Matth5 471 Report post Posted January 16, 2015 (edited) My car starting to making what seemed like squeely belt noises lately when cold. Belts are less than a year old and still look good (Contitech brand). Noise would change when revving. This morning when I drove it for work it sounded perfectly fine. But when I started it up to head home it's been making this crackling/sizzling noise that doesn't seem to change with revs. Suspect it's a pulley failing? Or exhaust leak? Sound seems to be located about where the drive belt is but its hard to tell for sure. Made a video Note the phone video recorder actually filters out the sound of the engine running for some reason. But it's useful as you hear the bad sound clearly. Maybe it's because the crackling is loud and the phone reduces overall volume. In reality you can hear the engine running. Drives fine, you don't notice anything if you drive it with the windows closed. Now I've just moved to Ellerslie, and I work in the city, which is a convenient (and good) place to book it in at? Edited January 16, 2015 by Matth5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allanw 1071 Report post Posted January 16, 2015 :o Maybe the bearing in a tensioner or idle on the belts has let go, or the AC compressor - I wouldn't run it anymore, until you find something. The viedo obviously sounds a bit different to real life... It sounds like an exhaust leak in the video. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted January 16, 2015 (edited) AC was off in the video so don't think its that? The fact that it started off sounding like a squeaky belt and changed to that made me hope it was just a belt pulley. Exhaust leak crossed my mind too, would have to be coming from right by the engine. Edited January 16, 2015 by Matth5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted January 16, 2015 slip the belts off and see if the noise is still there , spin and test each pulley , water pump , ac pump etc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted January 16, 2015 (edited) Thanks Brent. Think I'll take it to a mechanic rather than DIY it. Looks like it's 99% likely a pulley so no big panic. Do these things tend to fail suddenly and throw the belt off or am I safe driving it to a workshop? BM Workshop Grey Lynn looks like the most convenient one since moving to my new place, can take the train to work after dropping my car off. Edited January 16, 2015 by Matth5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted January 16, 2015 (edited) As Brent has said the A/C may have been off but the belt still drives the compressor and pulleys. If you didn't know their are two belts used one for the A/c and the main drive belt each have their own belt tensioner pulley but the main belt only has an idler pulley. Do it your self it's easy as. Edited January 17, 2015 by tim 325 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted January 17, 2015 Lacking the tools to get the mechanical fan out of the way and not terribly confident with this. I do oil changes and I've done some simpler fixes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted January 18, 2015 (edited) Can't easily get it fixed if I don't drive it. Maybe I'll try one of the places nearby in Ellerslie because then it's a very short trip. I just don't know if they're any good and might take longer if they don't stock BMW parts. Edited January 18, 2015 by Matth5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
str8_6 275 Report post Posted January 18, 2015 Perhaps the video sounds worse than in real life, but it sounds awful. I would be getting it on a flat bed truck rather than driving even short distances. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted January 18, 2015 (edited) Yea it does sound worse in the video because somehow the engine sound gets filtered out. Still makes me cringe though. Mechanic I'm thinking of is only 1.6km down the road, doesn't need to go on the motorway. So minimal risk considering its already traveled a bit on the motorway with that noise. Would have preferred BMWorkshop since they're a BMW specialist but not worth the risk driving that far. Newdane Motors is the place I'll try, they seem to have good reviews. Edited January 18, 2015 by Matth5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted January 18, 2015 (edited) Good luck but also get a quote for a flatbed before you commit. A quote will cost you nothing more than a little time. Maybe I'll ask the workshop when I call them, they'd have a local contact for that I imagine. Edited January 18, 2015 by Matth5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted January 20, 2015 (edited) Issue turned out to be a faulty starter motor. Scraping against the flywheel. Bill will be about $900 all up to replace the starter motor. Forgot to ask if that includes GST (I know mechanics like to make customers work out GST...). Oh man, this is why I dread taking my car in Edited January 20, 2015 by Matth5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allanw 1071 Report post Posted January 20, 2015 Good result really! Not too major compared to what the options could have been! They really should quote GST inclusive - you have to pay it - it's not like they're wholesaling stuff to other businesses as their main line of work... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted January 20, 2015 Yea, just disappointed because I was hoping it was just a belt tensioner or something cheap. Car has been good for a while so can't cry about it I guess When I took my car to the workshop the owner excitedly showed me his very tidy E36 328i that he converted to manual so that gave me confidence in his BMW knowledge, even has the same style wheels as mine. Handy that this workshop is so close to my place as well. Makes pick-up and drop-off convenient. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
