Rattle or jingle sound while accelerating, what this might be?

[manualride]

Link to a video when it happens:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0V8DCdHpD8

Details below:
Car is BMW M3 e92 2008 with 65k on it, DCT transmission. Inspection didn't show anything wrong.
I am trying to figure out where does this rattling sound comes from and what is causing it. You can here engine sound and rattling or jingle sound. A couple facts:
- Now it happens on all gears except 1st and 7th, it used to happen only on 6th a few months ago, so now it's worse
- It happens only when I am accelerating or pressing the throttle, also on cruise control
- When I am just gently touching throttle the rattling sound is quieter, when I press throttle harder it is louder
- When I am driving faster the frequency of rattling sound is higher than when driving slower. No matter on which gear with the same speed the frequency of rattling is the same.
- Sound comes from gearbox area from what I hear.
Anybody know what this might be?

[M3 Number 86]

have you done any exhaust work? might be something just loose under the car.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by manualride

Link to a video when it happens:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0V8DCdHpD8

Details below:
Car is BMW M3 e92 2008 with 65k on it, DCT transmission. Inspection didn't show anything wrong.
I am trying to figure out where does this rattling sound comes from and what is causing it. You can here engine sound and rattling or jingle sound. A couple facts:
- Now it happens on all gears except 1st and 7th, it used to happen only on 6th a few months ago, so now it's worse
- It happens only when I am accelerating or pressing the throttle, also on cruise control
- When I am just gently touching throttle the rattling sound is quieter, when I press throttle harder it is louder
- When I am driving faster the frequency of rattling sound is higher than when driving slower. No matter on which gear with the same speed the frequency of rattling is the same.
- Sound comes from gearbox area from what I hear.
Anybody know what this might be?

Recently exhaust mods ?

[manualride]

The car is completely stock, no work done on exhaust. I had to do some fixes a month ago: change thermostat, evaporator, engine cover gaskets and 2 cooling temp sensors, but the noise was the same before and after fixes.
A few people talk about exhaust but if it is exhaust shouldn't this happen also on 7th gear and 1st and neutral which is not the case?

Thanks!

[OzCraig]

You may have a small crack in one of the exhaust heat shields. They buzz/jingle like hell under the slightest loads or at the right resonant frequencies.
Jack the car up and give the exhaust some light taps along it's length with a rubber mallet. If it's attached to the exhaust you should hear a zing.
Give that a go and let us know what you find

Craig

[floenbier]

The car is completely stock

[Bucki14]

Originally Posted by OzCraig

You may have a small crack in one of the exhaust heat shields. They buzz/jingle like hell under the slightest loads or at the right resonant frequencies.
Jack the car up and give the exhaust some light taps along it's length with a rubber mallet. If it's attached to the exhaust you should hear a zing.
Give that a go and let us know what you find

Craig

+1

I had a similar issue like this that happened only at certain instances during acceleration and I discovered I had a loose exhaust clamp. Car was also stock...just wore out over time. Not saying you have the same situation but Id check as it was hitting against the heat shield causing a jingle/rattle.

[OzCraig]

Originally Posted by floenbier

The car is completely stock

Heat shield cracks aren't related to modification of stock parts. It can happen for a number or reasons: a defect in the metal and vibration over time causes fatigue and cracking. Sudden expansion or contraction. Etc.
I had it on a 4 month old stock WRX, a 5 year old RS Turbo Liberty (Was stock at the time) and a 1 year old STi that was far from stock (Group N Rally car).
Luck of the draw

[manualride]

Thank you guys for the replies and suggestions. Went today to a car service with technician listening to the noise, he did jack the car up and didn't find any issues with exhaust or heat shields. He found some missing bolt in the flex disk area, the part that covers it from the bottom (forgot the name). He changed all of the bolt, but it didn't fix the issue. We noticed that flex disk in some places is a little bit rusty, so he suggested to replacing it. Is it possible that actually old flex disk may put something in a rattling vibrations? or unbalance the drive shaft or the transmission parts? Interesting thing is that the noise comes from inside of the car. If I drive with my windows rolled down in a tunnel I can hear my exhaust very well bouncing from the tunnel walls and there is no weird sound what so ever. I am worried that this might be a transmission issue :/ Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[nashy_30303]

Originally Posted by manualride

Thank you guys for the replies and suggestions. Went today to a car service with technician listening to the noise, he did jack the car up and didn't find any issues with exhaust or heat shields. He found some missing bolt in the flex disk area, the part that covers it from the bottom (forgot the name). He changed all of the bolt, but it didn't fix the issue. We noticed that flex disk in some places is a little bit rusty, so he suggested to replacing it. Is it possible that actually old flex disk may put something in a rattling vibrations? or unbalance the drive shaft or the transmission parts? Interesting thing is that the noise comes from inside of the car. If I drive with my windows rolled down in a tunnel I can hear my exhaust very well bouncing from the tunnel walls and there is no weird sound what so ever. I am worried that this might be a transmission issue :/ Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi I hope this post gets to you.

I have exactly the same issues described in your post above. Everything you say is exactly the same issues and noises I have with my M3.

I know this post was some time ago but wondered if you ever got to the root of your problem? Mine is driving me mad and starting to concern me now.

Would appreciate any feedback.

Thanks

Chris from UK

[manualride]

Originally Posted by nashy_30303

Hi I hope this post gets to you.

I have exactly the same issues described in your post above. Everything you say is exactly the same issues and noises I have with my M3.

I know this post was some time ago but wondered if you ever got to the root of your problem? Mine is driving me mad and starting to concern me now.

Would appreciate any feedback.

Thanks

Chris from UK

Haven't found what is causing this issue yet. I just decided to live with it. If you do get a clue on what's up, please post a note. Highly appreciated.

[SavageE92M3]

Hi,

Reviving a old thread, I have been having a similar issue the past 6 months. I have this consistent rattle coming from right in front of the shifter. The rattle is speed related, it doesn’t matter what gear you are in or the engine rpm. There is no rattling under 40km/h and the faster your the speed the louder it gets. I have attached a link to the video of the noise. Any insight will help. Thanks.

[Ahmadzameer92]

Has anyone else experienced this? Mines a 09 e90 m3 71k miles and I’m having the same issue. Checked all exhaust bolts and heat shield bolts. Definitely sounds like it’s coming from the DCT. Also the DCT pan looks like it’s been leaking for a while. Could that be the issue of low fluids?

[RedCardinal]

Originally Posted by SavageE92M3

Hi,

Reviving a old thread, I have been having a similar issue the past 6 months. I have this consistent rattle coming from right in front of the shifter. The rattle is speed related, it doesn’t matter what gear you are in or the engine rpm. There is no rattling under 40km/h and the faster your the speed the louder it gets. I have attached a link to the video of the noise. Any insight will help. Thanks.

old thread I found while looking up rattling, but did you check the ashtray? if there's something in there it will rattle.

[SavageE92M3]

Originally Posted by RedCardinal

old thread I found while looking up rattling, but did you check the ashtray? if there's something in there it will rattle.

Yeah, that's what I initially assumed too, however, the ashtray is completely empty. This rattle has been going on for about a year and a half, now and its strictly related to the speed of the car itself. I've learned to live with it now, so haven't actually got it inspected. If there was actually something wrong with the engine or dct, I would assume something would have gone wrong by now.

[Zeesh89]

Hi All,

Was hoping someone could help me with a problem. On my e92 m3, when accelerating very gently (between 1-2k RPM, I hear this little jingle sound that is coming from underneath the car, almost underneath the drivers seat. The sound can be heard on the video posted below at around 8 seconds in (you have to listen carefully to catch it). It literally sounds like a little tambourine is being shaken and I have to drive with the windows down to hear it.
The other key thing to note here is that this noise ONLY starts when the car is warm and has been driven around for 10/mins from cold). I do not hear the sound when the car is cold (driving the car when its cold is the only time I can enjoy not putting up with this noise which is frankly a little bit embarrassing). Also, the sound only comes when driving, not in Neutral revving.
I did alot of reading around on this and it seems to me like there are several potential culprits: donut gasket that connect some exhaust pipes, a bracket that's loose, a mounting thats loose, heat shield (though my mechanic confirmed no issues with this).
The cars performance is generally ok, a little bit sluggish at times but I'm not a fast driver (lots of speed restrictions where I live).

I'd be very grateful if anyone can advise or offer any similar experience and how you went about it and what the issue could be.

Thank you.

https://youtube.com/shorts/qgFbZHdGVoQ

[CaptainCrunchy]

Originally Posted by Zeesh89

Hi All,

Was hoping someone could help me with a problem. On my e92 m3, when accelerating very gently (between 1-2k RPM, I hear this little jingle sound that is coming from underneath the car, almost underneath the drivers seat. The sound can be heard on the video posted below at around 8 seconds in (you have to listen carefully to catch it). It literally sounds like a little tambourine is being shaken and I have to drive with the windows down to hear it.
The other key thing to note here is that this noise ONLY starts when the car is warm and has been driven around for 10/mins from cold). I do not hear the sound when the car is cold (driving the car when its cold is the only time I can enjoy not putting up with this noise which is frankly a little bit embarrassing). Also, the sound only comes when driving, not in Neutral revving.
I did alot of reading around on this and it seems to me like there are several potential culprits: donut gasket that connect some exhaust pipes, a bracket that's loose, a mounting thats loose, heat shield (though my mechanic confirmed no issues with this).
The cars performance is generally ok, a little bit sluggish at times but I'm not a fast driver (lots of speed restrictions where I live).

I'd be very grateful if anyone can advise or offer any similar experience and how you went about it and what the issue could be.

Thank you.

https://youtube.com/shorts/qgFbZHdGVoQ

This is the exact same sound that I have. Any updates?

[Merveilles]

Originally Posted by SavageE92M3

Hi,

Reviving a old thread, I have been having a similar issue the past 6 months. I have this consistent rattle coming from right in front of the shifter. The rattle is speed related, it doesn’t matter what gear you are in or the engine rpm. There is no rattling under 40km/h and the faster your the speed the louder it gets. I have attached a link to the video of the noise. Any insight will help. Thanks.

Damn, I have the same rattle and it is driving me insane. Took out the radio unit thinking that was the culprit but still could still hear the rattle.

[Ximian]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunchy

This is the exact same sound that I have. Any updates?

Me too, but mine is a little worse. I'm changing my flex disc and DCT transmission mounts. I'll post an update if that fixes it.

[SavageE92M3]

Originally Posted by Merveilles

Damn, I have the same rattle and it is driving me insane. Took out the radio unit thinking that was the culprit but still could still hear the rattle.

Mine's actually turned out to be the output shaft on the transmission. Had to replace the whole transmission, but no one was able to figure out why it wore out so quickly.

[Merveilles]

Originally Posted by SavageE92M3

Mine's actually turned out to be the output shaft on the transmission. Had to replace the whole transmission, but no one was able to figure out why it wore out so quickly.

How much did that run you? My noise seems to have gotten louder after I tried drowning it out with music cranked up

[SavageE92M3]

Originally Posted by Merveilles

How much did that run you? My noise seems to have gotten louder after I tried drowning it out with music cranked up

I was able to find a used 2013 dct with 56,000km for $3000cad at a reputable shop here in Vancouver, so I got a little lucky. Total with the install was $5500cad. The noise only got worse over time for me as well, I would just get it checked at a shop and get there advice first.