A sort of crackling noise?

[zakool21]

On my 1994 325i I am getting a sort of crackling noise when driving the car within 5 minutes of starting it... It happens more when the wheel is turned, which leads me to believe that it's the steering rather than the transmission. After the car has warmed up, it doesn't do this in town. However, if I've been driving it for a while on the highway, and come to a traffic light, when I start up again, it'll make this noise.

It sounds like a cross between a crackling noise and a pop, coming from what sounds like the top of the engine compartment (rather than being lower in the car, like under the gear shifter). It's an auto tranny.

If anyone has any insight as to what may be the problem, i'd love to hear! Thanks...

 

[zakool21]

I took it to a mechanic that my friend owns, and he had one of his techs check it out. They concluded that it must be something loose either in the dash or engine compartment.

 

[zakool21]

Alright. I took the car to Hubbard's German Auto in Eureka, where I bought the car from. It took two mechanics 30 minutes, 3 drives, and 3 lifts to diagnose the problem. A muffler mounting bracket was bent over the transmission crossmember and was making the noise. A simple bend and the problem was fixed. They didn't charge me a dime. The car sounds amazing now, considering it's been making this super-annoying and super-ugly noise for a month now.

 

[Kirby]

Wow! Thanks for letting us know, that's a weird one!