The MINI Club of Ireland

Getting to know and love my car's many audible features, growling engine, burbling and popping exhaust, rattling dash...

One which has me a bit stumped is an intermittent hum that comes from the car when driving straight on a smooth road, and only appears between 90kph and 100. It sounds like when you go over rumble strips on the way to a roundabout, except much quieter, more like a slightly textured road I guess.

Tracking is fine, tyres are fine, balancing is fine, happens in and out of gear, brakes applied or not, wipers swishing or not. If it was a constant sound I could put it down to something loose, but it has this regular cycling "hum...quiet...hum...quiet" action and I have no idea what it might be. And no it is not my phone smart-ar$es

I doubt any of you are expert enough to diagnose something like this via a vague forum post, but if you have experienced this maybe it would help me pin down the cause. Until then..."Sorry Guard, I had to do 120 in a 100 as my car makes this annoying buzzing noise..."

Spray some pesticide in the car maybe

Buzz's/rattles etc can be so annoying though.
I don't have this particular buzz but I have one that I get when accelerating at about 4000/4500 rpm.
I think I've narrowed it down to the driver's side rear grab handle.
Might be worth tightening up all the grab handles

Thanks Ferg! Great idea, except it led to a loud coughing and swerving motion until the fumes dissipated...

I've been on several bmw forums and they seem to see a similar thing relating to wheel bearings that are on their way out...no too crazy a thing to swap out but I would probably change both fronts just in case, and that is obviously more cash on a "maybe" fix.

AdyP wrote:Thanks Ferg! Great idea, except it led to a loud coughing and swerving motion until the fumes dissipated...

.

haha

Ok after some testing I am fairly confident it is a wheel bearing which is starting to go. I have a new one ordered from Minisparesuk so will throw that on and see if that solves the problem! Fingers crossed!

I felt it was nothing about 30 bhp more wouldn't cure !!!!!!! .
G

Ah the Clarkson strategy! Drown out little annoying noises with big growly ones! Like it

irlmin wrote:I felt it was nothing about 30 bhp more wouldn't cure !!!!!!! .
G

POWER !!!!!!!!!!

Drown out the noise with METAL

Several hours of fun today! The bearing is well and truly welded on there and refuses to budge from the driveshaft!! Having to accept defeat and book it into MINI to see if they can remove it.

You don't have a blow torch to try heating it up?

No I don't, but not sure how much heat we would need to apply. The hub removal tool was bending under the pressure of trying to get it loose, so it is tight on there!

Oh crap......not good buddy

So...last week we applied heat from two torches to the bearing until it was pretty darned hot, then continued beating on it, with more swearing!

Nope. Nada.

Left it overnight to cool down before reassembling the next morning.

The car went into Joe Duffy's this morning and by lunch it was done. Happily enough it was a major challenge to them as well, but removing the shaft from the car and utilising a 20-ton press it came free. No chance I was going to get that thing out anyway (which I am oddly pleased about).

The bee is dead...long live the bee!

WOO HOO !!!
Delighted that annoying buzzing is gone for you buddy