Sounds like a jet plane

Originally Posted by jdstrickland

You ONLY get the Secondary Air Pump on the initial start when the engine is stone cold. If you drive somewhwere and park, then start again before the engine turns to a frozen chunk of steel, the SAP will not come on. If you drive to work and park all day then come out at 4:30, the SAP will start for about 2 minutes.

If your engine ever turns into a frozen chunk of steel, you've got serious problems.

Or you just solved the mysteries of alchemy.

Originally Posted by M4RKY N

So just hearing this sound now equals me not knowing about the car?! :-/
I take good care and maintain all my cars to a very good standard. I just wasn't too sure on which pipes to check, I know there is 2 of them coming out of the SAP but wasn't sure if I was to check the one coming out of the top of it towards the engine head, or the one closer to the front of the car at the bottom of the SAP.

In your original post you stated that you thought the sound was from the vacuum something or other. Obviously you don't know very much about the car.

Originally Posted by Stickbuilder

In your original post you stated that you thought the sound was from the vacuum something or other. Obviously you don't know very much about the car.

And that's why I posted this topic to find out about it. None of my other cars have ever had a SAP so I was asking a simple question to what it was and of there was a way to fix it. Whatever I say back to you, your going to come back with some comment about it or whatever. I have my answer now, simple. The car is ment to sound like that when the car is stone cold

...and that's what makes Fanatics so great. You ask your questions, and no matter what they are, someone will help you and someone will make fun of you! The 'fun' part is a large part of why the guys hang around to take care of the 'answering' part. I know I wouldn't be here were it not this way.

Since this pump only runs a couple of minutes at a time, OP, I don't think you need to worry too much about impending catastrophe.

I sprayed wd40 through mine a couple of times now and it's seemed to quiet things down a little...next for me is the rebuild I've just recently read about...but don't know the details thereof. And, on wd40, I can't recommend or endorse it, even though I did it myself.

I've written about it, but do it at your own risk...I'd read about this here and gave it a try, but because of its original source, it's highly risky, you know!

The whole world will be a mess without wd40!

I use it that stuff for everything:

- after washing the car I spray over it to make it shine
- on tires
- brakes
- dash and interiors
- chrome parts
- speakers
- all over the engine
- as an enhancement/additive to engine oil - better response on lower rpm's
- as an enhancement/additive to gas - better start-up during cold weather
- spray tachometer to ensure accurate readings
- removes insects from front grill.
- muffler




Thanks dmax for bringing this up!


As The Duct Tape Guys say, “You only need two tools in life, Duct Tape® and WD-40. If it’s not stuck and it’s supposed to be, Duct Tape it. If it’s stuck and it’s not supposed to be, WD-40 it.”

Originally Posted by TheRarp

The whole world will be a mess without wd40!

I use it that stuff for everything:

- after washing the car I spray over it to make it shine
- on tires
- brakes
- dash and interiors
- chrome parts
- speakers
- all over the engine
- as an enhancement/additive to engine oil - better response on lower rpm's
- as an enhancement/additive to gas - better start-up during cold weather
- spray tachometer to ensure accurate readings
- removes insects from front grill.
- muffler




Thanks dmax for bringing this up!


As The Duct Tape Guys say, “You only need two tools in life, Duct Tape® and WD-40. If it’s not stuck and it’s supposed to be, Duct Tape it. If it’s stuck and it’s not supposed to be, WD-40 it.”

the smell mustve been horrendous.

Marky,

Don't use WD40 for this. It is a water displacer. Use an aerosol lubricant. This pump blows air through the exhaust manifold and aids in heating the oxygen sensors. It runs for 120 seconds on cold starts. Oh, and grow some thicker hide.

You shouldn't be using wd40 anywhere on a car and really not any of the places you've mentioned.

I've said it many times that I was an idiot to use it as I did...true story! Honestly! But, in this one application, I got away with it.

There was a very authoritative post from a guy that had credibility to me...forget who or when, but he said that there is almost always something better for the car than wd40. On plastic to make it shine...it may, indeed work, but long term there are issues with what you're doing to the plastic...if you really put it on the paint...eeeks...on the engine itself...it's flammable, you know...eeeks.

I actually wrote a post about looking for a non-flammable lubricant, and there is one...didn't get it, but I know there's at least one. It's funny, though...I went to maybe 7 places (HD, Lowes, Hardware stores, auto stores) looking for non-flammable stuff...I found flammable, extremely flammable, and explosive lubricants, so ironically, wd40, only being flammable, somehow seemed pretty safe! LOL

So, the point is, I'm not endorsing wd40 for use anywhere on the car...though I did use it on the sap, and I have used it also in my door locks. That's it.

Originally Posted by dmax

...and that's what makes Fanatics so great. You ask your questions, and no matter what they are, someone will help you and someone will make fun of you! The 'fun' part is a large part of why the guys hang around to take care of the 'answering' part. I know I wouldn't be here were it not this way.

Since this pump only runs a couple of minutes at a time, OP, I don't think you need to worry too much about impending catastrophe.

I sprayed wd40 through mine a couple of times now and it's seemed to quiet things down a little...next for me is the rebuild I've just recently read about...but don't know the details thereof. And, on wd40, I can't recommend or endorse it, even though I did it myself.

I've written about it, but do it at your own risk...I'd read about this here and gave it a try, but because of its original source, it's highly risky, you know!

I did this about 13 months ago when I put in headers. Rebuild with new bearings and seals. Can't say i remember much of it. It was similar to doing the VANOS seals in that you take it apart, slide in new parts, and put it together. Not terribly difficult if you go slow.

On the plus side, it really quiets the pump down. Doesn't sound like a vacuum nor airplane. Now my car just sounds kind-of farty on cold mornings.

The irony of doing that is that I'm just going to flash it to an EU2 tune soon so the SAP won't even be used.

Because BMW use to make planes. Duh.

Is this the sound?

Originally Posted by TEAMAFLCON

Is this the sound?

No.

Wait for the engine to be cold -- over night, at the end of your regular work day, whatever it takes -- and raise the hood and start the car.

At the front of the engine, immediately behind the right side headlamp, mounted to the shock tower, there is a large motor that makes a sound like a vacuum cleaner for about 2 minutes following Cold Engine Start.

During cold engine operations, the CAT does not convert the exhaust to clean air very well, so they pump in fresh air so that the process is more complete for the first few minutes than it otherwise would be. Basically, the CAT needs oxygen and heat to scrub the smog out of the exhaust. Before there is heat, they can scrub lots of the pollutants out by simply introducing extra fresh air, this is what the Secondary Air Pump is doing. After about 2 minutes, there is enough heat in the exhaust for the CAT to do its job all by itself, so the SAP can be turned off.

I could not tell what your sound was, but the sound that we were talking about back in March is not produced because of driving, so your clip with the car moving is not helpful to the discussion.

Sorry guys....

I've been searching the forums to see if someone had the same sound my e46 has...

I'll keep searching.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by TEAMAFLCON

Sorry guys....

I've been searching the forums to see if someone had the same sound my e46 has...

I'll keep searching.

Thanks!

What sound?

I did not hear anything from your first post. You might have something we can help with, I just missed it.

When do you get it? Does it change, when or why what do you do to make it change? Does it always happen? We really have very little to go on, and whatever you hear it isn't the noise we were discussing because _that_ noise does not require the car be driven, it only requires the car be started.

I'd hate to thread-jack this but.........

In the above video it's right at the 3-4 second mark. The high pitched noise...on start up....and regular driving.

Originally Posted by M4RKY N

Also just opened up the SAP lid and it's clean too

Huh. Interesting. Off-Topic:

That's a spot-welded impeller made by BMW. That puts a hell of a lot more faith in my Graf water pump

The noise we are talking about does not care if the car is being driven, or is parked with the engine running. Since your car is moving past the microphone, it is very hard to know if you have the same problem that we are talking about.

If you have the noise without driving the car, then make a video so we can hear the noise longer. Feel free to raise the hood before you start the car, and then poke around by the right side shock tower to see if the noise is coming from the electric motor that is right there.

The Secondary Air Pump is here,
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...88&hg=11&fg=50

I wait for it to go off everytime before i start driving, which you should. Unless you're being chased by some libyan terrorists

Originally Posted by Bemwe_03i

I wait for it to go off everytime before i start driving, which you should. Unless you're being chased by some libyan terrorists

???

You wait for the SAP to finish its run before you drive out? Why? The SAP does nothing that is important, unless you think that dirty air matters -- but then the air is dirty whether the car is moving or not, so waiting for the SAP to shut down is a waste of time and gas.