[themyst]

This topic has been beaten to death numerous times if you search. The turbo whine happens on stock and tuned cars alike; more so on tuned cars. It is present on a lot of n54s, including both of mine. It becomes even more noticeable when you are running an open element intake of some sort.

[TiAg335i]

Originally Posted by themyst

This topic has been beaten to death numerous times if you search. The turbo whine happens on stock and tuned cars alike; more so on tuned cars. It is present on a lot of n54s, including both of mine. It becomes even more noticeable when you are running an open element intake of some sort.

I've searched plenty of times. Nowhere did I find any conclusive information regarding the turbo whine, including whether or not it is indicative of any type of turbo failure. In typical E90Post fashion there is a whole bunch of speculation and no real facts.

[Alchem]

I have the same issue but it goes away after the car is warmed up. I have procede.

[themyst]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

I've searched plenty of times. Nowhere did I find any conclusive information regarding the turbo whine, including whether or not it is indicative of any type of turbo failure. In typical E90Post fashion there is a whole bunch of speculation and no real facts.

Apparently if there aren't a rash of turbo failure threads associated with the noise, it's not an issue. It's a by-product of increased boost on turbos not designed for them.

[bimmertt]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

I've searched plenty of times. Nowhere did I find any conclusive information regarding the turbo whine, including whether or not it is indicative of any type of turbo failure. In typical E90Post fashion there is a whole bunch of speculation and no real facts.

agreed...talk about this actually died down so I assumed not as many people were experiencing this.

[wren57]

My turbos whoosh a lot. I can definitely hear the suction of them, but no whine. The noise started when I installed DCIs and got louder with my catless DPs. It doesn't sound high-pitched like a squeal or anything but more like suction. Should I be concerned?

[EDM92]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

I've searched plenty of times. Nowhere did I find any conclusive information regarding the turbo whine, including whether or not it is indicative of any type of turbo failure. In typical E90Post fashion there is a whole bunch of speculation and no real facts.

There is no conclusive information, only speculation. As previously stated, a lot of people on this forum don't know what they're talking about. I once read a thread in which people complained that their boost gauges were broken because it was going into negative numbers (vacuum).

[EDM92]

Originally Posted by wren57

My turbos whoosh a lot. I can definitely hear the suction of them, but no whine. The noise started when I installed DCIs and got louder with my catless DPs. It doesn't sound high-pitched like a squeal or anything but more like suction. Should I be concerned?

Do you not know that intakes make a whoosh sound? This is one of the reasons people get an intake...Are you sure it's not the sound of the intake?

[wren57]

Originally Posted by BMWorNOTHING

Do you not know that intakes make a whoosh sound? This is one of the reasons people get an intake...Are you sure it's not the sound of the intake?

Yeah, I figured it was the DCI. Thanks for the reassurance, but you didn't have to be a dick about it.

[forza1976]

Originally Posted by BMWorNOTHING

Do you not know that intakes make a whoosh sound? This is one of the reasons people get an intake...Are you sure it's not the sound of the intake?

Sorry buddy, it's not the intake! This exact same issue was solved with brand new turbos on my car and I have NEVER had DCI's on my car.

[EDM92]

Originally Posted by forza1976

Sorry buddy, it's not the intake! This exact same issue was solved with brand new turbos on my car and I have NEVER had DCI's on my car.

I think your problem is different than his. He said he got a whoosh sound when he put in his DCI, which is to be expected.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

My turbo's have been whining for about 15,000 miles and I can still produce 18 PSI any given day if need be. As Ive said earlier, its a common characteristic of the vehicle at some point or another.

Until you start losing performance I wouldnt worry.

If you want to avoid any potential failures keep your vehicle stock.

Turbo's make noise, especially when they are spun in excess of 100,000 RPM's. Its a tiny fan spinning very fast. Ever see how loud a household fan gets at maybe 800 RPM? Now take that and do 100,000 RPM and compress air through a 2inch pipe!

[CasperSYTFU]

Originally Posted by MteK

I had the same police car siren as in this video. After a week of troubleshooting including opening up a PUMA case BMW disconnected the Downpipes and found a ton of play in my turbo wheels. The bearings had been burnt out.

Needless to say new turbos were needed. Fixed the sound immediately and has been gone since.

Mine also started up one day, out of the blue. Pulled hard, etc. Not only is this not a normal sound (my new turbos have been perfect for 2 years) it sounds like crap for a 40K car.

same noise and my bimmer has been at BMW since last week getting new turbos.

[timtech]

I've had my turbos replaced before and the siren sound was very loud.
When i ran the beta DIC procede maps (no user adjustments) I heard a very faint siren sound as I started to pull out of my driveway. I switched back to the V4 maps and the sound went completely away.

Now I have the AccessPort and I hear it just like the DIC maps. I wonder if it's the position of the wastegates... Not sure but I have heard it go away with a different map/firmware so I'm not too worried.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

If your turbos sound like that video then there is a problem...

[timtech]

that's pretty loud (mine is much softer).. but I was able to switch maps to get it to go away.

I will switch to stock and see if that fixes it.

[TiAg335i]

Originally Posted by timtech

I've had my turbos replaced before and the siren sound was very loud.
When i ran the beta DIC procede maps (no user adjustments) I heard a very faint siren sound as I started to pull out of my driveway. I switched back to the V4 maps and the sound went completely away.

Now I have the AccessPort and I hear it just like the DIC maps. I wonder if it's the position of the wastegates... Not sure but I have heard it go away with a different map/firmware so I'm not too worried.

I too have the AccessPort and have the siren noise. It's nowhere near as loud as that video above, but it sounds exactly the same but it is very faint. You have to listen pretty hard to hear it. I'm starting to think it has to do with how the AccessPort manages the wastegates...

Originally Posted by Jeff@topgearsolutions

If your turbos sound like that video then there is a problem...

My turbos sound exactly like that, but not as loud. It's much much softer, and you probably wouldn't be able to hear it much with the windows down.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

I too have the AccessPort and have the siren noise. It's nowhere near as loud as that video above, but it sounds exactly the same but it is very faint. You have to listen pretty hard to hear it. I'm starting to think it has to do with how the AccessPort manages the wastegates...


My turbos sound exactly like that, but not as loud. It's much much softer, and you probably wouldn't be able to hear it much with the windows down.

They need to be that loud to pose a concern, otherwise a vast majority including myself and dozen N54's I know personally would all be replacing their turbos today.

If you have to listen hard to hear it, its not a problem yet.

ITs when your just cruising through town and its blatant noise in the cabin is when there is a cause for concern.

And/Or when performance is being robbed.

[TiAg335i]

I'm wondering if the guys at Cobb can tune the sound out by updating the software or something. Just a random suggestion...I definitely don't want to be constantly reminded that my turbos are suffering...I won't be able to enjoy the car.