Are E34's noisy?

[pundit]

I know there has been several threads discussing relative noise levels inside the cabin but what is normal and what is not?

Wind noise - leaky door and window seals, body protrusions ie. mirrors etc.
Road noise - tyre howl
Suspension noise.- shockers, bushes, subframe mounts, wheel bearings etc.
Engine noise - intake and exhaust noise - vibration - faulty engine mounts.
Transmission noise - whines, vibrations, faulty mounts, guibos etc.
Exhaust noise - leaks, faulty mounts, resonances etc.

I feel mine transmits far too much engine noise (M30) into the cabin.
Sometimes it feels like I'm starting a truck engine.
I can't see any obvious problem with the engine mounts, but it feels like a distinct lack of isolation between engine and cabin.

Any ideas?

[Torque]

When compared to other makes of cars in the same class (sports sedan), the e34 does seem way too loud.

I never really minded it though; I prefer hearing what the car is doing to it being silent.

[Kalevera]

There's a gasket that surrounds the steering shaft at the firewall that can pop out and let engine bay noise into the cabin, but you'll be able to pinpoint the source of it to "somewhere under the DS of the dash." It's also a pain to put back in, as it has an oblong shape.

I think Fritz is really quiet given the engine technology -- definitely sounds louder OUTSIDE by the hood than it does in the cabin. Of course, I'm one of the few who takes the time to ADD insulation to combat cabin noise. People also forget that the headliner is a significant sound absorber, and it seems to stop performing that function as it sags and ages.

Since you have a RHD car, I'm wondering if it inherently doesn't have more (or more perceived?) cabin noise, given that the exhaust is closer to that gasket and to your driving position in the car.

Best practices I've done to combat sound intrusion:

- Replaced headliner and door seals with parts from one of Rigmaster's '95s
- Added factory insulation to speaker wells (some pieces weren't fitted to early models, yet were standard in E32 and late E34 cars).
- Polyethylene/polystyrene insulation in all door and fender cavities to help minimise resonance.

...then I got most of the noise back courtesy of the worn out kumhos.

Edit: also, it's fairly typical for the door seals to shrink over time, versus the rubber cracking, which can potentially allow them to detatch from the unibody and introduce road noise to the cabin.

best, whit

[uscharalph]

I know there has been several threads discussing relative noise levels inside the cabin but what is normal and what is not?

Wind noise - leaky door and window seals, body protrusions ie. mirrors etc.
Road noise - tyre howl
Suspension noise.- shockers, bushes, subframe mounts, wheel bearings etc.
Engine noise - intake and exhaust noise - vibration - faulty engine mounts.
Transmission noise - whines, vibrations, faulty mounts, guibos etc.
Exhaust noise - leaks, faulty mounts, resonances etc.

I feel mine transmits far too much engine noise (M30) into the cabin.
Sometimes it feels like I'm starting a truck engine.
I can't see any obvious problem with the engine mounts, but it feels like a distinct lack of isolation between engine and cabin.

Any ideas?
My car is pretty quiet now. Either that or I was just getting used to the bearing / wheel noise I was experiencing. I don't have to drive around with the redio cranked anymore. LOL!!!!

[Alexlind123]

Wind noise - i have a leaky door seal, that is the drivers door seal, other than that, not really any wind noise.
Road noise - none - tires can determine this, though
Suspension noise.- none - there shouldnt be

Engine noise - I have no exhaust noise audible from the cabin, but some
engine noise is audible, very smooth now that i have adjusted my valves.
Engine noise in this case is a plus for me. If you have heard an m30 pulling
at 6k rpm, you know what i mean.

Transmission noise - none, although it doesnt always seem to shift as smoothly as it should. i attribute this to slightly incorrect fluid level as i have a leak on the top of the transmission somewhere that i will have to drop the transmission to fix, and i have to add a slight bit of fluid each day.

Exhaust noise - none inside, although from the exterior the muffler has a hole that makes a "whisssssing" sound - easily fixed with some "muffler mend" putty that my dad picked up for me the other day. Since the muffler is fine except for this, it is an adequate fix.

Judging from other cars i have experienced, the e34 is one of the quieter ones. I would put it about in line with a 2005 subaru wagon (with my door seal fixed) in terms of interior volume, although the m30 has a much sweeter sound.

[Jay 535i]

My car's very quiet until I get above 70MPH. Then the wind noise picks up. Otherwise she's very quiet by 1990 standards. My mom's 2003 four cylinder Camry is quieter, though.

[Alexlind123]

Tires and road surface make a big difference. Maybe some noise cancelling headphones would do you good?

[Randell]

it's very quiet on the freeway, i've had a few comments about it being quiet at cruising speed. i think the wind noise is acceptable, but with 235/45 ZR18s it's got a lot of road noise

at idle it's pretty loud and sounds a bit clunky, but i think my valves need alignment

when it gets a flogging it couldn't sound better, but the thing that gets me though is that bloody fan! now that we're in summer now down here every time i take off from the lights it sounds like a school bus, it's embarassing!

i also hear a tiny bit of transmission whine just as it changes gears, i think that's normal though

btw, did anyone know the Z4 has a 'sound pipe' ? i didn't believe it at first either, until i saw pictures and diagrams... it's basically a tube that goes from the engine bay into the cabin, i think in the footwell on the passenger side... transmits awesome sounds, nice thinking bmw!

[grave77]

that issue was bugging me for a while. I like to have good insulation from engine sound, my dads E32 has better insulation, I was thinking of adding another layer on the front firewall. but nothing serious yet as I need to fix the clutch pump fittings as the oil drippings damaged the carpets and thats generating more sound.

[zygoteer]

Wind noise - i have a leaky door seal, that is the drivers door seal, other than that, not really any wind noise.
Road noise - none - tires can determine this, though
Suspension noise.- none - there shouldnt be

Engine noise - I have no exhaust noise audible from the cabin, but some
engine noise is audible, very smooth now that i have adjusted my valves.
Engine noise in this case is a plus for me. If you have heard an m30 pulling
at 6k rpm, you know what i mean.

Transmission noise - none, although it doesnt always seem to shift as smoothly as it should. i attribute this to slightly incorrect fluid level as i have a leak on the top of the transmission somewhere ...

Exhaust noise - none inside, although from the exterior the muffler has a hole that makes a "whisssssing" sound ...

These comments are spookily EXACTLY the same comment I would give for my car !
... so maybe the door seal & slight leaks are a common E34 sign of age etc.

[grave77]

I think carpets are the major signs of age in E34

[BigKriss]

The car doesn't rattle and the engine's louder than the exhaust. puurfect! and then the stero overpowers everything else.

[SRR2]

I was just about to post something very similar, but since you already said most everything I was going to, I'll just second yours.

In my 16 years of experience with my '89 535, I found that the noisiest thing was worn tires. There isn't as much isolation in the suspension as in other cars, I suppose. For the most part, installation of Mich Pilot Sport 2's solved the noise problem. Otherwise, it was a fairly quiet car for its category and age.

[Incantation]

get a couple thousands watts in your speaker setup and you won't notice a thing

[pundit]

get a couple thousands watts in your speaker setup and you won't notice a thing
Say WHAT!!??

[Dan in NZ]

Valve adjustment quietened down my car a fair bit. Worth checking if it hasn't been done for a while.