Engine idle chirping (cricket) noise poll.

[Tanuki]

I am not really concerned with the sound. My only worry is if there is a long term negative affect from whatever is causing the the chirp?

[sierra]

Originally Posted by alrashwa

It's already been pretty well documented that even a little 2-cycle engine oil can help reduce the noise.

It doesn't help reduce it, it shuts it up totally even at 1000:1

[alrashwa]

Originally Posted by sierra

It doesn't help reduce it, it shuts it up totally even at 1000:1

Sierra, I'd be interested to know how you are getting it in there. I assume you mixed it into a small fuel canister. What volume of 2-cycle are you using per fill-up?

[brianbot5000]

Originally Posted by alrashwa

Sierra, I'd be interested to know how you are getting it in there. I assume you mixed it into a small fuel canister. What volume of 2-cycle are you using per fill-up?

Interested in this as well. And though it may have been posted 10 pages ago, can you also list what brand/kind of oil you're using? Thanks!

[Reason]

Originally Posted by empower-auto

My car just starting doing this at 1500 miles. It's never had ethanol in it.

This is interesting

Where do you fill up with gas? Can you confirm they don't use Ethanol?

[empower-auto]

Originally Posted by Reason

This is interesting

Where do you fill up with gas? Can you confirm they don't use Ethanol?

Shell. 91 V-Power always. There's supposed to be 0 Ethanol in 91 Shell here. The only V-Power I have ever known to have Ethanol is the 93 stuff and they indicate it.

[alrashwa]

Originally Posted by roddy

Agreed.
However, in my case, Ethanol free gas is available, and that stopped the chirping for me. I didn't hear a peep out of it today. Until Toyota/Scion/Subaru come up with a solution, getting gas without ethanol, or adding something like this http://www.lucasoil.ca/products/prod...&cat=HeavyDuty should do the trick. Adding 4-5 ounces per tank of good 2-stroke oil may also work. I was a little concerned about this option at first, but after reading in the owner's manual that burning 1.1 liters of engine oil for 600 miles of driving is not considered excessive, 4-5 ounces per tank is peanuts.

IF they ever give me my car back, I'll have to try this vs. paying the premium for 92 octane boat engine gas.

[ATL BRZ]

Originally Posted by Symbiont

So, I've been having the chirping noise for the last 4000 miles, and it's pretty annoying.

I was down at Autozone the other day to pick up some other things, and bought some of this on a whim: http://www.stp.com/products/fuel-add...ctane-booster/

Added it with a full tank of 91 at Chevron, where I always fill up. An hour later the crickets were gone. Hot engine, cold starts, at night (65 degrees F) and during the day (95 degrees F). I heard it all the time before and now it's just... not there.

I am very excited, even if it means buying a 4.50USD bottle of this stuff every fill up. That noise was driving me to distraction, even if I still loved my car.

I wouldn't use that in my car even if it quiets the chirp. Most "octane boosters", including the one you're using, contains a bunch of kerosene and a little bit of MMT (Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl) to raise the octane, which is bad news for any car with a catalytic converter. During combustion, the manganese is liberated from the compound. This manganese vapor is then deposited on your spark plugs and in the fine mesh structure of your catalytic converter. The deposits in the catalytic converter can significantly obstruct exhaust flow and impede the ability of the cat to do its job with regards to NOx emissions.

MMT will not make your octane nearly as high as high as the feel of it in your engine would seem to lead you to believe. This is because MMT makes your fuel denser and burn slightly longer giving you additional torque than simply higher octane couldn't achieve. This process also can have the unfortunate result of contributing to gunk build up in the injectors and valves, especially if used in excess of .8 oz per gallon.

[cobrabyte]

Octane booster did not change anything for me. 2oz of 2-cycle oil has done the trick though. No noticeable side-effects. Super low ash formula.

[sierra]

Originally Posted by alrashwa

Sierra, I'd be interested to know how you are getting it in there. I assume you mixed it into a small fuel canister. What volume of 2-cycle are you using per fill-up?

Currently my GTS 86 is on order and I drive a Mitsubishi Triton with a 2.5 common rail T diesel that uses very high fuel pressure. I always add 2T to it when I fill up at 200:1
It's been proven to shut the chirp up at 1000:1 in the 86.
I use it in my diesel because it's quieter, gets better mpg and compensates for the low lubricity of recent very low sulphur diesel to ensure it lasts like they used to.

When I fill up I glance at the trip odometer which I always zero at the pump because i'm fuel consumption obsessive and keep a log. It's easy with metric to work it out and I know since I average 8L/100km that 600km means 48L which is 240ml of 2T at 200:1. The 1L container has a measure window so I just tip about 250ml into the tank and then fill up, it doesn't need to be exact.

I'll translate that into US figures for the 50L 86/BRZ tank.
13.2USG = 1690oz
So for the first fill up add 1690 divided by 1000 = 1.7oz

Using 30mpg we get about 400miles to a tank.
That's 0.1oz for every 25miles at each fill up after that. So for 280miles add 1.1oz. That's easy enough to do in your head like I do at the pump.

Use a high quality 2 stroke oil with very low ash content which will clean, lubricate and combust completely.

Can someone please check my figures?

[roddy]

Originally Posted by alrashwa

IF they ever give me my car back, I'll have to try this vs. paying the premium for 92 octane boat engine gas.

That post you quoted is from a while ago and I have had time to experiment a bit more since then. I have found that as little as 1-2 oz of good quality 2-stroke oil will do the trick. I just add a small amount directly to the tank, then fill it with gas. From what I have seen and done, sierra's comments are pretty much spot-on (I didn't check his math though...).

[alrashwa]

Thanks a ton guys. My friend at Toyota Japan even recommended this method, so I'd say it's a solid one.

[Marrk]

Originally Posted by sierra

Currently my GTS 86 is on order and I drive a Mitsubishi Triton with a 2.5 common rail T diesel that uses very high fuel pressure. I always add 2T to it when I fill up at 200:1
It's been proven to shut the chirp up at 1000:1 in the 86.
I use it in my diesel because it's quieter, gets better mpg and compensates for the low lubricity of recent very low sulphur diesel to ensure it lasts like they used to.

When I fill up I glance at the trip odometer which I always zero at the pump because i'm fuel consumption obsessive and keep a log. It's easy with metric to work it out and I know since I average 8L/100km that 600km means 48L which is 240ml of 2T at 200:1. The 1L container has a measure window so I just tip about 250ml into the tank and then fill up, it doesn't need to be exact.

I'll translate that into US figures for the 50L 86/BRZ tank.
13.2USG = 1690oz
So for the first fill up add 1690 divided by 1000 = 1.7oz

Using 30mpg we get about 400miles to a tank.
That's 0.1oz for every 25miles at each fill up after that. So for 280miles add 1.1oz. That's easy enough to do in your head like I do at the pump.

Use a high quality 2 stroke oil with very low ash content which will clean, lubricate and combust completely.

Can someone please check my figures?

With all due respect, you have given an awful lot of advice regarding what other people should put in their cars, and you have spoken with abundant authority on the subject, and yet you do not even own one of these cars, nor do you have any firsthand experience with one. I wish you would disclose this before posting each and all of your future statements. Just begin by saying, "I don't have a car, but here's what you guys should do with your cars." 'Kay?

[sierra]

Originally Posted by alrashwa

Thanks a ton guys. My friend at Toyota Japan even recommended this method, so I'd say it's a solid one.

That is good to hear! Thanks for that.

It's been used in car engines for many reasons for years without any negative reports that I've ever seen, only positive results.
I know that some worry about warranty but it's being used in tiny quantities to solve a problem until they can engineer a fix, if they actually bother? Until then it compensates for the negative effect of the ethanol.

I only harp on about it because I feel it's a good thing that's very easy and cheap to do until it gets fixed. You can also be pretty confident it wont deteriorate.