[dicostal]

Hi guys, I do not know why, but my car sounds like a diesel in neutral, however as soon as I engage the clutch the noise goes away.

I had this noise for awhile, it is not very loud, but just annoying to me, it almost sounds like a cable is hitting something, but when I engage the clutch it creates enough space for this cable not to hit anything...

When I bring the car in for service they always tell me they can’t hear anything...
Do you guys have experienced this and know what is causing it?

Thanks

[thebigragu99]

Originally Posted by dicostal

Hi guys, I do not know why, but my car sounds like a diesel in neutral, however as soon as I engage the clutch the noise goes away.

I had this noise for awhile, it is not very loud, but just annoying to me, it almost sounds like a cable is hitting something, but when I engage the clutch it creates enough space for this cable not to hit anything...

When I bring the car in for service they always tell me they can’t hear anything...
Do you guys have experienced this and know what is causing it?

Thanks

Could be your throwout bearing going bad!Does the sound go away when you engage the clutch?

[jdbretz]

+1 Sounds exactly like the throw out bearing

[Haus_07]

Yep, that would be the throwout bearing. The worst part about changing it out is the bearing costs very little in the scheme of things, but the transmission has to come out in order to access it!! Sucks because it will probably last for quite awhile before totally crapping out, but the noise is extremely annoying!! I'm suprised the dealership can't re-create the issue. It's a fairly distinctive sound, and all you have to do is push the clutch in and out to hear it. I'm sure they know how labor intensive it is to change out such a cheap part and just don't want to deal with it. Typical.

[thebigragu99]

For some reason,all bmw's throw bearing's make a slight noise at idle.

[cssnms]

I love the diesel sound!

[RoundelM3]

Yeah, I'd concur throwout bearing at first guess, but it sometimes can also mean clutch/pressure plate too. Happened to my brother-in-law just recently, although he doesn't drive a BMW. His car had 160,000+ miles on it, so it was probably time for a new clutch/pressure plate/throwout bearing.

[mike the snake]

Throwout bearing would make noise when the pedal is pushed in, if it makes noise in neutral with the pedal out, it could be the input shaft bearing in the gearbox.

[dicostal]

There is no noise when i engage the clutch, it is only at idle in neutral. I think its still there in gear as well, but not noticeble with engine noise. I have added a catless DP since my last visit, so I am not even sure I want to bring this up again...

I bought the car with 20k miles, the car has about 50k miles now, the noise got a bit worse but not a whole lot since.

just to confirm if the noise goes away with the clutch engaged its a Throwout bearing?

Thanks for the input guys.

[mike the snake]

Usually, the throwout bearing is not spinning unless the pedal is pushed in (bearing compressed). The throwout bearings I've had in the past that were bad made noise only when I pushed the pedal in.
I've had input shaft bearings go bad, and they make noise in neutral with the pedal out (trans in neutral but spinning). In gear, at a stop, with the pedal pushed in, there will be no noise as the trans is not spinning.
Input shaft bearings can go out very slowly.

I'd also check fluid levels, and as suggested it could also be something in the clutch. The racing clutch in my race car makes a LOT of noise in neutral.

[dicostal]

Originally Posted by mike the snake

Usually, the throwout bearing is not spinning unless the pedal is pushed in (bearing compressed). The throwout bearings I've had in the past that were bad made noise only when I pushed the pedal in.
I've had input shaft bearings go bad, and they make noise in neutral with the pedal out (trans in neutral but spinning). In gear, at a stop, with the pedal pushed in, there will be no noise as the trans is not spinning.
Input shaft bearings can go out very slowly.

I'd also check fluid levels, and as suggested it could also be something in the clutch. The racing clutch in my race car makes a LOT of noise in neutral.

If I'm at a full stop, it makes no difference if I am in gear or out of gear.
Clutch down (engaged) = no noise - in gear or in neutral
Clutch released (foot off the clutch) = noise in neutral only obviously

do you know what is causing your noise in your car?

thanks

[Haus_07]

Throwout bearings in my experience make noise when in neutral, foot off clutch. When you push in the clutch, your putting force on the bearing, and it usually doesn't make noise when under load. It's when it's unloaded and free to move about the plane (lol!!) that you hear them clatter, which sounds like what's happening in your case. I don't think it's a big drive ability issue right now. More of an annoyance than anything.

[nafoo]

Are you sure you didn't accidently buy a diesel?

[///M3THOD]

Originally Posted by cssnms

I love the diesel sound!

Lol, I don't think thats helping.

[dicostal]

Originally Posted by nafoo

Are you sure you didn't accidently buy a diesel?

you are right it is a 335d, sorry guys.

so do i tell the dealer i think its a Throwout bearing?
Do I need to get the Catless DP uninstalled?

[Big Tom]

Can you make a quick movie about it? It would be very helpful.

My flywheel went bad a couple of weeks ago, and here is how it sounded:

...and here you can see the play:

Here's another car with the exact same noise. Watch from 0:52 --->

[JamesM3M5]

Throwout bearings can make noise with the pedal up or down. If they're really shot, they whine all the time. They are always spinning with the engine. They do not disengage from the pressure plate spring fingers at any time. It is recommended to put the transmission in neutral and release the pedal when sitting idle for a while such as at a stoplight. This reduces wear on the throwout bearing.

The flywheel play is NORMAL, but if it's excessive you may hear noise. The flywheel is sprung between the inner (front half) and outer (back half) masses to damp crankshaft vibrations and reduce rattling of the input shaft/bearing in the transmission. Single mass lightweight flywheels are the worst about making the transmission rattle. Push the clutch pedal down, and the noise is gone.

[Bamaben]

Funny, I just noticed today mine rattles in neutral also and stops when clutch in. 46k miles. Read other posts it is normal .

[Big Tom]

Originally Posted by JamesM3M5

The flywheel play is NORMAL, but if it's excessive you may hear noise. The flywheel is sprung between the inner (front half) and outer (back half) masses to damp crankshaft vibrations and reduce rattling of the input shaft/bearing in the transmission. Single mass lightweight flywheels are the worst about making the transmission rattle. Push the clutch pedal down, and the noise is gone.

Flywheel play is normal during rotating movements.
But you should NEVER feel any play when you push it, one side at the time, against the floor (as shown in the second movie).
That indicates an unwanted play in the bearing/internals.

Edit ---> I just realized that the videos I linked to was private, but that should be fixed now.

[dicostal]

sorry guys, got hit by a massive snow storm and we lost power, i will try to get you guys a clip l8r.

I bought the car with 20k miles, I don't know how the previous owner drove, but i do always keep my car in neutral at a traffic light, although i tend to want to push the clutch down in neutral to not hear the noise... is that bad?

so a little noise is normal? is that the conclusion?

thanks - Luigi

[JamesM3M5]

Originally Posted by Big Tom

Flywheel play is normal during rotating movements.
But you should NEVER feel any play when you push it, one side at the time, against the floor (as shown in the second movie).
That indicates an unwanted play in the bearing/internals.

Edit ---> I just realized that the videos I linked to was private, but that should be fixed now.

That used to be true, but the N52 and N54 flwheels will "float" and move quite significantly. Even brand new ones.

[Big Tom]

Originally Posted by JamesM3M5

That used to be true, but the N52 and N54 flwheels will "float" and move quite significantly. Even brand new ones.

Nope.

My brand new one was totally solid, without any "floating".