Hi all,
I’m having a noise in the engine bay that has been hard to pinpoint. It kinda sounds like the engine is running rough at low rpm under load, but the car has been running fine and doesn’t feel off. The noise is coming from the passenger side of the engine bay, and goes away when the engine is past about 3k rpm or when the car is well warmed up. It’s not a ticking or rattling.

I wish I could be more descriptive, but the car is at the mechanic right now who claims it’s internal engine damage, but it doesn’t fit right with me.

thanks

 

Like a coarse/harsh noise? I get that from time to time, only when cold, and only at low speed/RPM. No longer occurs once warmed up.

 

Hey Jamador and thanks.
It is not a grinding noise. It sounds like the engine is running rough/heavy. The noise does change with rpm, but it goes away past 2.5-3k. I’m kicking myself for not recording it before dropping it off. Calling the mechanic to double check if they’re hearing the right noise.
thanks

 

It could be the upper right side motor mount. When that one is shot, you'll get symptoms like you describe. It's not a difficult job at all - at least on my 2013 N16 base model.

An $8 Harbor Freight mechanic's stethoscope would be a great tool to chase this down - if it's the motor mount the stethoscope would tell you in seconds (and if it's not the mount, would help you locate the noise if it's accessible and external to the engine)...