Valvetrain noise
 

Hello, i have about 900 miles on my FR-S.. I cant say i broke it in exactly like the manual states.. but for the most part i have been easy on the engine until recently on a trip up and down the local mountain big bear.. But this noise has been there since ive got the car.. It had roughly 25 miles on it and ive had it about a week and a half now.. I dont remember the noise the day of the test drive but the AC was on max. Anyways this is my first water cooled opposed 4 cylinder. I am a huge air cooled WV fan, and i know they make quite a bit of noise, so maybe this is normal. The noise is very noticable around 2k and 4k.. it sounds just like the valves are maybe a little on the loose side.. like a rattle.. it has a bit of rattle in the higher rpm to around 6k but not as bad.. it makes me a bit nervous but like i said maybe its normal.. so far i expected the exhaust to sound more like the WRX being as they have the same design for the engine.. anyways if others are having this same issue it would make me feel much better.. Thanks

thi engine's exhaust sounds boring because it has "Equal length" headers unlike the WRX which has "Unequal Length headers" you will need to change headers if you want the iconic boxer sound.

for the noise you should take a video, I hope you don't have a spun bearing cuz if thats the case I wouldn't turn that car on until I had it checked. I highly doubt it but you never know. I hope your car is stock or you'll have issues with warranties.

Does is sound like a knocking sound when you push the gas a little around 3000 rpms and up? I get this sound when I do and I'm curious if it's normal as well. I'm not to familiar with subbie engines. I wonder if its the DI?

It's all stock.. I can try a video with my droid RAZR.. It might pick up the sound... It's not loud by no means.. I can hear it.. But a friend of mine doesn't hear anything.. I'm a ASE mechanic.. But I've never worked on or around these engines before.. I'm assuming that being a modern engine it should sound like any other typical engine and having the heads mounted on the sides of the block instead of on top shouldn't make the valve train any more noisier then a typical inline 4.. But I'm also assuming that the head is right there by the firewall instead of up there by the hood.. I know all engines make noise.. Injectors clicking valves tapping closed, so maybe I'm just hearing these normal noises now instead of when I have the hood open

The heads are down low by each wheel well (drivers side and passenger side).

I notice this as well. The noise is quite pronounced @ around 4k rpm under WOT, and sounds like a loud rattle/knocking, but is gone as it approaches 5-6krpm.

Right.. I'm referring to them being much lower in the engine bay instead of up top..

Sound like this?
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCv5VDavhVc"]Knocking Sound - YouTube[/ame]

I couldn't hear it on my iPad.. I'll have a listen on the company computer at work.. Nice high def sound and speakers there.. It's more of a light tapping sound then anything.. Would deffently say it's not a knock..

@JimmyMac, I'm getting exactly this sound. Were you able to figure out the source?

Nope, no clue. I just ignored it. My exhaust is too loud to hear it now. Plus turbo. So, who knows what it was?? :bonk:

Haha.... It did strike me as "that kind" of sound but I'm paranoid about the VVT mechanism and the oil pressure issue.

Thanks for the reassurance.

Sounds like exhaust or air intake type of groan.. weird. Sounds more like a vibration more than a knock based on the audio from this video.

Could this be the shifter rattle or did they fix that on the new cars?
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