MR2 Roadster Owners Club

The Workshop => Maintenance, Problems & Troubleshooting => Topic started by: Anonymous on November 24, 2004, 08:52

Title: Birds chirping in engine bay!!!
Post by: Anonymous on November 24, 2004, 08:52
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?
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Post by: kanujunkie on November 24, 2004, 08:57
not a golden throated finch then??
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Post by: Anonymous on November 24, 2004, 09:08
If it was at least I could get the bugger out!
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Post by: Anonymous on November 24, 2004, 11:17
Are you using Kestrel GTX?  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:    s:lol: :lol: s:lol:    s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
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Post by: Anonymous on November 24, 2004, 11:36
Quote from: "eanlow"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:
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Post by: Anonymous on November 24, 2004, 11:38
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:
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Post by: Anonymous on November 24, 2004, 12:47
waterpump?
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Post by: Anonymous on November 24, 2004, 14:08
Quote from: "nitroxdiving"waterpump?

Oh god, I hope not.......
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Post by: Anonymous on November 24, 2004, 18:35
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...
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Post by: Anonymous on November 25, 2004, 12:50
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:
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Post by: markiii on November 25, 2004, 13:03
are you running with a hardtop at the mo?
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Post by: LeeUK on November 26, 2004, 12:50
Does it go away when you depress the clutch pedal?
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Post by: Anonymous on November 27, 2004, 11:46
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 !!.
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Post by: Simon on December 14, 2004, 13:31
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!
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Post by: Anonymous on December 14, 2004, 14:39
Quote from: "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!


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.......
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Post by: Joe Schmoe on December 15, 2004, 05:30
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.
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Post by: Joe Schmoe on December 20, 2004, 04:04
Problem solved...the noise was header-related.
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Post by: Anonymous on December 20, 2004, 11:37
Hi Joe, do you want to explain a little more please?
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Post by: Tem on December 20, 2004, 12:21
Check here:
 m http://www.spyderchat.com/phpBB/viewtop ... 15#4212577 (http://www.spyderchat.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=11052&start=15#4212577) m
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Post by: Anonymous on December 20, 2004, 16:02
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:?:
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Post by: GSB on December 20, 2004, 16:17
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...
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Post by: Anonymous on December 21, 2004, 09:31
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!!!
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Post by: GSB on December 21, 2004, 10:17
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...
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Post by: Anonymous on December 21, 2004, 10:45
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.
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Post by: Anonymous on March 7, 2005, 11:54
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:
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Post by: markiii on March 7, 2005, 15:25
do u have a vidcam? you coiuld record us a sound sample?
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Post by: Anonymous on March 7, 2005, 17:11
Unfortunately no and don't really know anyone close to me that has one I could borrow either. My sister has one, but she is 200 miles away!!!

I will see what I can do.........
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Post by: Joe Schmoe on March 8, 2005, 08:01
Throwout bearing.  Mine did this for quite some time...I had completely forgotten about it until now.  I had a TRD clutch/pressure plate/flywheel installed by a dealer and I had them change out the TO bearing as it's the standard thing to do while it's all apart.  It hasn't sqeeked since, but it makes a disconcerting sound at about 2000 RPM.  It's probably just me hearing things, but it doesn't sound like a well oiled machine if you know what I mean.
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Post by: Anonymous on March 8, 2005, 08:55
I had 3 bearings replaced by Mr-T when mine was making the noise altho its making a different one now lmao - but i can live with it  s;) ;) s;)
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Post by: Anonymous on March 8, 2005, 09:58
Quote from: "Joe Schmoe"Throwout bearing.  Mine did this for quite some time...I had completely forgotten about it until now.  I had a TRD clutch/pressure plate/flywheel installed by a dealer and I had them change out the TO bearing as it's the standard thing to do while it's all apart.  It hasn't sqeeked since, but it makes a disconcerting sound at about 2000 RPM.  It's probably just me hearing things, but it doesn't sound like a well oiled machine if you know what I mean.


What is the Throwout bearing? I have never heard of this. Is this the same as the thrust bearing? And is it a pain to change and how long and how much?

God, I am worried this is going to cost me a bloody fortune........
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Post by: Anonymous on March 8, 2005, 09:59
Quote from: "bigun007"I had 3 bearings replaced by Mr-T when mine was making the noise altho its making a different one now lmao - but i can live with it  s;) ;) s;)

Which bearing Bigun? You talking about this "Throwout bearing" or the thrust bearing or whatever? How come they seem to go so easily, yet so infrequently? Weird.......
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Post by: Tem on March 8, 2005, 10:27
Quote from: "John Woodward"What is the Throwout bearing? I have never heard of this. Is this the same as the thrust bearing? And is it a pain to change and how long and how much?

Same thing.

It's easy to change once you have everything apart. That's why everyone usually changes it while they are replacing clutch parts. The part itself is like £20, but the work might be more like £200  s:? :? s:?

If you have any plans to change the clutch/flywheel, have it done at a same time.
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Post by: Anonymous on March 8, 2005, 11:35
Quote from: "Tem"
Quote from: "John Woodward"What is the Throwout bearing? I have never heard of this. Is this the same as the thrust bearing? And is it a pain to change and how long and how much?

Same thing.

It's easy to change once you have everything apart. That's why everyone usually changes it while they are replacing clutch parts. The part itself is like £20, but the work might be more like £200  s:? :? s:?

If you have any plans to change the clutch/flywheel, have it done at a same time.


None at the moment. The clutch is still in fine fettle (how long are they supposed to last, by the way? I don't hoon it at starts, so its relatively gentle use of the clutch for me.......) so no need to change it, but its going to be a pain if I have to get that changed and its the only thing that needs doing..............  s:evil: :evil: s:evil:  

Bugger........
Title: Re: Birds chirping in engine bay!!!
Post by: JoniiBoii on August 18, 2011, 16:38
just upon driving to work today i heard like a cricket noise coming from my engine bay, its not overly loud , but it doesnt make noises upon accelaration (cant spell) just when idie'in or in the low rev range 2000 rpm ish.... so i did a search and re kindle'd the fire to this topic / thread... when reading this , and many other's, there never really was a direct solution.. other then it being the ''thrust bearing'' and to sort would cost 20£ for the part... and 200£ labour.... has anyone got the real symptom's  and was this issue the true culprit?

Please help , as i dont no if this is a BIG problem or just a common fault , where i can just turn my music up and forget it's there...?
Title: Re: Birds chirping in engine bay!!!
Post by: iPap on August 18, 2011, 17:52
I had it last week, mine was the cat heat shield. But it had sounded like it was behind the belts and inlet manifold.
Title: Re: Birds chirping in engine bay!!!
Post by: JoniiBoii on August 19, 2011, 11:39
see i no all my bolts are nice and tight, so can someone please give me a clue as to what could be wrong? do you think it could be the thrust bearing?
Title: Re: Birds chirping in engine bay!!!
Post by: Suzz381 on April 1, 2014, 18:53
Hello,

My car has started doing exactly the same this wk, did any of u guys find a diagnosis for the chirping/ cricket noise??
Title: Re: Birds chirping in engine bay!!!
Post by: AndrewMason on April 1, 2014, 21:17
As per one of the previous questions, but never answered, does the sound come from curb side of the engine and go away when the clutch is depressed? I think I have this the right way around - if noise goes with clutch in likely to be input drive shaft bearing, if noise starts when clutch depressed then thrust bearing. Both expensive.
Not sure this is the definitive answer though.
Title: Re: Birds chirping in engine bay!!!
Post by: Suzz381 on April 2, 2014, 18:34
The noise started when the engine was cold, after driving about 6 miles it went away.
Had it to the garage today who said the bearings or something just needed lubricating. Has been fine since I picked it up, the cold start tomorrow morning will be the real test!
The clutch had no impact on the noise