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Loud fan noises after acceleration on M3 LR

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DayTrippin

Active Member
Supporting Member
Apr 30, 2021
3,116
4,564
TX
We got our M3 LR about 2 weeks ago. Whenever we accelerate you can hear a fan ramp up with the acceleration and when we come to a stop, it often runs for a seconds after coming to a stop. While sitting still no fan. There is no A/C or heating fan on.

I assume it is some sort of cooling fan for the drivetrain. On my Y it was never audible. On my S, not audible either. The temps are not high either outside. Maybe 40-70F was the range. Outside the fan is pretty loud, inside it is about the same as the ventilation fan on about 3. Speaking of which the ventilation fan on the 3 is FAR louder than the Y at higher speed levels.

I can only imaging how much the drivetrain fan will run when the temps are 90-100F. On the Y in these temps, even towing a trailer, it was very quiet. The loudest fan was the interior fan at speed 5, 6 or 7.

Anyone else have this issue?
 
Do you mean heavy acceleration? like a 0-60 push?
This happens with mine when the battery is below/above ideal temps for that type of performance.
Its not crazy loud but its noticeable, I can't compare to other models though.

If its happening with normal driving then that doesn't seem right.
 
Thanks for the data point. I haven't noticed it at colder temps but maybe because we have the heat on and it masks the sound. I'll try that when it is cold again later this week.

I have it even when not a full-throttle burst. Let's just say I accelerate from even 0-30 mph with anything more than light throttle. Even today with the temps right at 50F I could hear the fan turning on and still running after I let off the throttle. I can actually hear it below about 15 mph. Above that other noises mask it. The harder I get on it, the longer it runs after coming to a stop.

On a full-throttle 0-60 run and coming to a stop, it might run for 4-5 seconds. Even a moderate burst will still have it running 2-3 seconds after a stop. Now that I hear, I can't miss it. If I gently accelerate and "coast" to a stop, then I don't hear it running at all. It might be running at speed on the highway but again the ambient sounds are making it.

The car is running very quickly so if it is helping it stay cool, I don't want to mess with it and lose performance. The acceleration boost on my 3 is working even better than on the Y. So if I just have to live with the noise to keep the performance I have, I'll do it. OTOH I test drove a bunch of 3's last year on VERY hot Florida days and never heard it. Maybe I need to go demo drive another 3 here and see if they are the same.
 
This might be a "feature" of the boost, to immediately start cooling when the car is driven a bit hard for a few seconds. It has done it for me even in cold weather so it's not necessarily because the battery/motors are already very hot. I'm not even sure I had full power sometimes, my battery was too cold.
 
This might be a "feature" of the boost, to immediately start cooling when the car is driven a bit hard for a few seconds. It has done it for me even in cold weather so it's not necessarily because the battery/motors are already very hot. I'm not even sure I had full power sometimes, my battery was too cold.
My 2021 M3 seems to “rev” higher with this fan noise especially in colder weather. Whenever I let it warm up for a full 20 minutes there is minimal noise.