[Dominic Jones]

Had a spooky thing happen yesterday on my ze50 gt-line. I'd just got in from a long drive, where I'd recharged at a polar/BP Pulse unit and was down to like 10 miles on the battery, so thought I'd charge up before I forgot. So I plugged my home cable in and I just got this bizarre loud buzzing sound from under the bonnet. It started low then got faster and louder... The "ZE" logo over the charge socket was pulsing yellow and the dash said "making connection" or something like that... The buzzing continued when I removed the cable - the only way I could stop it was to start the engine...
I tried a couple of times with the same issue, I even tried a scheduled charge, but again the buzzing started as soon as I connected the cable.

Weird eh? Has this happened to anybody else? I left the car overnight and plugged it in this morning and it's charged fine...

>Shrug<<

 

[80698]

The ZE50 makes a quiet buzzing and/or ticking sound randomly from what I have seen. But something that you are describing that got faster and louder, I would assume this is heating or cooling for the battery? I've not heard this on my ZE50, but it's definitely something I have encountered on an earlier model (R240 ZE20)

 

[Dominic Jones]

Yeah - I'm quite used to the noises they make when they're charging or pre-conditioning - both my ze40 and this car have made a random set of clicks, buzzes and whirrings (some pretty loud while pre conditioning) but this was unlike anything I've heard before - and not in a good way - more like an old fashioned football rattle - or a card in bike wheel spokes going fast down a hill - really loud and quite disconcerting.

 

[80698]

Yeah - I'm quite used to the noises they make when they're charging or pre-conditioning - both my ze40 and this car have made a random set of clicks, buzzes and whirrings (some pretty loud while pre conditioning) but this was unlike anything I've heard before - and not in a good way - more like an old fashioned football rattle - or a card in bike wheel spokes going fast down a hill - really loud and quite disconcerting.

That does definitely sound like what I think is the battery heater running but I'm not sure what the conditions are for making it run. I have had the same noise come from the old R240 while locked parked up and unplugged while I went in to a shop and lost a few miles range in that time. It was quite rare that I would ever hear it, but when I did it sounded like something was wrong with it, just like you said. It's definitely not the same kind of noise you get from charging or running the HVAC.

 

[zozo]

Yeah - I'm quite used to the noises they make when they're charging or pre-conditioning - both my ze40 and this car have made a random set of clicks, buzzes and whirrings (some pretty loud while pre conditioning) but this was unlike anything I've heard before - and not in a good way - more like an old fashioned football rattle - or a card in bike wheel spokes going fast down a hill - really loud and quite disconcerting.

Mine has done exactly the same in the situation you're describing - makes an odd buzz occasionally when checking the charger and after a drive. Definitely a different sound to the "whoosh" you get when the battery fans are on.

 

[MrMoonUK]

Yeah I’ve had this when it was really cold after a 45min drive then charge. The car didn’t charge for about 5 mins of this noise which then stopped

 

[ThudnBlundr]

I've had that once when the car started a scheduled preconditioning while I was unloading another car. It was quite disconcerting, so I stopped it and checked for any problems, but couldn't see anything. It did it again when I restarted the preconditioning, but I left it as the car was needed by SWMBO for work. I checked that evening and it had gone. It sounded a bit like a leaf caught in a fan

 

[Janoo]

ZE50. It happened twice. The car wasn’t even on a charging cable when it started roaring in an unusual sound. I think the air conditioner is melting.