re: E36 M3 water pump (It might be the "rear main seal")

[tteazis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Suzy,

I also had a squealing noise coming out of my '97 M3 motor. I thought it
was the water pump or a belt but I was wrong. Whenever I would take the car
to the dealer the noise would go away... (surprise!). One day, while I was
driving home, I heard it again, drove back to the dealer, did not turn off
the engine, and forced him to bring a mechanic out to listen to it. It
turns out it was the "rear main seal." That's the seal between the engine
and transmission. It was leaking and was sucking air making the
squealing/whistle noise.

Have the mechanic listen with a stethoscope and tell him to check the "rear
main seal." My dealer changed the seal under warranty and the noise is
gone. I had around 12,000 miles on the car.

Good luck,
Theo.
'97 M3... (too many track upgrades that my wife does not know...)

<<<
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1998 08:25:33 -0500
From: Suzy <suzym3@domain.elided>
Subject: E36 M3 water pump
A couple months ago I sent in a post about my 97 M3 making a squealing
noise coming from the motor.  I went to the dealer and of course the car
was fine when I got there.  So I have been putting up with this noise on
and off for the last several months. Yesterday the squealing noise came
back again so I drove to the dealer and this time they finally got to
hear it.  I was told it sounded like the the bearings in the water pump
are going bad and they ordered a new water pump.  With only 11,000 miles
on my car, is it common for the water pump to go bad?
Just seems like it ought to last a little longer than that.
Suzy
97 M3 luxury
ACS Short shift, x brace, Dinan exhaust
clear lenses, Redline MTF
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