car into Vista BMW (Wednesday) due to a noise that I heard at idle and other things had to be done too. So, today my SA called me up and asked me who did my last oil change? I told them and they weren't surprised because they fuct it up. When they put back my drain bolt after draining the oil they used the wrong crusher washer and not the one I brought with my oil kit. They used a crusher washer they supplied and they marked the bottom of my pan with a blue and yellow marking. The yellow and blue marking is a way they know if the bolt has been torqued down. Ever since this oil change Vista told me I leaked out a quart of oil. None of my CEL lights went off so I think I'll be ok. I'm really embarassed and bad that this happened. How could such a simple job go soo wrong?

Low Gravity · 11-02-2012, 12:13 AM

[QUOTE=SixBanger;12928615]Update: I brought my car to Jiffy Lube to do an oil service about 3 weeks ago and now it has caught up to me. I brought my car into Vista BMW (Wednesday) due to a noise that I heard at idle and other things had to be done too. So, today my SA called me up and asked me who did my last oil change? I told them and they weren't surprised because they fuct it up. When they put back my drain bolt after draining the oil they used the wrong crusher washer and not the one I brought with my oil kit. They used a crusher washer they supplied and they marked the bottom of my pan with a blue and yellow marking. The yellow and blue marking is a way they know if the bolt has been torqued down. Ever since this oil change Vista told me I leaked out a quart of oil. None of my CEL lights went off so I think I'll be ok. I'm really embarassed and bad that this happened. How could such a simple job go soo wrong?

Why, because Jiffy Lube...

tuco44 · 11-02-2012, 12:19 AM

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER ever take your BMW to a place like Jiffy Lube.

You buy a $40K or $50K car and then let Jiffy Lube change your oil?

Crazy.....

gdub · 11-05-2012, 12:24 AM

i've got a great story involving jiffy lube but not a bmw (THANK GOD!)

my brother in law worked at one. my mom is super cheap, so she had gotten this 1996 grand am from my uncle and drove it for a few years with only liability insurance because she didn't want to buy a new car. the car had a perfect maintenance record, and had been taken care of and ran perfectly, this was probably in 2004. she took the car to my brother in law at jiffy lube to get the oil changed. he changed the oil, but when he put on the oil filter, he hadn't taken the old rubber seal washer thing on the filter off, or at least checked to see if it came off with the uninstall of the old filter. he put the new one on, obviously now the filter wasn't on all the way. she heard a noise driving down the highway about 15 minutes later, and about 5 seconds after that the motor seized.

guess who paid for a new motor? no one.

the car was scrap at that point. jiffy lube refused to pay for it, my brother in law refused to pay for it, and my mom never pursued any of them. i think they ended up giving the car to a junkyard.

so yea, never take your 1er to a jiffy lube. unless it's for a state inspection.... that you really can't screw anything up on.

Tee-Dub · 11-05-2012, 12:38 AM

Dude, that does not look like something to tell them the bolt has been torqued. That looks like the classic "we cross threaded the bolt, fucked it up, globbed on sealant to try and get it to quit leaking (which it didn't) and sent this poor schmuck on his way with out telling him.

Dackelone · 11-05-2012, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tee-Dub

Dude, that does not look like something to tell them the bolt has been torqued. That looks like the classic "we cross threaded the bolt, fucked it up, globbed on sealant to try and get it to quit leaking (which it didn't) and sent this poor schmuck on his way with out telling him.

^^+1. You oil pan threads are F@#% up!

jiffylubeintl · 11-05-2012, 08:53 AM

Hi there - we would like to touch base with you and hear more about your experience at a local service center. Could you e-mail us your contact information (phone # and e-mail address), the best time to reach you and the location you visited at jiffy-lube-customer-service@shell.com? Thanks.

brusk · 11-05-2012, 09:09 AM

My roommate just had his oil changed at a cheap jiffy lube or equivelant and now his sunfire beater is leaking oil about a quart a week. The screwed it up so bad we can't get the bolt to tighten or to even come back out so it can be fixed somehow. It's amazing that the shops let people work there. On the plus side try to take it back to them and make them pay the bill. I had a friend years ago that had then do an oil change and they put ATF instead of oil in the engine and blew it up. They had to pay a local shop to put another engine in here car.

SixBanger · 11-05-2012, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brusk

My roommate just had his oil changed at a cheap jiffy lube or equivelant and now his sunfire beater is leaking oil about a quart a week. The screwed it up so bad we can't get the bolt to tighten or to even come back out so it can be fixed somehow. It's amazing that the shops let people work there. On the plus side try to take it back to them and make them pay the bill. I had a friend years ago that had then do an oil change and they put ATF instead of oil in the engine and blew it up. They had to pay a local shop to put another engine in here car.

Yeah.... I feel bad and wasn't thinking. I've called the owner of Jiffy Lube and he hasn't called me back yet. He did call the dealership so my service advisor could explain what went wrong, and now he's not answering when I called earlier today. I will call him from my work line tomorrow.
When they did the oil change they never put back the piece that opens and closes to allow you to change oil. So I had to pay for 2 quarts of oil loss, crusher washer, drain bolt, and missing plastic door piece. It's not much but it's principle and very stressful to go through. NEVER AGAIN!

SixBanger · 11-05-2012, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jiffylubeintl

Hi there - we would like to touch base with you and hear more about your experience at a local service center. Could you e-mail us your contact information (phone # and e-mail address), the best time to reach you and the location you visited at jiffy-lube-customer-service@shell.com? Thanks.

If the owner of Jiffy Lube doesn't get back to me tomorrow I will email you.

SixBanger · 11-05-2012, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dackelone

^^+1. You oil pan threads are F@#% up!

I brought my car to the dealership last week for other issues and they found it just like this. They called me and told me how they found it and they replaced all parts that weren't OEM to OEM and topped off oil. Everything has been taken care of. Live and learn what can I say?

Dackelone · 11-06-2012, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SixBanger

I brought my car to the dealership last week for other issues and they found it just like this. They called me and told me how they found it and they replaced all parts that weren't OEM to OEM and topped off oil. Everything has been taken care of. Live and learn what can I say?

Did you need a new oil pan? $$$ Or just the drain plug/screw? My money was on a new oil pan.

SixBanger · 11-06-2012, 07:36 AM

No oil pan was needed

SixBanger · 11-07-2012, 12:26 AM

I'm still encountering this odd noise from the engine bay. It's being heard while I'm driving and it's not a consistent tick. Now, I've been to one dealership to have them look at this and they're telling me it's the injectors, BS!.. I'm going to a different dealership on Friday and hopefully this can be solved. Any input?

loesch · 11-07-2012, 12:36 AM

So is the noise now a tick instead of a cricket sound? I think most N54, N55 are fairly loud engines. My friend's ticks like crazy.

I had an issue when blipping the throttle where it would sound like a mouse under the hood. It was in fact what Dackelone said about the rear main seal. There was a service bulletin but for an N55. They replaced it for free. Does throttle / rpm make any difference in the sound?

SixBanger · 11-12-2012, 07:59 PM

I brought my car to another dealership because the first one couldn't replicate the noise I'm encountering while driving. It's been 5 days and no return call from advisor telling me anything, of course I have to go after them whenever I need to know the status of my car. . In the morning I go to the dealership for another ride with the foreman. People what do I do? This is nuts!

10-30-2012, 09:27 PM	#1
SixBanger Captain 187 Rep 645 Posts Drives: 08 135i Join Date: Apr 2005 iTrader: (0)	strange noise from under hood Last night on my way home from school I noticed a cricket-like sound coming from the engine. So, I kept moving and thought it was just coming from the head of the engine due to no oil pressure and vehicle sitting for a couple hours. Today the engine still makes the noise and it's easily heard with all windows closed and no music. I go into Vista tomorrow morning because it's got me freaking out a little. Could it be the Vanos? My car only has 48k miles on it.
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10-30-2012, 09:37 PM	#2
MGallop Major 49 Rep 1,072 Posts Drives: 12' 135i Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: San Jose, California iTrader: (1) Garage List 2012 BMW 135i [10.00]	record the noise and post it up __________________ Matthew Gallop: '12 N55 Mods: JB4 Flex ISO \| iCarbon DP \| VRSF 5" FMIC \| BMS Intake \| ER Charge Pipe \| Race Axleback \| ST Coils \| Alufelgen CS7's \| iCarbon 3 fin Diffuser \| Blackline LCI \| CarbonFiber Spoiler \| Orion v4 AE's \| 30% tint \| red+blk roundels \| Cyba Scoops \| H-Style front Lip \| WeissLicht LED Smoked Sidemarkers \| Matte Grills \| Coded \|
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10-30-2012, 09:57 PM	#4
SixBanger Captain 187 Rep 645 Posts Drives: 08 135i Join Date: Apr 2005 iTrader: (0)	I just don't wanna go to the dealership again because I'm always there for car issues. Now this and if I hear them say " Mr. Tracey: "We couldn't duplicate the problem" again I'm gonna go nuts!!
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10-31-2012, 03:28 AM	#5
Dackelone European Editor 10528 Rep 22,992 Posts Drives: N54 e82 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bayern, Germany iTrader: (1)	Believe it or not... I think that cricket noise is coming from the engine's rear main seal. There have been a few posts how BMW dealers have to pull the trans off and replace that seal - to get rid of the noise. Mine does it too... and its not worth it to me to pull the trans and replace it now. Maybe down the road when I have to replace my clutch. __________________ Dackel's European Delivery Museum Guide
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10-31-2012, 10:15 PM	#6
SHFT Second Lieutenant 9 Rep 274 Posts Drives: '08 135i 6MT Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Charlotte iTrader: (1)	Did it sound anything like this? If so i am also trying to find out what this noise is its been fairly intermittent but i had the chance to get it on video so My SA could hear it for himself. __________________ aFe, UUC, Macht Schnell, Bilstein, Swift, REMUS, ETS, BMS and some other shiii...
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11-01-2012, 10:48 PM	#7
SixBanger Captain 187 Rep 645 Posts Drives: 08 135i Join Date: Apr 2005 iTrader: (0)	Update: I brought my car to Jiffy Lube to do an oil service about 3 weeks ago and now it has caught up to me. I brought my car into Vista BMW (Wednesday) due to a noise that I heard at idle and other things had to be done too. So, today my SA called me up and asked me who did my last oil change? I told them and they weren't surprised because they fuct it up. When they put back my drain bolt after draining the oil they used the wrong crusher washer and not the one I brought with my oil kit. They used a crusher washer they supplied and they marked the bottom of my pan with a blue and yellow marking. The yellow and blue marking is a way they know if the bolt has been torqued down. Ever since this oil change Vista told me I leaked out a quart of oil. None of my CEL lights went off so I think I'll be ok. I'm really embarassed and bad that this happened. How could such a simple job go soo wrong?
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11-02-2012, 12:13 AM	#8
Low Gravity Private 28 Rep 59 Posts Drives: 435i, 135i, s52 325is Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Denver iTrader: (0)	[QUOTE=SixBanger;12928615]Update: I brought my car to Jiffy Lube to do an oil service about 3 weeks ago and now it has caught up to me. I brought my car into Vista BMW (Wednesday) due to a noise that I heard at idle and other things had to be done too. So, today my SA called me up and asked me who did my last oil change? I told them and they weren't surprised because they fuct it up. When they put back my drain bolt after draining the oil they used the wrong crusher washer and not the one I brought with my oil kit. They used a crusher washer they supplied and they marked the bottom of my pan with a blue and yellow marking. The yellow and blue marking is a way they know if the bolt has been torqued down. Ever since this oil change Vista told me I leaked out a quart of oil. None of my CEL lights went off so I think I'll be ok. I'm really embarassed and bad that this happened. How could such a simple job go soo wrong? Why, because Jiffy Lube...
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11-02-2012, 12:19 AM	#9
tuco44 Colonel 644 Rep 2,294 Posts Drives: 2018 340i xDrive M Perf Edtn Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Western Canada iTrader: (0)	NEVER, NEVER, NEVER ever take your BMW to a place like Jiffy Lube. You buy a $40K or $50K car and then let Jiffy Lube change your oil? Crazy..... __________________ 2018 340i xDrive M Perf Edtn Sunset Orange Previous BMWs - 19 others since 1971.
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11-05-2012, 12:24 AM	#10
gdub Private First Class 18 Rep 144 Posts Drives: none Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: dfw iTrader: (0)	i've got a great story involving jiffy lube but not a bmw (THANK GOD!) my brother in law worked at one. my mom is super cheap, so she had gotten this 1996 grand am from my uncle and drove it for a few years with only liability insurance because she didn't want to buy a new car. the car had a perfect maintenance record, and had been taken care of and ran perfectly, this was probably in 2004. she took the car to my brother in law at jiffy lube to get the oil changed. he changed the oil, but when he put on the oil filter, he hadn't taken the old rubber seal washer thing on the filter off, or at least checked to see if it came off with the uninstall of the old filter. he put the new one on, obviously now the filter wasn't on all the way. she heard a noise driving down the highway about 15 minutes later, and about 5 seconds after that the motor seized. guess who paid for a new motor? no one. the car was scrap at that point. jiffy lube refused to pay for it, my brother in law refused to pay for it, and my mom never pursued any of them. i think they ended up giving the car to a junkyard. so yea, never take your 1er to a jiffy lube. unless it's for a state inspection.... that you really can't screw anything up on.
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11-05-2012, 12:38 AM	#11
Tee-Dub Captain 35 Rep 753 Posts Drives: 2008 135i Join Date: May 2009 Location: Vancouver, WA iTrader: (9)	Dude, that does not look like something to tell them the bolt has been torqued. That looks like the classic "we cross threaded the bolt, fucked it up, globbed on sealant to try and get it to quit leaking (which it didn't) and sent this poor schmuck on his way with out telling him.
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11-05-2012, 08:53 AM	#13
jiffylubeintl Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: Toyota Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Houston iTrader: (0)	Jiffy Lube International Response Hi there - we would like to touch base with you and hear more about your experience at a local service center. Could you e-mail us your contact information (phone # and e-mail address), the best time to reach you and the location you visited at jiffy-lube-customer-service@shell.com? Thanks.
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11-05-2012, 09:09 AM	#14
brusk Lieutenant 33 Rep 578 Posts Drives: 2008 135i Coupe Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Cleveland, TN iTrader: (1)	My roommate just had his oil changed at a cheap jiffy lube or equivelant and now his sunfire beater is leaking oil about a quart a week. The screwed it up so bad we can't get the bolt to tighten or to even come back out so it can be fixed somehow. It's amazing that the shops let people work there. On the plus side try to take it back to them and make them pay the bill. I had a friend years ago that had then do an oil change and they put ATF instead of oil in the engine and blew it up. They had to pay a local shop to put another engine in here car. __________________ 2008 135i - MHD/JB4, MS DP's, AMS IC, UI CAI, CDV delete, M3 control arms/Links, RE Toe Link, ECS Trailing Arm, M3 rear SF & Trans bushings, SS brake lines, Michelin PSS.
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11-06-2012, 07:36 AM	#19
SixBanger Captain 187 Rep 645 Posts Drives: 08 135i Join Date: Apr 2005 iTrader: (0)	No oil pan was needed
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11-07-2012, 12:26 AM	#20
SixBanger Captain 187 Rep 645 Posts Drives: 08 135i Join Date: Apr 2005 iTrader: (0)	I'm still encountering this odd noise from the engine bay. It's being heard while I'm driving and it's not a consistent tick. Now, I've been to one dealership to have them look at this and they're telling me it's the injectors, BS!.. I'm going to a different dealership on Friday and hopefully this can be solved. Any input?
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11-07-2012, 12:36 AM	#21
loesch Captain 129 Rep 917 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW 135i M Sport Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: State College, PA iTrader: (4)	So is the noise now a tick instead of a cricket sound? I think most N54, N55 are fairly loud engines. My friend's ticks like crazy. I had an issue when blipping the throttle where it would sound like a mouse under the hood. It was in fact what Dackelone said about the rear main seal. There was a service bulletin but for an N55. They replaced it for free. Does throttle / rpm make any difference in the sound?
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11-12-2012, 07:59 PM	#22
SixBanger Captain 187 Rep 645 Posts Drives: 08 135i Join Date: Apr 2005 iTrader: (0)	I brought my car to another dealership because the first one couldn't replicate the noise I'm encountering while driving. It's been 5 days and no return call from advisor telling me anything, of course I have to go after them whenever I need to know the status of my car. . In the morning I go to the dealership for another ride with the foreman. People what do I do? This is nuts!
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