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      11-01-2017, 10:24 AM   #1
fenix623
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Can anyone help me diagnose this noise?

Hello, I'm a new member looking for some help on my 2011 135i N55. Hopefully I'm posting this in the right section.

I have only had it for about 9 months now and it recently started making this squeaking/chirping noise. It started out as a slight chirping, as you can hear in the first video, but now a week later it's louder and more frequent, see second video. It's heard at idle and revving up to about 4k rpm. The squeaks don't change much when I rev it. I don't ever hear it when driving though, possibly because of wind or road noise. So far I haven't heard it after cold startup. It usually gets bad after driving it for a bit, like after my 30 min commute to work. I figured it was just a belt issue, but after searching I've seen that it could be multiple things, so now I'm even more confused.

I sent the first video to a trusted mechanic and he says it's probably a bearing going out somewhere: alternator bearing, idler bearing/pulley or the tensioner itself. I haven't taken it up there for him to check it out yet because I want to get a better idea of what it might be first.

What do you guys think?

First video:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pdk3x6W74rHkkGr93

Second video, a week later:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/X7m1RQ6N2ronxUpf2

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.
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      11-01-2017, 02:01 PM   #2
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Yep, probably a bearing. Idler or tensioner is the most likely, but it could be anything in the accessory belt drive path. Whatever the case may be, don't wait to get it dealt with. If the belt comes off these motors, it is often sucked into the front crank seal, which will quickly and dramatically send you off to figure out how much a new motor costs. I can't tell in the video, but if the belt is edging off any of the pulleys at all, stop driving the car and replace the pulley and the belt. It's a minor system and an easy fix, but not something to be trifled with.
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      11-01-2017, 02:47 PM   #3
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Oh, wow. Thanks for the heads up. I didn't realize this could cause that big of a problem. I'll get on it right away then. In the second video, towards the end, it doesn't look like it's edging off yet, but I just noticed the belt moving back and forth a bit. I will definitely have it checked out asap.

Thank you.
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      11-02-2017, 04:18 PM   #4
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Had the car diagnosed today and they are saying that it's the alternator pulley going out. He wants to replace the alternator and the idler pulley. He said it's in the early stages and still safe to drive for a while, so I'm about to go pick it up.
I've seen a few threads so far about rebuilding the alternator, so I'm going to be looking into that. I would think you would just be able to replace the pulley on it instead of replacing the whole thing. If not I'm going to try to find a replacement for less than the $800 he quoted me to get it from the dealer. It doesn't look too hard to replace the alternator, so I'll probably just do it myself. Guess I might as well do the idler pulley too while I'm in there depending how much I can find those at.
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      11-08-2017, 12:03 PM   #5
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So, I talked to the guy that diagnosed it again the other day and all of a sudden he decided to tell me that he also discovered a bad oil leak that he, "didn't have time to find out where the leak was coming from." If I had known that I would have left the car with him to do so. Anyway, I went in and checked it out myself and the leak is obviously coming from the oil filter housing.

So before I start replacing the alternator and pulleys and all that, I am going to replace both the oil filter housing gaskets and O rings in the oil lines.

He told me that the idler pulley replacement was just precautionary. He said the noise from the alternator area was so loud that he couldn't exactly pinpoint where the noise was coming from, so why jump straight to an alternator replacement?

The oil filter housing is right above the belt, next to the alternator and idler pulley, so is it reasonable to think that it's not the alternator or pulleys at all? That the noise is just coming from the belt slipping with all that oil dripping on it? On cold start, there is no squeak until I rev it and I'm thinking the oil starts dripping on the belt and then the squeaking starts.

I am going to do the gaskets and clean everything up, then drive it around for a bit to see if it squeaks again.
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      11-23-2017, 06:25 AM   #6
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Just do everything in that area at once, otherwise you'll end up tearing apart the same stuff twice. As you pull the various rotating bits (alternator, pulleys, etc.) manually check the bearings to see how they feel and sound. Certainly replace the idler, tensioner, and belt in any case.
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      11-23-2017, 03:38 PM   #7
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OK, the alternator pulley doesn't go out. 02Pilot is giving you good advice to closely check the idler and tensioner. Try to buy about 3 feet of vinyl plastic tubing, about 1/4 or 3/8 diameter and use as a stethoscope towards alternator, idler and tensioner BUT BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR FINGERS.
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      11-24-2017, 04:18 AM   #8
juld0zer
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lol be careful with the stethescope too! You can easily get carried away chasing a noise and lose attention. nekminit you have a hose flailing around destroying things

Idler pulley/tensioner pulley bearings often fail on higher mileage cars. When you have the belt off, spin each pulley by hand and wiggle them.

The ones needing replacement will spin with almost no resistance and often with a grating noise/feel. The bearings are also failed if you can rock the pulley.
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      11-25-2017, 04:50 PM   #9
fenix623
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Thanks for all the help guys. I actually did end up fixing the problem last week and forgot to update this. I replaced the oil filter housing gaskets and went ahead and replaced the O rings in the oil lines and also the serpentine belt. It's been a little over a week now and the squeaking is completely gone and oil leak is fixed. I did check the pulleys while I was in there and they seem fine for now. I didn't get any noise out of them and they didn't wiggle at all.

I ended up saving myself at least $1,400, what that shop would've charged me for the alternator, pulleys, belt, and then fixing the oil leak too. So glad I did the research and diagnosing myself. Very thankful for this forum and youtube. In the end, I spent less than $200.

Hopefully this helps others that come across this problem.
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      11-25-2017, 08:24 PM   #10
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Glad to hear you got it sorted. One thing to consider: the function of the tensioner is not just about the pulley, but the spring as well. If that spring gets weak enough to let the belt move around you'll have a problem. I consider the idler pulley and tensioner assembly maintenance items on these motors. I don't know what your mileage is, but if it's north of 60-70k miles, I'd replace those items proactively. I'm admittedly a bit fanatical about maintenance, but given the potential damage if one of these fails I consider it money and time well spent.
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