High pitched noise from drive unit

[0ptions]

Well, I would venture to say that whichever Tesla location you are going to that claims it is within spec is not being honest with you, or not understanding what you're complaining about (if it is the same problem I've been having). Tesla Oakville didn't even listen and told me it is normal; Tesla Kitchener fixed it without me even seeing them in person due to the COVID precautions. It's hard to judge, as everyone perceives sounds differently, the car DOES make a "normal" but 'pleasant' whine, and it is difficult to capture the loud/bad whine clearly with video recording (all the recordings I've tried to make, or listened to online make the noise sound VERY quiet/barely noticeable, despite it being quite loud in person). Both my LR RWD and SR+ are now as quiet as the day I got them. I'm paying it forward because there are lots of things I learned on this forum, and if I can help a few people pinpoint their problem and the solution, I'm happy to contribute to the community! The video posted in this thread reproduces the problem I was having, but you have to turn your volume up, and know what you're listening for to hear it. The electrical almost beep-whine has been fixed for me, but the awesome futuristic acceleration hum is still there (as it should be!).

I was told by both service centers I've been to (Toledo, OH & Clarkston, MI) that they use a meter to measure the sound and the spec is so wide that most cars fall within it. The spec was intentionally set wide.
My video captures it well and even showed it to the service centers. They will do absolutely nothing for me.
VID_20200605_064939~2.mp4

 

[Dante]

I was told by both service centers I've been to (Toledo, OH & Clarkston, MI) that they use a meter to measure the sound and the spec is so wide that most cars fall within it. The spec was intentionally set wide.
My video captures it well and even showed it to the service centers. They will do absolutely nothing for me.
VID_20200605_064939~2.mp4

Ok, I've got the perfect solution for you: Book a service appointment at the Kitchener Service Centre, and tell the Canada Border Services you're actually on your way to Alaska. I think that's the secret way into Canada isn't it?

But more seriously, maybe ask them to replace your rear drive unit's ground strap? I asked at least twice before I got my second vehicle, but my most recent 'request' was more forceful, indicating that my other model 3 did not make the sound that I was told was 'within spec'. Not sure if this contributed to the fix, or the incidental change in service centre location. Maybe you can tell them that a 'friend' of yours had the same problem which was solved by this replacement? We're basically pen-pals now hahaha.

 

[0ptions]

Ok, I've got the perfect solution for you: Book a service appointment at the Kitchener Service Centre, and tell the Canada Border Services you're actually on your way to Alaska. I think that's the secret way into Canada isn't it?

But more seriously, maybe ask them to replace your rear drive unit's ground strap? I asked at least twice before I got my second vehicle, but my most recent 'request' was more forceful, indicating that my other model 3 did not make the sound that I was told was 'within spec'. Not sure if this contributed to the fix, or the incidental change in service centre location. Maybe you can tell them that a 'friend' of yours had the same problem which was solved by this replacement? We're basically pen-pals now hahaha.

On your invoice, do they list the part number of the ground strap they replaced?

 

[Dante]

ASY,CABLE,RDU GND STRAP,M3(1070979-00-F)

 

[0ptions]

ASY,CABLE,RDU GND STRAP,M3(1070979-00-F)

I am completely livid right now. My service appointment for this issue with Clarkston, MI had this cable ordered, then later said it wasn't for my car and ordered against my VIN by mistake!!! I knew it was meant for mine for this noise. Why on earth would the go back on it???

 

[marcn]

Add me to the list of people affected by this. I have a 2018 Model 3 AWD and this issue is getting very annoying. Unfortunately, I had the mobile service tech go for a drive in the car and he said Tesla considers it "normal". My family and I definitely disagree! I made a video to help capture the issue, in case it helped Tesla diagnose the issue:

Additional notes in the YT video description, but here are a few points in particular where it's easy to hear the problem:
0:46
1:35
1:46 --- best one
5:02
5:21
5:32 --- another good one
8:41

The video combines stats from "ScanMyTesla" app, TeslaCam video footage, and a spectrogram created from the audio recording in Audacity (with minor edits to remove road noise and enhance the 2-3 kHz range slightly so it's easier to hear in the recording). Like others have mentioned before, it's hard to capture in a recording but very easy to hear in person. I recorded this with a high-quality USB microphone plugged into a laptop, pointed near a rear door speaker - because it sounds like the sound is coming from the speakers. I'm not positive it's actually coming from the speakers - it could be coming from the motor(s) and it just sounds like it's from the speakers because it reminds me of the electrical interference you'd hear on old ICE cars with badly-grounded stereo systems. Maybe some sort of microphone under the car (or placement in the trunk near the actual motor) could confirm....?

A few more points to consider:

• the car didn't always have this issue, but I can't remember exactly when it started
• it is very low mileage - at the time of the recording only 16,637 km (10,338 miles)
• the recording above was made on July 5, 2020 on software version 2020.20.12
• as of 2020.28.5 the sound seems to have gotten worse - not only louder but now more frequent (happens at more speeds and at more throttle positions) and even has a "warbling" sound to it
• it's most prominent when the power to the motor is anywhere from "very low regen" to "very low power" (i.e. the range the car is usually in on flat stretches of road)

I'd be very curious to know if the sounds in the video above matches the sounds others have been hearing - and even better if it's the kind of problem that is fixed with the grounding strip replacement...

 

[0ptions]

I have a service appointment at 11am on Thursday again with the Clarkston, MI SC. I'll report back what happens. My expectations are low, sadly.

 

[0ptions]

But more seriously, maybe ask them to replace your rear drive unit's ground strap?

How long did they have your car for?

 

[john5520]

Add me to the list of people affected by this. I have a 2018 Model 3 AWD and this issue is getting very annoying. Unfortunately, I had the mobile service tech go for a drive in the car and he said Tesla considers it "normal". My family and I definitely disagree! I made a video to help capture the issue, in case it helped Tesla diagnose the issue:

Additional notes in the YT video description, but here are a few points in particular where it's easy to hear the problem:
0:46
1:35
1:46 --- best one
5:02
5:21
5:32 --- another good one
8:41

The video combines stats from "ScanMyTesla" app, TeslaCam video footage, and a spectrogram created from the audio recording in Audacity (with minor edits to remove road noise and enhance the 2-3 kHz range slightly so it's easier to hear in the recording). Like others have mentioned before, it's hard to capture in a recording but very easy to hear in person. I recorded this with a high-quality USB microphone plugged into a laptop, pointed near a rear door speaker - because it sounds like the sound is coming from the speakers. I'm not positive it's actually coming from the speakers - it could be coming from the motor(s) and it just sounds like it's from the speakers because it reminds me of the electrical interference you'd hear on old ICE cars with badly-grounded stereo systems. Maybe some sort of microphone under the car (or placement in the trunk near the actual motor) could confirm....?

A few more points to consider:

• the car didn't always have this issue, but I can't remember exactly when it started
• it is very low mileage - at the time of the recording only 16,637 km (10,338 miles)
• the recording above was made on July 5, 2020 on software version 2020.20.12
• as of 2020.28.5 the sound seems to have gotten worse - not only louder but now more frequent (happens at more speeds and at more throttle positions) and even has a "warbling" sound to it
• it's most prominent when the power to the motor is anywhere from "very low regen" to "very low power" (i.e. the range the car is usually in on flat stretches of road)

I'd be very curious to know if the sounds in the video above matches the sounds others have been hearing - and even better if it's the kind of problem that is fixed with the grounding strip replacement...

I dont have the issue, but judging from the videos posted, it sounds the same.

 

[Dante]

How long did they have your car for?

It only took them a few hours, but they were doing multiple things (2 yr service, this sound, and had to replace something with the front bearings I think because the car started making a rumbling/grinding noise a week before the appointment). They gave me a loaner and sent me home, but the appointment was at 2pm and I think they sent me a "we're done" text around 5pm. Seemed like they were expecting it to take longer. So hard to say how long the single issue took to diagnose/resolve.

 

[Dante]

Also, if they're being nitpicky and annoying and saying it's within spec... can't you just pay to have this stupid strap replaced? Like just tell them you want them to change it and pay whatever it costs? Obviously may not be the same issue, but I would have happily paid 100$ or something like that to make the noise go away. I have no idea how much it costs though, so maybe not super keen to pay like 800$ for something they should just fix under warranty... but if it came down to it, I'd pay a small fee to make it go away without the frequent visits to a service centre trying to convince them to fix it.

 

[0ptions]

Also, if they're being nitpicky and annoying and saying it's within spec... can't you just pay to have this stupid strap replaced? Like just tell them you want them to change it and pay whatever it costs? Obviously may not be the same issue, but I would have happily paid 100$ or something like that to make the noise go away. I have no idea how much it costs though, so maybe not super keen to pay like 800$ for something they should just fix under warranty... but if it came down to it, I'd pay a small fee to make it go away without the frequent visits to a service centre trying to convince them to fix it.

Agreed. So far you're the only person who has had it corrected without replacing the motor. So hopefully this also corrects my issue and like you said, maybe I can pay them to change the ground cable which would certainly be much less costly than replacing the motor.

 

[camalaio]

I need to add way way more detail and have pictures, but until I can do that...

I DIY'd it. It's fixed. I didn't think it would actually work. All I did was tighten the bolts I could reach for the ground straps.

Not all noises are gone, but it's back to where it was when new. I'll explain more later!

 

[john5520]

See last post here. Also talks about the ground strap:

Does your model 3 make a loud winding down noise when regenerative braking?

 

[0ptions]

Awesome information, everyone. I will keep this information in my pocket for my appointment at 11am today (in 70 minutes).
@camalaio how long did it take you to do this, was it accessible from inside the car or under/outside the car?

 

[0ptions]

So they have my car. At first the tech that rode with me started giving me the "oh this sound is normal" garbage. After mentioning the ground strap and that coworkers cars with similar mileage do not exhibit this sound, his tune changed.
Sounds like they're at least going to check out the ground cable. Here's to hoping they correct the issue this time. I'm tired of consuming their time and my own now three times for what seems like a simple fix...

 

[camalaio]

Since there are multiple threads on this topic, I've decided to make a new thread for discussion on the specific fix I did that can be more easily linked to: DIY Fix: High-pitch Whine from Drive Unit(s)

Awesome information, everyone. I will keep this information in my pocket for my appointment at 11am today (in 70 minutes).
@camalaio how long did it take you to do this, was it accessible from inside the car or under/outside the car?

I took 1h30m to do both ends, but wasted a lot of time trying to get to a basically inaccessible end for the rear motor. One side should be doable in less than 30 minutes total. I used ramps and did it from underneath.

 

[marcn]

So they have my car. At first the tech that rode with me started giving me the "oh this sound is normal" garbage. After mentioning the ground strap and that coworkers cars with similar mileage do not exhibit this sound, his tune changed.
Sounds like they're at least going to check out the ground cable. Here's to hoping they correct the issue this time. I'm tired of consuming their time and my own now three times for what seems like a simple fix...

Any updates on this service appointment? Did you get your car back? Did they replace the strap?

 

[0ptions]

Any updates on this service appointment? Did you get your car back? Did they replace the strap?

They still have my car. Current status is, "The ground strap replacement doesn't apply to you vehicle. Multiple techs will be driving the vehicle to duplicate and if it is abnormal to them they will escalate the noise concern to engineering and we will base any repairs off of their conclusion."
I followed up stating that this is what has happened with the last two appointments- the techs can't duplicate it because they don't know exactly when it happens (feathering accelerator between 40-45mph). I added that I can come back over (I live 10 minutes away) and drive any of them around to make the noise. At the end of the day, it is your customer who has to live with it, not your techs.

I haven't heard anything after that since Friday morning. They've driven it a total of 4 miles since I dropped it off.

 

[0ptions]

I still haven't heard from the SC but my app now shows an estimated completion date of 9/4 at noon, which is 3 days from now.
It seems they are waiting for part(s), since according to my app, my car hasn't moved from the parking lot since Friday.
Meanwhile I am driving a 2015 Model S P90D loaner with 64k miles and is silent...