Engine idle chirping (cricket) noise poll.

[brianbot5000]

By the way - I know this has been covered a ton already, but just had to share (mostly out of excitement)... If you haven't tried the non-ethanol stuff yet, I suggest you do, even if it means driving across town (as it did for me). It's like night and day!

I've had crickets for awhile. Added some 2-stroke no ash oil (about 2.5 ounces to a half-tank, washed it down with about a gallon of gas so it got nice and mixed), and the crickets mostly went away. But I could still hear them a little, and upon turning the car off they would let out a few last chirps. Got some non-ethanol yesterday - crickets are completely gone, car sounds completely different and, well - normal. Even when shutting the engine off - zero crickets. And perhaps this is placebo, but I feel like the car just runs nicer too - it's happier. I'll gladly drive across town for this stuff...it's like crack for my car.

[alrashwa]

I'll attest that 2-stroke works you gotta give it a day or 2 to blend well in there. I haven't heard the crickets in a while, but I know they are there, hiding....watching...

I just got a call from the service manager who fixed my car. They had gone over the feedback I left about my car and he made some calls about the chirping noise. All he could tell me is that there are Toyota engineers working on a fix and that the majority calls about the FR-S are regarding this noise. He said it should be fine to drive on for the time being. He also said that replacing the HPFP with the same part number would most likely be a waste of time, since it's there is only one version of the part available right now.

[alrashwa]

Originally Posted by brianbot5000

upon turning the car off they would let out a few last chirps.

Hahaha, yeah I get that once in a while with the 2-stroke. Sounds like a coughing cricket. When I first heard it I had to smile cause people always look and comment about how nice it looks then they hear the engine all rickety as hell.

[fred_boosted]

Originally Posted by brianbot5000

I read a lot about these too - ironically, it's why I didn't get a 335i. Nice huh?

In any case, I'm not sure it explains why the sound goes away when you use non-ethanol fuel. I know there have been mixed reports, but overwhelmingly the folks who use non-ethanol fuel don't have this issue.

I don't know about FA20.

But E85 is used by N54 community for a long time. It increase the boost and reduce knock.

I would say, yes, check the FA20 fuel system see how they handle ethanol.

Btw, Don is running E85 on his BRZ-400.

[Spartan65]

Originally Posted by ATL BRZ

Factory recall IIRC. They were all bad and set to fail and caused owners all kinds of headaches.



Thanks, this is why I remained skeptical through all the claims of "new" DI fuel pumps and the fuel quality related chirping issue being "fixed" when the same old part# pump is installed.

Do you think that if a washer has a bad tolerance in the existing fuel pump that they will do a full retro design? If that's the case I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale. Give it a chance to see if they fixed the old pump guys, they are trying to make it right on a case by case so they don't have to open a full recall /TSB create a case with SOA and go from there. Just cause you don't see a new part number doesn't mean it won't be fixed.

[jeebus]

Originally Posted by brianbot5000

By the way - I know this has been covered a ton already, but just had to share (mostly out of excitement)... If you haven't tried the non-ethanol stuff yet, I suggest you do, even if it means driving across town (as it did for me). It's like night and day!

I've had crickets for awhile. Added some 2-stroke no ash oil (about 2.5 ounces to a half-tank, washed it down with about a gallon of gas so it got nice and mixed), and the crickets mostly went away. But I could still hear them a little, and upon turning the car off they would let out a few last chirps. Got some non-ethanol yesterday - crickets are completely gone, car sounds completely different and, well - normal. Even when shutting the engine off - zero crickets. And perhaps this is placebo, but I feel like the car just runs nicer too - it's happier. I'll gladly drive across town for this stuff...it's like crack for my car.

Stupid fawking ethanol filled poopoo fuel crap. We can't avoid it here at allllllll

[SuperDave]

tried shell 91 octane...chirping is gone. thanks guy!

[bryan]

It started. The chirping has started. I had about 2500 fantastic, wondrous, harmonic miles until the chirping started.

The sound is surprisingly bothersome. It's like nails on a chalkboard - you know it really does no harm but it still makes you cringe. I feel antsy standing outside at night now because the chirping of the crickets sounds just like the dreadful noise my car is making.

You'd think with all the engineers and techs that tested the car - on the track and in extreme weather through countless miles, one of them would have caught this.

I still love the car though. After all, it is what makes a Subaru. Well, that and the damn chirping noise.

[ayetothejay]

just got my car back from the dealership and chirp is gone from the replacement part. of course, its gonna take some miles before I can say I it worked or not so I'll update after some miles.

[DaJo]

Originally Posted by bryan

It started. The chirping has started. I had about 2500 fantastic, wondrous, harmonic miles until the chirping started.

The sound is surprisingly bothersome. It's like nails on a chalkboard - you know it really does no harm but it still makes you cringe. I feel antsy standing outside at night now because the chirping of the crickets sounds just like the dreadful noise my car is making.

You'd think with all the engineers and techs that tested the car - on the track and in extreme weather through countless miles, one of them would have caught this.

I still love the car though. After all, it is what makes a Subaru. Well, that and the damn chirping noise.

What type of fuel do you put in there? Grade/octane, ethanol/non-ethanol?

[bryan]

Originally Posted by DaJoian

What type of fuel do you put in there? Grade/octane, ethanol/non-ethanol?

I've only put Premium 91 (being in California) from Mobil and Chevron so far. The chirping has become intermittent. I haven't driven the car much and will take it in to the dealer when I get the time. Kind of just hoping to hear about a permanent solution from Subaru.

[RossGA]

Originally Posted by brianbot5000

I read a lot about these too - ironically, it's why I didn't get a 335i. Nice huh?

In any case, I'm not sure it explains why the sound goes away when you use non-ethanol fuel. I know there have been mixed reports, but overwhelmingly the folks who use non-ethanol fuel don't have this issue.

We must remember that the fuel that is being pumped is also the lube for the pump itself. Ethanol has much different lube characteristics than fossil fuel based gasoline, and that might explain the issue.

Typically, in order to run ethanol, certain design precautions have to be used in the fuel system so the system can handle these differences. It would seem, that the initial fuel pumps on these motors did not meet this criteria. If the new pump has a new part number, they most likely made some adjustments to properly handle fuels containing ethanol.

I was specifically warned on another car that the pump and injectors were not designed to handle ethanol. The USA has notoriously crappy gas too (we get the cheap quantity, but not the high quality), and it is possible that in other places in the world this is not a problem, and wasn't realized by Subaru/Toyota until the cars came to North America.

[sierra]

Originally Posted by RossGA

We must remember that the fuel that is being pumped is also the lube for the pump itself. Ethanol has much different lube characteristics than fossil fuel based gasoline, and that might explain the issue.

Typically, in order to run ethanol, certain design precautions have to be used in the fuel system so the system can handle these differences. It would seem, that the initial fuel pumps on these motors did not meet this criteria. If the new pump has a new part number, they most likely made some adjustments to properly handle fuels containing ethanol.

I was specifically warned on another car that the pump and injectors were not designed to handle ethanol. The USA has notoriously crappy gas too (we get the cheap quantity, but not the high quality), and it is possible that in other places in the world this is not a problem, and wasn't realized by Subaru/Toyota until the cars came to North America.

That about sums it up.
Mind you it's all been said many times before but it might help a few who can't be bothered to read through the threads to understand the problem.

[Brimford]

We all chose to be the 1st to own this wonderful car. Nothing beats thousands doing R&D for you. I expected issues for the first year or so, about 4k miles, chirp, no cel, but my windows are tearing into the weather stripping around the windows so i gotta get them to replace that....and continue my petition to get rid of the chirp.