Fed up .. more problems :(

[jayware33]

Hi everyone,

I'm on teh brink of deciding about swapping my car but finding it hard as I love it BUT ... im hearing what sounds like a fuel pump issue and if it is, this will tip me over the edge! lol

So, the car is idling and im hearing this "morse code" / digital printing sound coming from the fuel tank. Cant say ive noticed it before but can hear it. Im not sure if its related to how much fuel is in the tank or not. It comes and goes randomly. Im worried I say no to the new car and then find out it actually is a replacement fuel pump needed and costs £££££. I've had a stethascope on the fuel tank and its defo coming from there!

Has anyone had this sound or aware of it? Its nt a turbo a so, no HPFP, its a 30i.

Any help or ideas on what this might be ?

thanks,

[jayware33]

Anyone? Desperate for an answer or even some indication so I can swap my car ASAP.

Any help always appreciated .

[GuidoK]

The only thing that moves in your petrol tank is the pump.
But diagnosing 'morse code' from behind the screen is guessing until you win the lottery. Take it to a specialist.
I don't know how old your car is, but it could just as wel be a slightly clogged filter due to poor fuel quality/car sitting long/uncareful reflueling etc
New filter kit costs £75 or so. Not worth for getting rid of a premium sportscar that is only a few years old I think?

This is on the car you're trying to sell right?

[R.E92]

My experience is only with the N54 engine but when the LPFP starts to go the engine struggles to start. Also a high pitched whirring sound is something people have reported, but that's just an annoyance and hasn't led to any failures afaik.

It would help if you could take a phone recording of the noise.

[andysat]

I had my e85 for three years-of which 2 years 11 months were troublesome-but stuck with it

[GaryT]

Just drive it and fix it when it breaks, of course, that doesn't mean ignore the car when it needs attention but chasing phantom noises will ruin your enjoyment of the car, if your that worried about it then buy warranty on it.

[E89_Gaz]

Any decent Diagnostic system will allow you to run the pump at various speeds in isolation which makes it easy to establish if it is indeed the source of the noise.

[jayware33]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

I' can't capture the sound from video as its too quiet to pick up. Two mechanics said it sounds like the fuel pump (one BMW guy and a local garage) but they would need to comfirm. I thought a fuel pump going bad made a humming / buzzing sound? This is more like an intermittant ticking sound.

[Maniac]

Just drive it and fix it when it breaks, of course, that doesn't mean ignore the car when it needs attention but chasing phantom noises will ruin your enjoyment of the car, if your that worried about it then buy warranty on it.

This. I had loads of niggles with mine, I nearly got shut of the car time and again.

[Zed Five]

Might sound daft here, but is it actually causing a problem? If it drives fine, see how it goes. Whatever you do, buying a fuelpump is cheaper than swapping your car.

Get a third opinion, dont mention fuel pump. If they say fuel pump, then thats three people who agree. If that is the case, get it changed. Simples?

[jayware33]

Thanks for everyone's replies.
The sound disappears when there's a full tank of fuel. No performance issues. Sound comes on when low on fuel. Is this normal?

UPDATE: Mechanics confirmed fuel pump is ok. They said the noise was only on when low on fuel due to pump being exposed inside the tank as opposed to fully submerged in fuel. Normal operation supposedly, advice was just to keep it topped up above quarter tank to avoid hearing the pump noise.

[Baza]

Buy some ear defenders ,they solve a lot of problems.

[ronk]

Mine gave a high pitched and partially erratic whine. It was changed under warranty - it wasn't loud but it was annoying once the ears got tuned Into it.

Since the pump was changed its

[Izice]

Just drive it and fix it when it breaks, of course, that doesn't mean ignore the car when it needs attention but chasing phantom noises will ruin your enjoyment of the car, if your that worried about it then buy warranty on it.

This. I had loads of niggles with mine, I nearly got shut of the car time and again.

Exactly this..i was getting hung up on noises after a series of ongoing issues costing a fortune. I almost traded it in 2 days ago and instead of splurging £ + trade in on new car i got a comp bmw warranty and just life with the slight vanos noise which was doing my head in.

You can be too pedantic with these cars.