scorrie94

Hi,
this is my first post about my first BMW, collected 1900 miles ago in December!

I wondered which forum I could post about my small problem (I hope it is) which my nice dealer can't trace.

Sometimes, when I get in the car a ticking noise starts from behind the instruments..... it usually stops after a minute or less.
HOWEVER, two or three times I've gone on to start the engine whilst it was still ticking and the needles on the dials were all dead. Once it all came alive itself after a minute or so, other times I've stopped the engine and restarted before it cleared.

The noise sounds a bit like a mechanical clock ..... could be a relay coming in and out but its very regular.

At first I thought it was a timer of some kind waiting for something.

Of course it won't do it when its at the dealers!!

Otherwise very nice car!

Only regret was baulking at cost of a towbar and mybe needing an adapter for UK electrics, and now wishing I'd had the factory fit (?600) .... quoted about ?1500 for dealer to put a BMW one on.

Any ideas ?

dlevi67

No idea what makes it tick. It sounds like it's plastic contracting/expanding, rather than anything electrical; there are definitely no mechanical timers in the E60/E61. I doubt the ticking is related to the electrical problem, unless it's a defective relay/relay circuit that does not reset properly.

Re: tow bar - read here; although it's an E39 story, it's relevant.

scorrie94

Thanks for such a quick welcome and response.

I'm afraid my tick is much too clear and metronomic in frequency ( guess 3 per sec ) for it to be plastic creaking.

Thanks for link to info re the towbars.

530_nz

scorrie94, sorry to get an old post revived. But, have you had a solution to your ticking noise? Mine does the same, not all the time, and my instruments were working. I have an '03 E60 530.

scorrie94

There is further info!!!!

Tuesday I put superunleaded in my 520d

Hoping the insurance claim goes thro ok c. ?5k for complete new fuel system, tank, pipes, pumps injectors etc. ....
My poor car.
However it was taken to a different dealer who reckoned the ticking was a well known issue and that it was a small pump which is part of the AC system to sample the temperature and did this when the selected temp was at a certain point relative to current temperature... and to stop it you just changed the selected temp by a degree.
Anyway he said he would check it out before the car was returned to me.

As you will gather I don't have my car right now so I can't try it.

Driving a 525d Msport saloon just now courtesy of BMW insurance.

Hope this might help you.

530_nz

Ouch!!! I thought that the nozzles between different fuel types are different so you won't be able to mix it up? At the moment my only worry is to not put unleaded 91 to my E60.


So does it mean that the pump is faulty, or is it supposed to do exactly that?

Thing is I started hearing things after the car was stored for 2 weeks while I was overseas. So I'm not sure whether it's been like that or has just started.

I'd appreciate if you can update this thread again when you've heard further. TIA!!

And good luck!!!!

scorrie94

Haven't been aware of the noise since I got the car back from repair.

Probably changed the temperature setting knob too though.

Sorry not much help for you!

530_nz

That's fine. I changed my temperature and haven't heard it since.

Good luck with the car!