Excessive Whirring

chrisfortier · 07-27-2012, 10:58 PM

On my 2011 ZCP, I am hearing a whirring sound while driving the car coming from the steering wheel/vent area.

It a whirring/buzzing sound that's identical to when the car first starts to move. Reading other threads, it could be the the ABS self-test sound.

I don't mind if when I first start, but is it normal to hear say every few minutes of driving? The car has less then 4500 miles on it, so I don't think it's brake pad wear related. Air bubble in the brake lines perhaps?

Thanks in advance!

jphughan · 07-28-2012, 12:23 AM

From reading around and my own experience from last week, your vacuum sensor may be going haywire, which among other things controls the brake booster. An incorrect sensor reading could cause the system to keep repressurizing the ABS lines, which could be what you're hearing. I noticed when I got a limp mode under harder acceleration that cleared when I turned the engine off and back on, only to come up again shortly afterward. That happened because the ECU realized that the reading it was getting from that sensor didn't match the air that was actually coming into the cylinders -- and thinking back, I did hear those whirs a lot more often around then too.

The vacuum sensor can get damaged by having brake fluid spilled on it -- so it's rather unfortunate that it's located underneath the brake fluid reservoir. If brake fluid was spilled when the system was last bled/flushed or the reservoir was overfilled and then overflowed at some point, bam! Apparently the sensor goes out only after brake fluid has sat on it for a while.

If that's the cause and you're running non-OEM brake fluid, give your shop a bottle of the fluid you want them to use since this repair involves bleeding the system. They used about 2/3 of the Castrol SRF liter bottle I gave them.

Of course another possible cause is that the sensor is fine and you have an actual vacuum leak.

Moxie · 07-28-2012, 07:13 AM

^^ Had mine replaced also. Same symptoms. Don't know why your not going into limp mode yet. Just take it to the dealer for them to access & repair.

chrisfortier · 08-02-2012, 12:41 AM

As a followup, the car's whirring got to the point of occurring after every braking. On the way to the dealer for diagnosis, it hit limp mode. It's not fun flooring the gas with a 5000 RPM red line and not hitting more than 25mph up a hill!

They at first didn't believe that it was the sensor, until the tech heard the pump come on when I hit the brakes in park. Supposedly, it's only supposed to come on during high speeds.

In the end, the replacement sensor was in California, and with only a day's downtime, all is well and fixed.

I asked about corrosive brake fluid on the sensor, but supposedly, it was clean.

Rshane · 11-13-2012, 12:16 PM

Just had the same thing happen to me, car is at the dealer now. Guess what, just had my 45,000km service done 2 weeks ago and part of that service was a brake fluid change.

Dealer wants to charge me for the repair (warranty only good for 2 years here) luckily for me I bought an extended warranty. Still pisses me off it was something the dealer did and they expect me to pay for it.

Moxie · 11-14-2012, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rshane

Just had the same thing happen to me, car is at the dealer now. Guess what, just had my 45,000km service done 2 weeks ago and part of that service was a brake fluid change.

Dealer wants to charge me for the repair (warranty only good for 2 years here) luckily for me I bought an extended warranty. Still pisses me off it was something the dealer did and they expect me to pay for it.

Mine was goodwilled - least it's fixed. Gonna change fluid in the Spring. I'll be sure to put something down so none overflows.

bigjae1976 · 12-20-2012, 09:23 PM

I think I have the same thing! It's intermittent though. If I just restart the car it goes away.

Vic311 · 12-20-2012, 09:43 PM

...Whirring..lol...Glad you got it fixed

m3monkey · 06-11-2013, 01:48 PM

I had the exact same problem as the OP. Whirling noise. I thought it was my ODB2 reader that was making it, but thought it was weird cause it never made that noise before. Friday 5/31, had my front pads replaced. On Wednesday 6/5 car went limp mode and threw out error code P1209. 6/8 dropped the car off to the shop and sure enough, it was my brake vacuum sensor gone bad. SUCKS!

07-27-2012, 10:58 PM	#1
chrisfortier Private First Class 59 Rep 102 Posts Drives: 2020 M2 CS Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Seattle iTrader: (0)	Excessive Whirring On my 2011 ZCP, I am hearing a whirring sound while driving the car coming from the steering wheel/vent area. It a whirring/buzzing sound that's identical to when the car first starts to move. Reading other threads, it could be the the ABS self-test sound. I don't mind if when I first start, but is it normal to hear say every few minutes of driving? The car has less then 4500 miles on it, so I don't think it's brake pad wear related. Air bubble in the brake lines perhaps? Thanks in advance!
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07-28-2012, 12:23 AM	#2
jphughan Brigadier General 594 Rep 4,488 Posts Drives: '16 Cayman GT4 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Austin, TX iTrader: (0)	From reading around and my own experience from last week, your vacuum sensor may be going haywire, which among other things controls the brake booster. An incorrect sensor reading could cause the system to keep repressurizing the ABS lines, which could be what you're hearing. I noticed when I got a limp mode under harder acceleration that cleared when I turned the engine off and back on, only to come up again shortly afterward. That happened because the ECU realized that the reading it was getting from that sensor didn't match the air that was actually coming into the cylinders -- and thinking back, I did hear those whirs a lot more often around then too. The vacuum sensor can get damaged by having brake fluid spilled on it -- so it's rather unfortunate that it's located underneath the brake fluid reservoir. If brake fluid was spilled when the system was last bled/flushed or the reservoir was overfilled and then overflowed at some point, bam! Apparently the sensor goes out only after brake fluid has sat on it for a while. If that's the cause and you're running non-OEM brake fluid, give your shop a bottle of the fluid you want them to use since this repair involves bleeding the system. They used about 2/3 of the Castrol SRF liter bottle I gave them. Of course another possible cause is that the sensor is fine and you have an actual vacuum leak. __________________ '16 Cayman GT4 (delivery pics, comparison to E92 M3 write-up) Gone but not forgotten: '11.75 M3 E92 Le Mans \| Black Nov w/ Alum \| 6MT (owned 5/2011 - 11/2015)
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07-28-2012, 07:13 AM	#3
Moxie Lieutenant Colonel 67 Rep 1,895 Posts Drives: AW 328d Touring/SG 335d Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: North Carolina iTrader: (12)	^^ Had mine replaced also. Same symptoms. Don't know why your not going into limp mode yet. Just take it to the dealer for them to access & repair.
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08-02-2012, 12:41 AM	#4
chrisfortier Private First Class 59 Rep 102 Posts Drives: 2020 M2 CS Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Seattle iTrader: (0)	Fixed As a followup, the car's whirring got to the point of occurring after every braking. On the way to the dealer for diagnosis, it hit limp mode. It's not fun flooring the gas with a 5000 RPM red line and not hitting more than 25mph up a hill! They at first didn't believe that it was the sensor, until the tech heard the pump come on when I hit the brakes in park. Supposedly, it's only supposed to come on during high speeds. In the end, the replacement sensor was in California, and with only a day's downtime, all is well and fixed. I asked about corrosive brake fluid on the sensor, but supposedly, it was clean.
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11-13-2012, 12:16 PM	#5
Rshane M-Flight Member 38 Rep 1,085 Posts Drives: 2011 E92 M3 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas iTrader: (0)	Just had the same thing happen to me, car is at the dealer now. Guess what, just had my 45,000km service done 2 weeks ago and part of that service was a brake fluid change. Dealer wants to charge me for the repair (warranty only good for 2 years here) luckily for me I bought an extended warranty. Still pisses me off it was something the dealer did and they expect me to pay for it. __________________ 2011 Le Mans Blue M3// Black extended Novillo w/ Blue Grey Aluminum trim/DCT/ZTP/ZCW/ZPP/ZCP Premium Sound ///Akrapovic Evolution Exhaust 2015 Audi S4 Prestige, Brilliant Black S-tronic 2012 Le Mans Blue 135i M Pkg DCT
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12-20-2012, 09:23 PM	#7
bigjae1976 Major General 1571 Rep 8,076 Posts Drives: 11 E90 M3 Individual Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (22) Garage List 2004 BMW M3 [4.50] 2011 BMW E90 M3 [5.25] 2013 BMW 328i [5.00]	I think I have the same thing! It's intermittent though. If I just restart the car it goes away. __________________ 2018 F30 320iX Melbourne Red 2011 E90 M3 Monte Carlo Blue 2004 E46 M3 Imola Red 2000 E36/7 Z3 Steel Blue
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12-20-2012, 09:43 PM	#8
Vic311 Banned 42 Rep 1,463 Posts Drives: 2011 e92 M3 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: NY iTrader: (0)	...Whirring..lol...Glad you got it fixed
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06-11-2013, 01:48 PM	#9
m3monkey Private First Class 3 Rep 147 Posts Drives: '10 e92 m3 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: los angeles socal iTrader: (3) Garage List 2010 e92 m3 [0.00]	I had the exact same problem as the OP. Whirling noise. I thought it was my ODB2 reader that was making it, but thought it was weird cause it never made that noise before. Friday 5/31, had my front pads replaced. On Wednesday 6/5 car went limp mode and threw out error code P1209. 6/8 dropped the car off to the shop and sure enough, it was my brake vacuum sensor gone bad. SUCKS! __________________
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