lqdslvr

Okay, I know we have noisy cars and I should probably just turn the stereo up, but . . . I have an 08 that's about 2 weeks old and and has about 540 miles on it. I installed a Hurst shifter, GT500 LCA's, FRPP X-pipe, and Corsas. I had a muffler shop go back over the X-Pipe and Corsas to get the fit right and they pronounced it good. Now I'm trying to decide what noises I'm hearing are normal and what's indicative of some issue. I guess I should have given it a while before the mods, but oh well, too late now. The two noises that come to mind are this ticking noise from the engine at idle and very low rpm's. Sounds like a diesel. Reminds me of a ticking on my Yamaha R1 that virtually all of them had and was normal, but also makes me a bit paranoid. Given that I haven't done anything to the engine, that's probably normal. The second is some type of vibration or resonance between 3k and 4k and moderate throttle. I can feel it through the shifter and hear it. Doesn't happen at WOT. It doesn't feel like a metal-on-metal rattle, but more like a slight shaking. Anybody else have these issues? Am I being paranoid? My last car was a 2006 BMW 325i, so my NVH standards are way high. If it's normal, I'll forgt it, but how do I know if it's normal?

howarmat

NVH, the increase airflow with the x pipe and added sound with it also....i would say its mostly normal

jdroth50

The "ticking" sound you are talking about bugged me for a while too after I got my headers and x-pipe installed. My performance shop and the dealer both said that the sound is coming from the valves, and that the reason it can be heard is because the headers aren't coated/instulated/muffled in any way. Haven't been able to confirm this with anyone on the forums, though. The ticking sound gets faster/slower depending on engine speed, so it makes sense to me.

blackonblack2007

Could also be the fuel injectors. Some cars have noisy injectors, some don't. Just a possibility.

imyy4u

ticking is normal, the other sound is NOT. read my other thread rattle at 3000rpm - solution found 9/7/07. that will tell you how to fix that.

MustangGT0405

the other sound (not ticking) sounds to me like it could be resonance from your exhaust. It could be you hit the resonant frequency of some material in you car, like the shifter dash etc. Is it only at a specific RPM? If so thats my guess.

22kart22

of course you hear a ticking.

Thats 32 valves smacking the heads.


Let the valves lap and wear in

lqdslvr

imyy4u: I read your other thread, but I'm not convinced this is the same problem. It doesn't sound like a rattle, but more of a resonance. I'm inclined to go MustangGT0405's theory of exhaust resonance. It "feels" like a resonance rather than a rattle. It's generally in the 3 to 4 range, sometimes up to 4500. I guess the real issue is, should I be concerned about it. Sounds like no, unless it turns out to be the problem you described.

On the ticking, the R1 ticking was also attributed to valves. Some guys claimed it could be eliminated through adjusting the valve spacing, but I just learned to ignore it.

jdroth50

Hey 22kart22, where'd you get your extra 8 valves? ;-) j/k

lqdslvr

Okay, I played around a bit on the way home from work and discovered that this noise/vibration is NOT tied to RPM as I thought, but rather to speed. Everything is fairly smooth up to about 60-65, no matter what gear, but above that under load is when I get the vibration. It still feels like a resonance, but it may be something out of balance. It feels like it's coming from the forward section of the car, perhaps transmission. I get no vibration if I put the clutch in and coast and it is definitely only casually noticable (as opposed to really listending for it) under accel. I don't know if it existed before the mods I referenced above, but if it did, it is definitely more pronounced now. Of course, it may well be perfectly normal, which is why I asked. I'm having new rims and tires put on next week, so I'll likely let the service guy take it for a test drive and see what he thinks.