Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
|
Job list for the weekend:
1) Do another check of all hoses, pipes and stuff. I'm slowly learning my way around the engine bay so hopefully I can target the parts likely to be venting at high pressure.
2) Remove TMIC, check the piping under that
3) Check the Inlet Manifold bolts are all nipped up correctly
4) Remove AC Belt and Alternator Belt. Go for a drive to see if my whistle stops.
5) Wherever I find a Jubilee clip, tighten it!
6) Replace belts, set correct tension
7) Get bored of chasing phantom whistles, wash car.
If the weekend doesn't expose or resolve my whistle, the down pipe is coming off on Thursday afternoon next week for inspection and welding if a leak can be identified. Rest of exhaust system can be inspected, and I'm hoping I can stick my hand inside the Turbo to see if the turbine shaft has got any play.
If I'm still scratching my head after Thursday - there's a ScoobyNet group dyno day on at ScoobyClinic, so I may just return there and ask them to find the whistle for me!
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
|
Wrighty
Member
Registered: 28th Feb 04
Location: Howden
User status: Offline
|
rename thead - project wild goose chase 
|
AK
Member
Registered: 5th Jul 00
Location: Aberdeen City
User status: Offline
|
just remove the DV 
Dont run one on mine, or on the GTR. Saves no end of hassles.
|
AK
Member
Registered: 5th Jul 00
Location: Aberdeen City
User status: Offline
|
I think the belts are a non issue. If you had a tensioner on its way out it would be more of a grumble.
Scooby Clinic should be able to find any boost leaks in no time at all. Simply presurise the pipework with a pump and listen (engine off so easy to hear). We did that on the gTR a while back and was surprised to find a fair few things leaking ever so slightly. Bungs etc
|
Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
|
Aye I've seen a few YouTube video's of home made leak detectors, looks fairly straight forward but I don't have access to a compressor/regulator so it turns a £10 project into something quite a bit more expensive
I'd still be shocked to find the issue to be a boost leak, as my car was on the SC Dyno just a few weeks ago and boost was measured as being healthy.
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
|
BarnshaW
Member
Registered: 25th Oct 06
User status: Offline
|
i dont think you are going to check the turbo for shaft play without removing it....VF35 will have slight sideways play in it anyway, should have minimal/no up and down play.
|
Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
|
I've got really bendy arms, will that help? 
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
|
BarnshaW
Member
Registered: 25th Oct 06
User status: Offline
|
probably not check the basic stuff and leave it to the garage to check the rest if it is not any of the easier stuff, i still think its a boost leak from a pipe somewhere 
|
Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
|
Hmmm some progress maybe?
Got home and had a wee bit of daylight left - so popped the bonnet and just tried to scout out all the inlet manifold bolts. I found one at the drivers side, near the airbox which was loose just to touch! I hurried inside all excited to get my socket set, came out and started tightening it up... soon realising that the bolt wasn't biting. I lifted the socket wrench up and pulled the bolt right out of the hole!
It's bloody snapped inside, and possibly been rattling around in it's hole for god knows how long.
Because half of the bolt has snapped in the engine, I've got no idea how I can get it out and get a new bolt in there safely to tighten it up and see if it cures the whistling.
Before:
After:
I'm not sure if I'm happy I've found a potential source, or whether I'm pissed off that I keep finding potential sources
I think I've now got two routes which both need investigating... the downpipe and this bolt. The AC/Alternator belts are a third... but are sounding less and less likely the more people I talk to.
Any suggestions on safely removing what's left of that bolt?
I also got a new toy arrived in the post today... something I completely forgot I had ordered! It's a Bluetooth OBDII adaptor which hooks up with my S3 and Android App "Torque" which apparently I can use to (fairly accurately) map boost pressure. Once I figure the app out, I may go for a run later to see if my boost map looks massively difference to the one taken on the Dyno at ScoobyClinic a few weeks ago. I'm not expecting it to be bang on, but it may narrow down my search... I guess.
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
|
Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
|
Took the car to see a local mechanic first thing this morning, he said he didn't have the gear to extract the remaining bolt but he did spray the whole area with brake cleaner to see if it was leaking.
The engine note stayed consistent, so he said I don't need to rush to retrieve that bolt.
I got home and decided to remove my AC and Alternator belts. I wanted to do a test drive with only the AC belt missing first, but to get the AC belt off I needed to remove the alternator belt. After removing both belts, I refitted the alternator belt and then went for a drive.
The whistle is still there!
I got home, and decided to go for a run with neither belt on. The Alternator belt also drives the PAS pump, but I was more concerned with running my battery flat so it was only going to be a quick drive.
I reversed out of my parking spot, tried to put lock on... nothing. I literally could not maneauver out of my parking space with all the force in the world from my feeble arms
I wrestled the car back into the spot, and decided to refit both belts. There's no way I can safely test drive this car without PAS... I'm sad to say
Oh well, ruled another thing out - it's not the AC belt, and I feel pretty happy with my efforts at removing/replacing... like a pro!
I went around every jubilee clip I could find under the hood and gave them all a quick screw - but to be honest none of them felt loose... I'm getting more and more confident about the downpipe.
Bring on Thursday!
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
|
Wrighty
Member
Registered: 28th Feb 04
Location: Howden
User status: Offline
|
might not be leaking at idle but at 3000-4000rpm theres gonne be 3-4x the pressure going round that manifold then at idle
|
Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
|
Yeah indeed. If I had a compressor I reckon I could fabricate something which would allow me to run 20PSI through the system with the engine off, which would allow me to listen out for hissing/whistling I guess... but I don't have one 
Bored of chasing phantom whistles now - so washed the car instead. I feel better now
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
|
CORSAb GSi rep
Member
Registered: 4th Jan 13
Location: llangollen
User status: Offline
|
Very clean scooby havent seen 1 this tidy ever nice job mate
|
Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
|
Cheers bud, I do try to keep it clean. So clean it whistles in the wind
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
|
Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
|
Right, had the downpipe off today and inspected. No visible damage what so ever
Also had the TMIC off so inspected the Y hose and clamps underneath that - everything on tight.
Replaced the DP/Turbo gasket and made up a gasket for DP/Centrepipe as there wasn't one there previously.
Car still whistles... I think I'm just coming round to the fact this sound effect may just be part of my car's natural soundtrack I've checked everything, the car runs fine in all other areas so finding it increasingly difficult to suspect a faulty, broken or poorly fitted component.
I can't find anybody local enough brave enough to tackle my snapped inlet manifold bolt - so I guess that could still be the problem, but everybody who's seen it believes it's not the root cause.
Maybe I could just learn to love this whistle...
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
|
Wrighty
Member
Registered: 28th Feb 04
Location: Howden
User status: Offline
|
if you get a bigger turbo its just gonna suck harder and whistle even more i seriously dont think its anything to worry about.
|
jay26
Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 08
Location: North Lincolnshire
User status: Offline
|
I would get that bolt out for you if you want a drive this way 
|
BarnshaW
Member
Registered: 25th Oct 06
User status: Offline
|
the bolt removal is simple enough to do, could most likely just be drilled and extracted, and helicoiled again if needed.
was the whistle there before? if it was not then obviously that indicates something has changed, maybe just after the map its running slightly more boost so a louder whistle, although i do not get any whistles from mine, i genuinely still think its a pipe or something
a split which you cant see or so small its hardly noticeable, i would have it checked out properly in the engine bay
|
Nath
Member
Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: MK
User status: Offline
|
Looks awesome in that picture!
|
Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
|
Thanks Nath!
Jay I may take you up on that offer, nobody else wants to touch it
I thought the whistle was fixed on Friday... I drove to work, no whistling at all. Seems like I just got lucky, or went deaf temporarily - either way the whistle is back.
I decided to go along to the Scooby Clinic Dyno day today - not to run my car, but to get somebody to look at my "whistle".
After hours of waiting around (those guys are REALLY slow) in the cold... AGAIN, I finally got somebody in my car and took them for a ride.
They agreed the whistle definately is a problem somewhere, it's NOT part of the Subaru soundtrack
When we got back to the garage, he checked a few basic things such as the hoses, TMIC and downpipe (all the things we'd checked already) and found fuck all. He said the cause must either by my broken bolt/inlet manifold - or the turbo bearings.
He said they wouldn't risk drilling the bolt without removing the manifold first - which is 4-5 hour job, apparently.
They didn't have time to look further, so I was left whistling my way back home again quite pissed off tbh
I've cheered up now though.... I'm going to talk to Richard Henry motorsport on Monday about my whistle after a recommendation from somebody at the Dyno day today, and ask if they will commit to troubleshooting for me - even if it means leaving the car with them for a day or two.
I'm sick of fucking around now, I want this sorting so I can start spending some money on my car.
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
|
jay26
Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 08
Location: North Lincolnshire
User status: Offline
|
Scooby clinic are right mate, there is no way in hell I would be removing it without taking the inlet off. It's not a a quick or easy job to be honest, but is very possible to get it out. Would be able to rule out the inlet seals at the same time too
|
Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
|
Aye it's not just SC, all the mechanics I've spoken to locally have said the same.
I just can't find anybody willing to commit the time and effort into doing this for me, plus troubleshooting the whistle. These people don't want my money
EDIT: Today wasn't all bad, there was another lad there with a car of almost equal age/mileage/spec to mine - and he made only 280bhp with some boost issues. We were chatting to the dyno guy, and he was a lot more helpful than the guy who dyno'd my car a few weeks ago - so I got my graphs out and he went through them with me, explaining everything and he said my car looks like a very healthy runner 
[Edited on 12-01-2013 by Kyle T]
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
|
jay26
Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 08
Location: North Lincolnshire
User status: Offline
|
That's the wrong attitude to have haha. Best thing to do is sort the bolt in the inlet first as it is a definite problem, and then try to work out where the whistle is form. I looked back through your thread and listened to the video and it sounds like a leak of pressure from somewhere be it inlet or boost. Just because the dyno didn't pick it up doesn't mean it's not a boost related issue
|
Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
|
Thanks Jay. I shall speak to Rich Henry motorsport on monday and get booked in
Gonna treat the car to some goodies when this adventure is over!
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
|
Wrighty
Member
Registered: 28th Feb 04
Location: Howden
User status: Offline
|
if there was even a tiny leak because the bolt isnt holding the manifold down (even though the others remain) it would be sucking in un-metered air and making idle lumpy. its not. the issue would be apparent at all revs not just 3000 upwards.
if your gonna be a fanny about it and want it fixing, suggest you get a new turbo and someone to fit it. even though turbo bearing shouldnt have gone by 40k miles. you big girl
|
