Low RPM rattle when "lugging"?
 

It's a long story, but I bought my car with 149 km's on it so I know it's been test driven.

Everything seems fine on the car except that at low speeds & rpm the engine can sound quite rattly. Anywhere around 1000 - 2000 rpm if you load the engine it starts sound pretty bad. I've got less than 1000 km on the car and I'm hoping it's just a new engine thing until it breaks in.

Has anyone else experience this?

my old 240sx would shake a bit and otherwise complain when lugged like that, but never make such a rattle.

Lugging, hypermiling or what ever it's called is not good for you engine. I've never lugged mine so I can't answer your question. Think of it as riding a multi-speed bicycle. When you come to the hill it gets pretty damn tough to peddle unless you change gears. The same thing is happening to your engine when you lug.

Yep hes right, i dont even like going under 3000rpm if i dont have to, never mind 2 or 1000

I'm aware of this :)

It does happen though. stop and go traffic, taking off slowly from a stop, etc etc.

Anyone experience anything like that?

Are u talking starting from a stop or slowing down in a high gear?

I'd suspect a problem with the operator, not the engine.

All subaru engines sound like tractors, its just a characteistic, i would try and meet up with someone in your area and listen to there 86.

not noticeable from a stop as I'm usually above 2k rpm in 1st gear when taking off.

It's mostly in 2nd gear when moving really slowly (stop and go traffic) and I'm too lazy to shift into 1st. It's fine until you load the engine then it's noisy.

I'm not sure why everyone has an opinion on what I SHOULD be doing when I'm simply asking if anyone else has run across this.

That's really not helpful at all.

I'm asking if anyone else can hear a rattle when loading the engine at low RPM's... I'm not asking for driving advice. I know you're not suppose to lug any motor.

Mine rattles at low rpm's, high rpm's, at idle, lugging, cruising, hell, sometimes I can hear it rattling even when it's not running.

There's a known rattling of the throw out bearing in the transmission (if you have a manual). Mine rattles and a lot of others have this rattle sound ...there's a bunch of threads on it.

Do you notice it when you're idling? If you do, press the clutch - did the sound go away?? If so, you've also got some throw out bearing rattle.

I understand what you're saying. I worried about it first too because the cars with MT I had before never made this noise. I made a thread about it too. It's normal. I heard 370Z making the same noise. I just don't go below 2200 anymore.

nah, Idle is quiet (after the cat is warmed up) and having the clutch in or out makes no difference. It's only under load.

You other helpful posters couldn't just tell him it's flywheel or clutch chatter? Personally, I don't take the car under 2K rpm very often except for 1st gear starts and occasionally in 2nd, which is most often when you'll hear the chatter.

This is normal.

what about when you go neutral and slow down and then to a stop the car raddles. sounds like it is coming from the diff?:iono:

I don't get anything like that. When you say neutral do you mean in gear with the clutch depressed? Or do you mean the shifter is in neutral and your foot is off the clutch?

The diff is known to be a bit noisy but shouldn't be making any noises unless you're turning.

2000rpm has been the "effective" minimum rpm of any 4 cylinder I have ever driven.

Yes.. Normal.. As long as you are not excessively loading it at low rpms.. It's fine..
Its not all engine noise either.. Clutch and gears make noises with low rpms that rattle on thru..

When I'm gentle on the gas, the rattle is very quiet.

I don't know of any way to get the car moving in 1st/2nd at 10mph or less without the rattles. Anyone have a secret?

Turn the radio up..
Or slip the clutch alot.

Is it only when you have the car in neutral and you're coasting to a stop? I believe it may be the sound of direct injection.

Downshift to 2nd if your going really slow like under 10mph might as well go back to 1st gear..your not driving an automatic you do the work..lol

I had the same problem at low RPM, and I brought my car to Longo to find out whats wrong with this car. The mechanic guy at Longo said ,"It's normal." Also he told me that FRS makes weird noises. :/

I would ask for that statement in writing. :)

I was told from multiple people, first gear is only to get the car moving, once you start moving you should go second. Never drive in first, unless you're just in parking lot and needs to move 10feet to park

mine does too.
chatter sound when traveling 1000-2000 RPM in 2nd gear.

better use 1st gear for very slow stop and go traffic.

My FR-S will rattle a bit if it gets too low. My WRX rattled a lot too.. same exact sound.

Intersting.

the shifter in neutral, and i get to a stop then it makes the noise before i hit 0 mph

Nothing wrong with driving in first if your going extremely slow....its just 1st gear is usually very short so anything over 12mph is gonna be high rpm, i normally shift in between 3-4k during normal driving...if your in 2nd gear at under 2k then your potentially going to get some engine shaking/bogging like the engine is about to die so sometimes you need first gear (like california stop and go traffic)

Lots of weird speculation in this thread. It's a normal noise that the twins make, especially during deceleration when engine speed is under 2k RPM. The "jar of marbles" or whatever you want to call it. I hear that sound a million times a day, since I'm always in first or second gear engine braking down the countless steep hills here, and I keep the car in gear until engine speed drops below 1k RPM. Thumb tacks in a kettle drum all day long, son.

I redline first gear multiple times per day; you're missing out.

It hurts when I do this
 

Doctor: "Don't do that"

I red lined on second, not missing out on anything.

I am pretty sure that that noise you are talking about is the throw out bearing in the clutch assembly.

I do a lot of low speed driving and lug the engine a little bit and I have had other cars that have done the same thing...

Anybody else agree?


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Lightweight flywheel makes it worse.

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Yes.. Had this with my vettes as well.. Same noise under the same circumstances.. It's either the springs found on the clutch disk.. Or part of the throw out bearing assembly.. Either way, it's quite normal. This car has minimal insulation and the clutch assembly is very close to the driver..

Seems to me there's a pretty simple solution to your problem, Topazsparrow...don't lug the engine! (lugging = very bad)

Here's a quote from a different thread that seems to apply very well here:

I agree that this thread is 10 months old. By now I suspect the OP has grown comfortable with the sound or learned how to avoid it.