Engine idle chirping (cricket) noise poll.

[smg1138]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

So last week I took a trip on a tank of the ethanol-free 92 octane gas I found. The crickets disappeared, but my mileage dropped from 34 mpg (on E10) to 30.5 mpg on the E0. Just to be sure, I filled up at Chevron, and my mileage is back up to 34.

Fuck this. I thought it was an interesting problem to try to solve, but I'm going to stick with top tier from now on and not bother with thinking about it any more.

That's pretty weird. Usually going to non-ethanol gas improves fuel economy. In the past I usually got a few more MPG's on average.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by smg1138

That's pretty weird. Usually going to non-ethanol gas improves fuel economy.

I know. That's why it was such a surprise. Could stale gas cause that?

In any case, I'm done. I'm sticking with the top tier stuff that is predictable, even if the prediction involves crickets.

[InspGadgt]

Well filled up my car at a cheep gas station last week and immediately it started chirping. Very annoying in drive thrus...Just filled up again yesterday at a Chevron and it went away...so far...

[Bobblehead]

~9,600 miles and the chirping is slowly coming back. Some days it will do it, and other days it won't.

On some cold start ups I get a couple weird misfires. I might have to take the stupid thing to the dealer to see if that's normal. (Which I doubt it is.)

[scionforlife]

I've got about 3k miles on my FRS, I've had the noise for awhile now. It happens on start up, idle, and in first at low RPMS. I took it in and they said it's normal and all FRS do it. Sounds kinda fishy to me.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by scionforlife

I've got about 3k miles on my FRS, I've had the noise for awhile now. It happens on start up, idle, and in first at low RPMS. I took it in and they said it's normal and all FRS do it. Sounds kinda fishy to me.

Since you are new I will restrain myself!
This is completely "normal"! Not pleasant maybe but not a real problem either. It harms the performance and function of the car in no way whatsoever.
I bet there are a couple hundred threads and dozens of websites that talk about it.
If you read anything at all about these cars before you bought you should not have been taken by surprise.
It may or may not go away with a fuel pump change, different additives, warmer or colder temperatures, different gas or eventually just by time it's self. If you want to spend loads of time there are about a 1000 things you can try (that ultimately never work for long). Otherwise embrace it as part of the car!

[ZZT86]

I was re-fueling the other day when a Mazda 6 pulled up - boy was it noisy ! I later read that it too has direct injection . . . .

[JPFr-s]

No chirping for over 20k miles now and have been using strictly 93 octane at Sunoco in GA. Any other gas (BP, Chevron, Texaco, etc.) immediately starts the chirps. Only other guaranteed solution I've found is ethanol free, which I don't have access to locally.. Not 93oct anyway. Just my 2 cents in case anyone cares.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by JPFr-s

No chirping for over 20k miles now and have been using strictly 93 octane at Sunoco in GA. Any other gas (BP, Chevron, Texaco, etc.) immediately starts the chirps. Only other guaranteed solution I've found is ethanol free, which I don't have access to locally.. Not 93oct anyway. Just my 2 cents in case anyone cares.

Have used nothing but ethanol free for as long as owned the car (8000 kms) and never had a chirp. Today got caught low and the only gas I could get was the famous "up to 10%" stuff. Will see if I get a visit from the cricket monster.


UPDATE!!!!!!!!
Less then 100 kms into the first ever tank of gas with ethanol and Cricket CITY!!!!! Now we will see if it goes away when go back to the old fuel!

[litemup]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Have used nothing but ethanol free for as long as owned the car (8000 kms) and never had a chirp. Today got caught low and the only gas I could get was the famous "up to 10%" stuff. Will see if I get a visit from the cricket monster.


UPDATE!!!!!!!!
Less then 100 kms into the first ever tank of gas with ethanol and Cricket CITY!!!!! Now we will see if it goes away when go back to the old fuel!

No worries. They'll go right back to sleep once you go through the tank. I've gone back and forth a dozen times.

[chaoskaze]

Someone was saying adding 2 stroke oil silent the cricket? Anyone tried that method mind share the result & what kind oil it is exectly?

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[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by litemup

No worries. They'll go right back to sleep once you go through the tank. I've gone back and forth a dozen times.

Good! Don't want to attract spiders you know>

[litemup]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Good! Don't want to attract spiders you know>

Fo sho!

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Have used nothing but ethanol free for as long as owned the car (8000 kms) and never had a chirp. Today got caught low and the only gas I could get was the famous "up to 10%" stuff. Will see if I get a visit from the cricket monster.


UPDATE!!!!!!!!
Less then 100 kms into the first ever tank of gas with ethanol and Cricket CITY!!!!! Now we will see if it goes away when go back to the old fuel!

Update on the Update!!!!
Burned through that tank and went back to normal station. Couple of hundred kms and crickets gone! Been almost a week now with no chirps.

Was ready to settle in my own head that it had to be the ethanol as this was the very first time it went into her but then got thinkn'! The station I normally get gas at is on a very busy intersection just off the highway and must go through massive amounts of gas including the premium.
When I needed to get gas and had to use the closest station the only thing available was a small neighborhood 4 pumper. Was going past the station yesterday and thought I would stop by and ask a couple of questions (the attendant seems to live there and is a jovial sort so didn't think I had anything to lose). After explaining what happened (and reassuring him I was not looking for anything but info) I asked him how much of the premium they sold and how often the tank was refilled? He just laughed and said "with the junk they drive around here not often".
We looked at the records and that tank had not been filled since MAY! That was the only record we could find of a fill in 2014 so the gas in the tank already was even older. Don't claim to be a fuel expert but know enough to think that the fuel would degrade well past it's rated octane in 4 months!
Moral of the story is... Try to use gas that hasn't been sitting around for months!