Is this idle noise normal?

[Jayde]

Originally Posted by ahausheer

Keep in mind most belts that slip a little will make noise but this should not happen on a new car. Once the belt is heated up and or has dried any condensation on the pulleys the noise goes away. That pulley should not be moving like that at idle. Maybe at high load/rpm but at idle? Whats going to happen when you rev it hard, that thing is going to shake it self apart.

When it was chirping for me, it almost sounded as if it was coming from the injectors, not the belt.

I'm going to see if I can find any other engine videos to see if I can see that pulley moving.

[czar07]

Seemed like DI noise to me

[fenton]

After my commute to work today mine was making the chirping noise again.

Here is a quick video of it.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmooGfYQxms"]Scion frs idle noise - YouTube[/ame]

[csaba]

Originally Posted by fenton

After my commute to work today mine was making the chirping noise again.

Here is a quick video of it.

I dont have the car but that thing is noisy

[ahausheer]

In both vids there is a lot of injector noise and I think some of the higher frequencies sound injector related but I also hear another high frequency that sounds off. I'm using ear bud headphones. I hear a high frequency noise that is at a faster tempo than the injectors, it also sounds slightly intermittent (it doesn't maintain exactly the same tempo, which injectors will).

[Jayde]

Well I just ran it for 15mins or so, and I didn't hear any chirping, but I noticed that if I let it idle for an extended period of time (say, 15secs+), when I give it gas the rpms will drop to 400-500 then go up. Seems to be an issue with the FR-S.

[Jayp]

Mine makes that sound too, not all the time though. I too thought it was normal but I'm starting to think I should take it to the dealer too, to get it checked out.

[Jayde]

Mine hasn't made it since the one time last night. A comment on the OP's video said he took it (FR-S) to a Toyota dealer and they said it was fine.

[uspspro]

louder exhaust will solve this problem

[enjoyminutemaid]

Originally Posted by uspspro

louder exhaust will solve this problem

Agreed.

That being said, my car makes the same noise occasionally after being driven for a while. It is more frequent than the injectors (slight pulsing, sometimes just a constant high-pitched sound) and sounds very different than the clicking. I've owned two wrx's before, and while I will be the first to say that boxer engines are naturally noisy, this noise doesn't sound familiar. However, I haven't noticed any performance or idling issues.

[Jayde]

Here's a vid of mine doing it as well. It seems to be intermediate, since some times it'll do it, and other times it won't. Happened as I was getting back to work after going to the bank and getting lunch.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK_4uZz-oQo"]BRZ Chirping - YouTube[/ame]

You can also see the idler pulley moving back and forth in the vid too.

[Jason@Nameless]

Originally Posted by Don@Accelerated

I don't believe I hear a belt chirping. Not alteast in the video. All I can hear is the high pressure direct injection pump and nozzles.

-Don

I'm with Don. The tensioner pulley is on a spring loaded tensioner so seeing it move is probably not that big of a deal. Maybe compare it to another FA20 engine if you want some extra assurance. But the tick is most certainly DI pump and nozzles. Very typical of newer gas direct injection vehicles. Hell, the Kia Optima Turbo & Hyundai Sonata Turbo have a 2" thick high density foam inside the engine cover to quiet it down as much as possible, but it's still diesel-status.

The other thing that makes youtube sound diagnostics a bit tough is that most smart phones have extremely sensitive microphones for high frequency noises. So for one of us to compare what we hear on a car in person to your video is a tough comparison as well.

Jason Griffith
Engineering Director
Nameless Performance

[Jayde]

You can hear the chirping sound in all the videos. It sounds like a cricket. It's higher pitched then the ticking from the injectors.

[Jason@Nameless]

Turn the A/C on and see if it stops? So hard to tell where its coming from but that higher pitched sound doesn't sound like belt squeal to me at all. Sounds like bearing noise.