Name that tune... err, engine noise

[Rob Clark <rclark@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I am hearing a growling sorta sound, which seems to be coming from the 
front of the engine.  It may just be a coincidence, but the engine 
started making this sound around the same time the temperatures have 
been dropping (in the low 50s today), and happens mainly when the 
engine is cold.  Could this be the water pump about to give up?  Any 
other ideas?  I don't know when the last time it was replaced, and this 
is a high mileage car.  Maybe I should be carrying a spare water pump 
in the trunk?  (Do the hoses need replacing if you replace the pump?)

Also, the car seems to idle a bit on the fast side, when it is cold, 
and it is cold outside (50 F.).  It will idle at ~1500 rpm, as I coast 
to a stop, and then drop to ~1100 rpm once the car stops.  (Am I getting 
a bit of an eram[1] effect here, or is there actually some reason when 
the engine runs a bit faster when the car is moving?)  Maybe I'm being 
paranoid, but I'm trying to make sure that my car is fit to run the next 
autox, in less than two weeks.


[1] BTW, the spell checker suggests "ream"

- ---
Rob Clark
San Diego
BMWCCA
'87 325is

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