E30 whine noise

[jacob88325is]

i have a 88 325is 5 speed. i have a whine noise coming from the front of the engine it sounds like. its rpm related higher the rpms the louder it gets. it goes away for a bit then comes right back. with clutch engaged and disengaged it whines but mostly when the clutch is disengaged. throw out bearing pilot bearing? any help would be appreciated

[BMWMPow3r]

can you make a vid of this noise?

[bmwdirtracer]

The front of your engine is several feet from the throwout bearing. No one can make any guess without better info. A mechanic's stethoscope is about twenty bucks at Sears. Tell us where the noise is coming from, and we might be able to help.

A front-of-engine noise is very rarely related to clutch pedal position. A throw-out bearing noise is instantly recognizable by any pro, and I'd have to suggest you take your car to such a person.

[jacob88325is]

i am no pro i am also new to this forum just figuring everything out. this is my first e30 but this noise is driving me crazy

and your right about the throw out bearing and everything i was just saying MAYBE cause i just replaced the clutch but i thhink it has something to do with the A/C because the higher the A/C is the louder the noise gets

can you make a vid of this noise?

i dont really have anything to make a vid with at the moment but if i can get something i will post it. im new to this forum just trying to figure everything out

[thejlevie]

If you can''t isolate the source of the noise, take the car to a shop and have a pro take a look. A loud whine from the engine could mean something is about to fail.

[lekkerbmw]

Lmk what is I have a similar noise in my engine bay on my e39

[jacob88325is]

If you can''t isolate the source of the noise, take the car to a shop and have a pro take a look. A loud whine from the engine could mean something is about to fail.

today i am taking it to BPC in raleigh north carolina i dont want anything to completely fail i have tried and tried to get the noise to go away myself it isnt working

Lmk what is I have a similar noise in my engine bay on my e39

im taking it to a shop today ill let you know it might be a day or two before i find out what it is though

Lmk what is I have a similar noise in my engine bay on my e39

so i have found the problem all i need is a new belt and also two of my power steering lines had failed so replacing them

[lekkerbmw]

K so new belt and pulleys ?

[BMWMPow3r]

what about timing belt? did they check that too?

[Isdera]

water pump?

[jacob88325is]

everything was fine i just needed new power steering lines and a new belt

and no not replacing the pulleys they are fine

[lekkerbmw]

So both of those were causing the whine? Hmmmm time to take a look those ... What's the level of difficulty to do those ourselves anyone know

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[thejlevie]

Replacing the power steering lines or belts is a pretty easy task.

[lekkerbmw]

Replacing the power steering lines or belts is a pretty easy task.

Just mainly pull the fan shroud out the way and fan clutch off and radiator?

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[syoder77]

everything was fine i just needed new power steering lines and a new belt

and no not replacing the pulleys they are fine

I see that this post has been quiet for some time, but I recently dealt with this exact issue, and feel it is important to note this noise was most likely caused by lack of / very old fluid. I had an increasingly noticeable whine (much like a small supercharger) exactly as described here. I was extremely concerned it was a timing belt/water pump issue, but decided to start with the easy stuff. A simple drain & refill of the power steering eliminated the whine, and saved the large amount of time I would have spent tearing the front of the engine apart. This is a very common oversight, as the steering won't necessarily feel worse with old fluid. Just take a quick look in the reservoir, and if it's gray/cloudy/smells bad, then spend $6 on some ATF and change it.

You'll need to remove the underside shroud to access the 7mm (if I recall correctly) allen head drain bolt. Without that, you'll probably be hitting it at an angle, and risk stripping the head. Let it drain with the cap off the reservoir for a bit. Then turn the engine on so the pump is working, and turn from lock to lock twice. This will flush out most of the remaining fluid. After properly draining just put it back together and fill with ATF to the fill line. I believe I used about 3/4 of a quart.

This is also a great opportunity to inspect the lower front of your engine for any other issues, and maybe some cleaning. For the record, my old fluid was gunmetal gray, opaque, with a hint of red, and had an unpleasant smell.

If nothing else, you will at least take care of some routine maintenance that's often overlooked.