How to fix the N54 wastegate rattle?

[jokergerm]

I have a 2007 335I, and i think its the wastegates that are rattling when i first fire up the car in the morning it sounds like someone is sticking a screw driving tip in a fan blade for just a second or 2. its not internal its in the exhaust.

It also does it when the car is warm and you rev it up in neutral, when the RPMS start to come back down, you hear this noise, its not loud but its just enought to be like WTF is that.

I called the dealer when i had my warranty and they said it was normal and not to worry about it, now i am out of warranty and this noise sucks ass.

i really would like to figure out something, anyone else have this noise?

thanks

[xborndaballx]

I also have the same noise, I asked about it when i took mine in for service a month ago and they told me the same thing, that it was normal and not to worry about it.

[jokergerm]

That pisses me off, you buy 50k car and its normal for it to sound like complete *** and embarrass you around people.

I get people looking and saying all the time "whats that noise"

****

[ronkeller8]

2008 E93 w/ 'the noise'. Likewise, was told it was normal. For me, it seems to go away after it warms up.....but noticeable at start up for sure.

[in transit]

I notice it on start up, but it's not that loud to me.

[jokergerm]

How can this be normal? cause there is too many cars with this issue and BMW does not want to deal with it?

Makes me really mad, that its Normal and BMW wont man up and fix it

****

[ben4bama]

I just posted this on e90post but got no replies:

subject: warranty about to run out, should I replace turbos?

I've had the wastegate rattle documented at the dealer a couple of times. They've said in the past that they don't just replace them for the rattle anymore because in many cases the rattle will return. Also, it is like a 22 hour job where they have to swing the engine over (so I guess they unbolt it from the front subframe or something) in order to get to them. I think if I pushed hard enough they would replace them but my question is should I ?? on one hand I would have new ( or is it remanufactured ?) turbos that I've heard have longer actuator arms (can anyone confirm this?). But on the other hand it could be remanufactured turbos and like I said, they would have to start unbolting things to do the job.. I've had no other problem with them , they just rattle and that doesn't bother me.. I just wondered if it would be worth pursuing or not.

[mryakan]

I just posted this on e90post but got no replies:

subject: warranty about to run out, should I replace turbos?

I've had the wastegate rattle documented at the dealer a couple of times. They've said in the past that they don't just replace them for the rattle anymore because in many cases the rattle will return. Also, it is like a 22 hour job where they have to swing the engine over (so I guess they unbolt it from the front subframe or something) in order to get to them. I think if I pushed hard enough they would replace them but my question is should I ?? on one hand I would have new ( or is it remanufactured ?) turbos that I've heard have longer actuator arms (can anyone confirm this?). But on the other hand it could be remanufactured turbos and like I said, they would have to start unbolting things to do the job.. I've had no other problem with them , they just rattle and that doesn't bother me.. I just wondered if it would be worth pursuing or not.

Do you mean pay out of your pocket to replace them? I would say no then.
Otherwise, I doubt they will do it under warranty.

Like the old saying goes, "If it ain't broken, don't fix it".

[ben4bama]

Do you mean pay out of your pocket to replace them? I would say no then.
Otherwise, I doubt they will do it under warranty.

Like the old saying goes, "If it ain't broken, don't fix it".

No, ask them to cover under warranty. I know they used to replace them but after the rattles came back they did the software updates to quiet them down. I've heard the newer turbos have lengthened (corrected) rods but not sure if this was on later N54's or just on the N55's. Some members on the forums say that after replacing them the rattle never came back.
my concern in the long run isn't the rattle but if the rods will eventually wear to where I will need to replace the turbos as a result. Does anyone know? I would hate to have that expense if I didn't have to. I mean, metal on metal rattling would seem like something would wear as a result.

[mryakan]

No, ask them to cover under warranty. I know they used to replace them but after the rattles came back they did the software updates to quiet them down. I've heard the newer turbos have lengthened (corrected) rods but not sure if this was on later N54's or just on the N55's. Some members on the forums say that after replacing them the rattle never came back.
my concern in the long run isn't the rattle but if the rods will eventually wear to where I will need to replace the turbos as a result. Does anyone know? I would hate to have that expense if I didn't have to. I mean, metal on metal rattling would seem like something would wear as a result.

If you are out of warranty, I doubt you will have any luck getting them replaced unless you pay for it. Sorry.

[EliteAutoImport]

So it would appear that the latest 08 335xi that I have picked up has the dreaded Wastegate rattle. It is still under the warranty so I made an appointment with BMW Moncton to have it looked at. I have talked with one of the service professionals there and he informed me that he has been there for 8 months and has never heard of it. (no warm and fuzzies here) I am just outside of Saint John, which makes this an hour and a half trip each way for service. I really hope the dealership is competent.

Cheers,

[aquila163]

The loose rod on the wastegate will not hurt the turbo. A loose rod will not cause a power loss. A tight rod actually could, by keeping the wastegate slightly open all the time, which would also cause a power loss, but eventually a tight waste gate rod would burn the gate because exhaust would always be getting past and the gate would never get to cool off. A loose rod lets the gate fully close. I can't figure out why BMW can't come up with a nice tight joint at the end of the rod to get rid of the noise like every other turbo built in the last 80 yrars.

[EliteAutoImport]

The loose rod on the wastegate will not hurt the turbo. A loose rod will not cause a power loss. A tight rod actually could, by keeping the wastegate slightly open all the time, which would also cause a power loss, but eventually a tight waste gate rod would burn the gate because exhaust would always be getting past and the gate would never get to cool off. A loose rod lets the gate fully close. I can't figure out why BMW can't come up with a nice tight joint at the end of the rod to get rid of the noise like every other turbo built in the last 80 yrars.

So judging from your response, you feel the wastegate rattle is not an issue that will affect performance or reliability?

I would love to hear from others who have gone down this road and what their experience and outcomes were as a result of this issue. I don't want to gamble on the outcome for it to be an issue in the future with the vehicle.

Cheers,

[EliteAutoImport]

So for others who may have this problem, I just picked up the car from the Dealer. I have the noise as noted on several YouTube videos. The car does it when cold and warm as this does not appear to matter. The diagnosis is that both turbos will need to be replaced. The parts are ordered along with the HPFP and Injectors. (They will need the car for a week)

I am glad I am dealing with this now and not after the warranty has expired.

So far the BMW Dealership in Moncton appears to be Top Notch. Time will tell next week if they keep this title.

BTW, the car is an 08 335xi with 76K and a build date of Oct 07

Cheers,

[gdp]

I was down this road over a year ago. The dealer replaced the wastegates (under warranty). And i believe he flashed the computer. No problems so far. To the OP, you say you hear a rattle on startup, are you sure it is not the exhaust diverter? I had that problem as well, and the dealer replaced the driver side exhaust.

[BMW STEP 04]

The defects tat cause the rattle vary and We've run into several problems, so a replacement of the turbo may not repair anything. We've seen:

-Leaking vacuum lines cause insufficient sealing of waste gate (Replace Vacuum lines)
-Worn Wastegate actuator bushings (Replace Turbos)
-Worn eyelet on wastegate actuator (Replace wastegate actuator)
-Insufficient vacuum due to programming error (Reprogramming)
-natural wear of wastegate flap (adjust Wastegate actuator)

All of these will cause a rattle at the wastegate, most notably when coming off a rev in neutral. All of your service centers may indeed be correct in their diagnosis, however with so many repairs of this issue, it's hard to be certain one repair is necessary over another.

It's easy to say that the vacuum should be increased to solve the issue (programming did slightly), but you run into all sorts of issues if the actuator is held in place by excessive vacuum.

My suggestion to all of you is persistence and patience. Note down these things to help expedite the process:

When does it happen? (RPM? off idle, AT idle, cold/hot? etc)
Where does it happen? (Driving next to a concrete wall? down the freeway? etc?)
How often? (Intermittent?, every day?)

Also, Pictures are worth more than words in ALL cases, if you see oil at any of the pipes, dirt etc. take a picture and attach it when you bring the car in. It always helps motivate BMW to approve costly items if they have images of what you are concerned about.

hope this helps.

[07Blue335i]

My csr usually makes the noise at first crank of the day, I'm not sure if it's the exhaust or the wastegates but it's def coming from the rear or middle of the car.

[Royal Flush]

I took my car in about two weeks ago because I thought I was hearing the waste-gate rattle as well. My SA told me it was normal but I had the car taken in for other services. In the end, my SA told me they replaced the left muffler because of the butterfly valve. I don't hear the rattle noise anymore, so it might've not been the waste-gate I was hearing.

[usmm1234]

I just fired up my newly purchased 2010 335i convertible In the garage for my wife. It was a gift for her. It's a low mileage 18,000 certified pre owned car. Bad rattle in the left bank exhaust. I can kick the tail pipe and change the rattle so I am assuming that it is in the muffler. I have lots of warranty but it is a little dis heartening since I just bought it today! Back to the dealer on Monday.

[bmwill831]

Ya common issue. My 335 has this rattle as well but if you pull the vacuum line off the butterfly valve on the left muffler the noise will go away and you now will have true dual exhaust. This is known as the " golf tee mod"

[usmm1234]

Hey thanks a lot! Did this have any negative effect on performance? Golf tee? Are they plugging the hole with it?

[Blaizon]

I just fired up my newly purchased 2010 335i convertible In the garage for my wife. It was a gift for her. It's a low mileage 18,000 certified pre owned car. Bad rattle in the left bank exhaust. I can kick the tail pipe and change the rattle so I am assuming that it is in the muffler. I have lots of warranty but it is a little dis heartening since I just bought it today! Back to the dealer on Monday.

That's the exhaust flapper for when the car is warming up. All cars do this, you can pull the line like what was suggested or if you have a JB4 you can have it set to stay open all the time.

[AZCharles]

this makes me wonder how many ppl are hearing this rattle and without really looking into it, they've come to the conclusion that it's a wastegate issue from all the stuff on the internet...

BTW - anyone wanting to know about the golf t mod, just search on youtube, there are some vids and all you need to do is disconnect a wire connector in the trunk. A 1 minute mod that keeps the left side exhaust butterfly valve open. It adds a little volume to the exhaust too. I believe BMW added the valve in order to meet sound regulations. I did the mod and mine doesn't rattle...

[Roberto 330cic]

Hi guys,
I belong to this forum since I had got a E46 cabrio but I never posted anything. Nowadays I have got an E93 335i which is suffering this problem.

Such as other guy explained above, when I increase RPM up, release, and RPM begins to go down, rattling is an evidence.....

I ask for a BMW dealer and they confirmed me about both wastegate lever have an important clearance or gap.

If I do not repair, it may increase the gap and block turbo variability propeler and due to that produces heavy engine damages......

Depend on kind of turbos it has, the cost could be from 500 (only levers to be replaced) euros to 6000 (full turbo+wastegate to be replaced x 2).

I guess you understang my english!!!....

P.D.: This is just the part inspected by dealer and both of my turbos reproduce
http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/...em-fix-t97328/

[Ian1973]

Like many in here, i have heard this is normal with this car. Earlier years suffer more. I have heard the fix actually makes the car suffer performance down low in the revs. Personally it's a little noisy on startup but I could care less. I don't want to give up low end performance for vanity.

Also if you are hearing something try the golf tee mod. Unplug the exhaust flapper all together see if you like the result.