Preconditioning Noise - Is this Normal?

[TeslaKen]

Whenever my Beast goes into preconditioning mode, such as approaching a supercharger that I'm going to charge at, I start to get a noise that sounds like the HVAC blower fan on an old car, or perhaps a bit like a geiger counter coming from the area of the dash behind the steering wheel. At first I thought this was my HVAC fan going bad, but when I turned off the HVAC the sound was still there, in fact I could hear it more plainly with my HVAC shut off. Then I thought it might be something that had blown under the truck and was flapping in the wind, like a playing card stuck in a bicycle wheel spoke, but nope, I pulled into the Supercharging site, plugged in and climbed back inside the truck and could still hear it. At times while supercharging it was louder or quieter but still evident.

Once I finished supercharging and drove away, the sound went away. It never came back until the next time that the truck went into preconditioning mode.

What I suspect is that the noise relates to some pump that is used for preconditioning / supercharging only and that the pump is somewhere in the frunk area. I have an appointment on Oct 1 to have this and a few other items looked at, but until then I was wondering if anyone else hears this with their Cybertruck?

I have recorded a video where you can hear the noise and will put that on YouTube and post here.



On my phone it is pretty easy to hear in that video, but after uploading to YouTube and playing on my computer it is harder to hear...

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[CTofLosGatos]

Yes I have it too.

 

[Wouba88]

Same here..

 

[Stuck4ger]

From the owners manual:

Motor Humming or Whirring when Navigating to a Supercharger

When navigating to a Supercharger (or third-party fast charger in some regions), Cybertruck preconditions the Battery to prepare for charging. This ensures you arrive with an optimal Battery temperature, reducing the amount of time it takes to charge. In some circumstances (such as cold weather), it is normal for the motor(s) and components to make noise, such as humming or whirring as it generates heat to warm the Battery.

 

[owl23]

I think all Teslas can generally be heard preconditioning, no? My MY makes all sorts of noise. I've always presumed this is the heat pump/octovalve doing their magic.

 

[Stuck4ger]

From the owners manual:

Motor Humming or Whirring when Navigating to a Supercharger

When navigating to a Supercharger (or third-party fast charger in some regions), Cybertruck preconditions the Battery to prepare for charging. This ensures you arrive with an optimal Battery temperature, reducing the amount of time it takes to charge. In some circumstances (such as cold weather), it is normal for the motor(s) and components to make noise, such as humming or whirring as it generates heat to warm the Battery.

the owners manual has sound clips of all the different noises it commonly makes

 

[Beyond]

When I first heard the preconditioning sound on my Model Y I almost called service. Fortunately didn't.

 

[TeslaKen]

Ok my old Model.S never did It and neither does my Model 3 Performance but neither had an Octovalve either. I'm surprised they can't make it quieter though but will go consult the owners manual to see if any of the sample so7nds match what I hear.

My service appointment was initially for sail panels and wiper so I figured why not have them check out the preconditioning sounds as well. ?

 

[mongo]

Ok my old Model.S never did It and neither does my Model 3 Performance but neither had an Octovalve either. I'm surprised they can't make it quieter though but will go consult the owners manual to see if any of the sample so7nds match what I hear.

My service appointment was initially for sail panels and wiper so I figured why not have them check out the preconditioning sounds as well. ?

Right, pre-heat pump/ octovalve, they used either inline coolant heaters or the drive units to heat the pack. Now, they run the compressor at high output to produce the thermal energy.
Similar to before if pack and/or cabin hot too hot.

 

[CyberGus]

Pre-conditioning usually means heating the pack to a specific temperature range. The heat is supplied by running the motors/electronics "inefficiently", and perhaps that makes them noisy as well.

 

[TeslaKen]

the owners manual has sound clips of all the different noises it commonly makes

Can you point me to these please? I am looking at the owners manual online and cannot seem to find these. Thx.

 

[Tecyber1]

First time Tesla owner? Yes, this is normal! In the winter don't be shocked when you see steam rolling out from under the vehicle either.

Always a loud humming as you are pre-heating the battery to prepare for supercharging! This is no different than any other Tesla I have had. My MYLR was louder than that.

 

[REM]

or perhaps a bit like a geiger counter coming from the area of the dash behind the steering wheel.

I have a bit of a clicking noise that developed this year with my M3 that sounds like a piece of paper caught in the vent somewhere (only happens sometimes, and only hear it when the blower is full speed). haven't been annoyed with it enough yet to do anything with it.

 

[Stuck4ger]

Can you point me to these please? I am looking at the owners manual online and cannot seem to find these. Thx.

1. I google CyberTruck Owners Manual
2. I select the link
3. I type “sounds” into the search bar in it
4. I select Normal Operating Sounds
5. Scroll down

Here’s screen shots of how I do it.

 

[TeslaKen]

1. I google CyberTruck Owners Manual
2. I select the link
3. I type “sounds” into the search bar in it
4. I select Normal Operating Sounds
5. Scroll down

Here’s screen shots of how I do it.

Found them thanks! I listened to the preconditioning one and while I do have that background whirring sound, I also have a gieger counter clicking sound as well that is not depicted in this test sound file. Won't hurt to have them look at it while it is in for other service. Thanks again for the reference!

@
Tecyber1
No not a first time owner, but first time I've owned a Tesla with an Octovalve. You can call me old school.

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