I have a 2016 F56 Justa (3 cylinder) with about 15k miles.

I've searched this forum (and others) and also searched for TSBs but did not find any mention of the problem I'm having.

On cold or warm start, I occasionally but not always (perhaps 2 out of 3 times) get a loud rattling noise from the engine. It sounds like marbles in a tin can. It gets louder and faster with increased throttle. It goes away in 10-30 seconds.

The problem did not occur for about the first 10k miles.

I reported the problem to my dealer. They were able to reproduce the noise and replaced both intake and exhaust VANOS solenoids (claiming there was an error posted to the ECM but there was ever a check engine light).

The problem is unchanged after the attempted repair.

I again reported the problem to my dealer. They claim they were able to reproduce the problem but I'm doubtful. They now say that the noise is normal for the 3 cylinder engines claiming that the lifters and direct injection are noisier than the 4 cylinder engines.

I don't buy their claim and doubt that BMW would 'engineer' it to be this noisy on startup.

All that said, do others with the 3 cylinder engine have a loud rattling noise on cold and warm starts?

Thanks for any feedback,
Alan

 

No marbles in can noise on wife's three cylinder. Did you ask them to start up a few other cars while you were present to hear the normal sounds.

 

Experienced similar noise on start-up usually after sitting overnight (warm garage). Happened 4/5 times over the course of three months. Took the car to the dealer (Seattle Mini) last May for normal maintenance at 21500 miles and asked them to check out said 'rattle'. While it did not make the sound for the dealer, they did perform this task...found a fault for 130F11 exhaust camshaft sensor, 120408 charge pressure as result. Performed test plan, stated program D1214_B0000000_90_212 Bulletin available SI M12 08 15. Programed on line F as per campaign. (this is verbatim from my copy of the work order and may contain spelling/grammar errors).
So, I am now at 27000 miles and the rattle has not reappeared and no further CEL or faults have popped up. As the old saying goes, your results may vary!

 

Wastegate rattle is not unusual. The way these new engines regulate boost does not involve the old school blow off. Charge pressure is regulated in other ways, a consequence of which can be noise.

It's ALWAYS a good idea to have the your dealer run checks if the engine doesn't sound "right" to you -- so many variables, so much complexity engineered into these little beasties.

 

From Tim's posting at Bimmerfest:

A blow-off valve is not used in current models. Pressure peaks, caused by sudden load shedding due to the inertia of the turbine of the exhaust turbocharger, can be avoided by careful tuning of the Digital Motor Electronics software. With foresighted charging pressure control, pressure peaks can be predicted and reduced by quick adjustment of the electrically-adjustable wastegate valve. Assisted by a delayed load control of the Valvetronic (in the minimum lift direction) or the throttle valve (in the closed direction), the remaining charge air which is produced can be routed to the exhaust emission system via the engine. This form of control thus prevents the exhaust turbocharger shaft from being exposed to excessive torsional stress due to high pressure peaks.

Wastegate rattle
Apparently BMW is fine with a little wastegate rattle at startup. They state if the wastegate valve is opened when cold, pulsation of the exhaust gas may cause vibrations in the wastegate valve, which are perceived as noise. This is not due to a defective component, and is normal running noise. This noise becomes less audible as the temperature of the component increases.

 

Many thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences. I'll continue to monitor "the rattle" and will definitely discuss the service bulletin that Landspeeder posted.

More input encouraged and welcomed.

~Alan

 

Yes, I did. Their explanation that other 3 cylinder cars (new) didn't make the noise is that they weren't broken in yet. Fishy but plausible.

 

Quick Update: I was able to record the noise and shared it with my MA. They agreed that it was louder than normal. I have an appointment (the 3rd attempt) to investigate. I'll post any new findings.

Related comment: I found several posts and a few YouTube videos about the wastegate rattle. My noise is significantly different. See (listen) here: https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1Q...otK29A7CaEQhWU

 

COkid, Please to let us know the findings. Thanks.

 

Successful fix! My MA found a service bulletin relating to engine noise on startup. They applied a full integration level update to "SIM 12 08 16" and the noise is gone. I was skeptical but after a full week of testing I can confirm that the noise is gone.

 

Awesome news!

For the 3-pot owners out there, what does the "SIM 12 08 16" fix all include?

 

I don't have a complete list of the changes but here are some items that I noticed after the update.

• Engine temperature gauge improved
• Green mode gauge changed and more intuitive
• Throttle response in Green mode much better
• Fuel pump 'precharge' happens less often. It used to happen every time a door was opened. Now seems to only do it when car sits for several hours.
• General improvement in driveability. Subtle and subjective but throttle response and steering feel is changed for the better.

 

Hi, I just came back from holiday, and it seems that my mini clubman from 2015 also has the rattling noise for a couple of seconds. And then it is gone. Only with a cold start. I was wondering if you still have an audio sample. The link in the topic doesn't seem to work anymore.

Kind regards
Tjeerd

 

PM sent with link to the audio.

 

Thanks Alan, I will keep this topic updated on this matter.

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My 2016 MC did this, but after a software update has not happened again. Marbles in a tin can was a great description!

 

Next week I have an appointment with the mini dealer. Suprisingly it only seems to rattle when the outside temperature is high during the night. With cold evenings/nights, no rattle. Hope this fix will do the trick. Will keep you posted.