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strange "whistling" sound in my FD

Old Aug 11, 2003 | 03:18 PM
  #1  
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strange "whistling" sound in my FD

i just noticed it this afternoon.

whenever the car is around 20mph and rising, i get this weird whistling sound in/outside the car.

the sound seems to blend in when i press the gas (i let go of the gas at 50mph and the sound starts ti dwindle)

i cant really tell where its comming from.

my RB dual tip exhaust is a little loose. i can hear it shaking.

could it be the exhaust or what?

if you have any questions help break this down just post
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Old Aug 11, 2003 | 03:40 PM
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Check your Y-pipe, mine leaked hella bad once and i found that the y-pipe is usually the cause cuz the pressure from the turbos are so strong that it'll force the clamps loose sometimes. Hope that helps. Makes a hella lot of a difference too. Low boost to regular boost is a big difference!
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Old Aug 11, 2003 | 03:59 PM
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I had the same problem and it turned out to be the rubber fitting the connects the intercooler piping to the Y-pipe .. if there is a tear in it most your boost will escape ... 50 bones from the dealer.
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Old Aug 11, 2003 | 04:57 PM
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ok, ill check it out, thanks guys
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Old Aug 11, 2003 | 11:40 PM
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bubb rubb strikes again

woooo woooooooo!!
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 05:57 PM
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here are pictures of my y-pipe

can anyone see anything wrong with it? the whistling is pissing me OFF, and the miss wont even ride with me









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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 06:20 PM
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From: british columbia
It could possibly be that crack in your elbow.

Is that even a crack?
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 06:24 PM
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it is a crack, but its not deep

im sure that if there is alot of pressure coming from the turbos, then the air should seep out?
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 06:27 PM
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While you're driving the car, the crack can get bigger under heat and more air can seep out.

I'd get that replaced soon. How's your boost with that?
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 06:41 PM
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boost seems the same as before

the sound has apeared out of no where yesterday. i really hope its just the pipe.

who makes good aftermarket elbows?
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 06:43 PM
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FYI, that is your intake elbow, not the Y-pipe that everyone is talking about. The y pipe is located just below the hot side of the intercooler piping on the pass side of the engine bay and acts as a "collector" for the two turbos as it routes compressed air into the IC pipe. A rubber coupler connects the y pipe to the IC pipe via 2 hose clamps, and it is this coupler that often splits and creats [boost] leaks. CHeck that baby out...

On a related note, my FD also makes a whistling noise only when I have the fans on only when I give it gas. Does your whistling occur when you have the A/C or the fans running?
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 06:45 PM
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thanks for the info decay

strangly, the first time i noticed the whistling was when i turned my AC on. i lowered my windows and turned the air and AC off and i still got the sound
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 06:54 PM
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here is a picture of my engine bay

can someone please inform me where leak could be?

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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 06:57 PM
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You see that black plastic pipe that goes across the engine bay? That's called the crossover pipe. At the top left of the picture, it attaches to the "Y-pipe", by a black plastic coupler.

Check out the coupler, and see if there's any cracks in it. It's a typical boost leak area.
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 07:02 PM
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is this the coupler your talking about?

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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 07:09 PM
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Umm... that's not your Y-pipe, that's your elbow. The connection the guys are talking about above is the one that couples the black crossover tube that angles from the center of the engine back towards the passenger side to the metal pipe under the pass side of that black crossover pipe. This coupling is rubber, and is known to fail. The metal pipe under the crossover tube is your Y-pipe, BTW, though it's more an upside down Y. It combines the turbos, with a little door in the middle to keep out the secondary boost until 5000 rpm (called a charge control valve) (as opposed to charge relief valve, oftem mistaken as a second blow off valve, but I digress...)

Two things: do you have loss of boost? For that matter. do you have a boost gauge? I see the typical mount nipple is capped. Second, I have a nice loud whistle whenever my primary turbo spools up, so you may just be experiencing normal spool sound, though looking at your nicely stock set up, I'm guessing you don't have a down pipe in there yet?

Also, get that plastic AST replaced ASAP! They split open after long time, spraying coolant everywhere and potentially overheating your engine.

Welcome to the madness! I look at your pics and remember when mine was virgin!
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 07:31 PM
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i dont believe i have a lose of boost. and i dont have a boost gauge (yet)

i really hope its the coupler cause it seems like a simple fix

like what decay said, i noticed the whistling sound when i turned on my AC. although, im not completely sure because i had my music turned up pretty loud.

whistling is still there, and its driving me nuts, /sigh

update:

-i hear the whistling sound either when the AC is on or off
-the whistling starts when i push on the gas, when im at a stop there is no sound
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 07:44 PM
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I'm somewhat new to the third gen, but is there any reason why your air bypass valve is disconnected from the air box (its the brown valve just below the passenger side strut tower in your picture)? Under certain throttle/load/rpm situations I believe this could vent boost from the turbos which could create a whistling noise.
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 07:48 PM
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Originally posted by Palumbo1337
is this the coupler your talking about?

It's not that coupler. It's the coupler on the OTHER side of that pipe. The one on the other end. You might have to take off the intake pipes to get to it closer.
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 07:48 PM
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From: british columbia
Originally posted by byrden
I'm somewhat new to the third gen, but is there any reason why your air bypass valve is disconnected from the air box (its the brown valve just below the passenger side strut tower in your picture)? Under certain throttle/load/rpm situations I believe this could vent boost from the turbos which could create a whistling noise.
He just vented it to the atmosphere. That wouldn't be causing any loss in boost or that whistling noise.

It's just making that PSSSHHHHH noise that an aftermarket bov makes.
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 08:21 PM
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From: Dodgers
im still lost

if anyone can help me at all? or wants to help, PM me, IM me at FnFD3S, or e-mail me at palumbo1337@yahoo.com

PS: im one of the young owners on the forum (16) i dont know much, but im not a postwhore =)
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 08:25 PM
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I PM'ed you back. Add me to MSN.
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 09:34 PM
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i took the car out, i taped up the elbow pipe crack

no problem there from what it seems

i WOT it a couple times, and it seems the 2nd turbo doesnt kick in as much as it use to

so now i know its the coupler/pipe down there

thanks everyone
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 10:40 PM
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Originally posted by Palumbo1337

so now i know its the coupler/pipe down there

thanks everyone
Don't be so sure just yet. Hopefully the coupler is the culprit (although I believe it is a $70 or so part from the dealer), but it could be about a million other things too. The stock FD sequential system is very complex and often difficult to diagnose.

Also, hook up a boost gauge. There is pretty much NO WAY you know what boost pattern you have without one unless you have been driving FDs for many years and know exactly what the stock pattern feels like.

Good luck with everything.
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Old Mar 19, 2004 | 08:22 PM
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Sorry, to dig up such an old thread, but I am having the same problem. I have a whistling sound that gets louder as the RPM's increase (has no correlation with vacuum/boost level). There is no audible sound at idle and the whistling becomes noticably louder when I flip the fans on. I suspect the coupler between the crossover pipe and the y-pipe (this is where it sounds like the sound is coming from). Also, there have been no changes in the boost pattern.

So did you ever find out if the coupler was the problem? I will be taking the intake off and looking once I get back home from school.
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