Birds chirping in engine bay!!!

[Anonymous]

Ok, weird one this and not sure if I should be worried or not.........help!

Just recently, after the car has warmed up or been on a journey (such as driving to work), when the engine is either idling or at low revs, I can hear what is a very high pitched chirping noise from the engine. Its suprisingly loud and I don't have to try and listen for it, its quite obvious. Its a, fast, repetetive chirping and goes away when the revs rise enough, but as soon as they die down again its back. The only thing I can equate it to is like a fan belt chirping when worn or wet. I have had a look under the bonnet and can't actually pinpoint where the sound it coming from. And it doesn't do it when the engine is cold either.......


Does anyone have any ideas what this is?

[kanujunkie]

not a golden throated finch then??

[Anonymous]

If it was at least I could get the bugger out!

[Anonymous]

Are you using Kestrel GTX?  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:    s:lol: :lol: s:lol:    s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

[Anonymous]

Are you using Kestrel GTX?  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:    s:lol: :lol: s:lol:    s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

[Anonymous]

Boom boom!!!!!  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:    s:wink: :wink: s:wink:    s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  


No serious answers then?  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:    s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

[Anonymous]

waterpump?

[Anonymous]

waterpump?

Oh god, I hope not.......

[Anonymous]

How about the accessory belt tensioner thingy!?! I'm sure I read it can make an odd rattley noise at idle - which goes away when the engine is revved...

[Anonymous]

Yeah, thought about that and I have got a rattle of sorts, but this is actually more of a high pitched chirping. I still can't place it and it is quite intermittent.............

If no-one here has any answers, looks like the inevitable trip to MrT, which I was hoping to avoid...............  s:evil: :evil: s:evil:

[markiii]

are you running with a hardtop at the mo?

[LeeUK]

Does it go away when you depress the clutch pedal?

[Anonymous]

This must be some coincidence, i was just about to post the exact same problem.

I noticed a chirping sound coming from my engine bay about 6 months ago. At first it was very faint and so i just dismissed it as my imagination. When its your own car you tend to notice lots of strange noises that no one else does. Now its louder and obvious.

It occurs when i pull away at low revs and only in first gear ( unless i pull away in second (which i never ever do) ). It seems if i pull away with high revs the chirping doesn't occur.

That makes two of us with the strange chirping sound. I too am open to suggestions.  Apart from feeding the damn bird !!.

[Simon]

Might be completely unrelated but your description of the noise sounds the same.

I have an intermittent chirping noise that has been bugging me for a month or two now as I couldn't work out where it was coming from.  I have now worked out that it's the trim on the armrest of the drivers door but it only makes the chirp when you rest your arm on it if there is no weight on it it remains silent.

hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

Might be completely unrelated but your description of the noise sounds the same.

I have an intermittent chirping noise that has been bugging me for a month or two now as I couldn't work out where it was coming from.  I have now worked out that it's the trim on the armrest of the drivers door but it only makes the chirp when you rest your arm on it if there is no weight on it it remains silent.

hope this helps!

No Simon, its DEFINATELY coming from the engine. Does it when idling and at low revs, goes away a higher revs and stops completely with the engine off. And it doesn't sound like its in the cockpit.

But cheers anyway.......

[Joe Schmoe]

I too have a chirping noise, but when it's not chirping, it's makes a god-awful buzz.  However, it only makes the noises when it's quiet (EDIT:...meant to say 'cold' not quiet....reads kinda funny though   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  ).  Someone on SC said they had a similar problem and when they removed and replaced thier intake manifold, the sound went away.  They weren't sure what they fixed.  I'd do a sound clip, but while it might get a reaction like, "wow, that is bad", it wont solve anything.

I'm now convinced that whatever is making the noise is on the other side of the engine between the engine and the firewall.  If it were warmer here, I'd get under there and tighten every bolt I see starting near the intake manifold...but that may have to wait until spring.  I'm also getting some wierd readings from my knock sensor....that too is in the area IIRC.

[Joe Schmoe]

Problem solved...the noise was header-related.

[Anonymous]

Hi Joe, do you want to explain a little more please?

[Tem]

Check here:
 m http://www.spyderchat.com/phpBB/viewtop ... 15#4212577 m

[Anonymous]

Hmmmm.......not sure that is anything like mine. My car is stock and hasn't changed, apart from the de-cat and even with that, this is a relatively recent occurance. The Decat has been done since early summer.

Must look harder into this............hmmmm...........  s:?: :?: s:?:

[GSB]

How come no-ones mentioned the bloody heat shields yet?

I'd put money down that your problem can be cured in 10 minutes with GSB and his faithful angle grinder... Crawl under the car, and just below the point where the manifold connects to the main cat, begins a series of heatshields that extend all the way over the body of the main cat, towards the silencer.

Most of these metal pieces bolt on, and are secured by metal bands. But the one right at the front where the 2 downpipes joint together is made of 2 half shells that bolt together, with one side being welded with 2 small welds to the pipes themselves. These tiny welds crack, and when the exhaust gets hot enough, it starts to vibrate...  

Now, the only way to get it off, is to remove 2 small bolts that secure the rear of the 2 shells to the adjacent shield, and the grind out the bolt that goes through the middle of the 2 downpipes. You could try undoing it, but it's be a futile excersize as Toyota weld them in once they're done up...

I diagnosed mine with a long screwdriver. I got the engine nice and warm, as it was silent until it got hot, and then had a friend hold the throttle at a point where I could hear the noise. Then by prodding around with my long screwdriver under the bonnet, I touched it upon the heatshield and the sound vanished...  10 minutes of grinder action and the heatshield was history, although I could have just claimed for a complete new cat under warranty...

[Anonymous]

Hmmmm.......interesting stuff. I have to get to a place where I can actually get under the car (I will try over Christmas as my Dad has a garage. I don't!) and have a listen to that. The noise I get does seem to come from the engine itself, but this isn't a consideration I had thought about. Cheers for that Grant and I will keep you posted. If it is, I will be well pleased!!!

[GSB]

No problem. My one drove me absolutley nuts, hence the decision to go for the instant fix (grinder) rather than a long laborious warranty claim...

[Anonymous]

Heh heh..........don't blame you. If it was anything like my headlights and bubbling wheels, you would have probably still be waiting!!!   s:roll: :roll: s:roll:    s:wink: :wink: s:wink:    s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  

Cheers Grant and will keep you posted.

[Anonymous]

Ok, an update on this and maybe another plea for any technical experts out there..........

The chirping I have described in the original post went away for a little while. But now it is back, with a vengeance. Its MUCH louder now and it is only there from about 2000rpm upwards and only when the clutch is engaged. If I press the clutch down, the chiriping goes away............

Does anyone have any ideas? If its clutch related, I am worried cos its going to cost me a fortune. I personally think it COULD be thrust bearing, but why would this go on a car that only has 38K on the clock? If it isn't this, does anybody have ANY idea what this noise can be? I realise you would have to hear it, but it really is incessant now............

Help!!!  s:shock: :shock: s:shock:    s:? :? s:?    s:cry: :cry: s:cry: