Web
Analytics Made Easy - Statcounter
Whine /singing - Page 2 - Engine/Ancilliaries - The Lotus Forums - Official Lotus Community Partner Jump to content


IGNORED

Whine /singing


bluejay

Recommended Posts

Just an update people. I went daft and bought every spinny thing to fix the problem(Air con compressor, alternator, power steering pump, water pump) They are all fitted now and heaven sent----no noise. Still don't know what the problem was as the old components look ok.----PEACE.

James.

I'm crossing my fingers for you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Upgrade today to remove Google ads and support TLF.

Just an update people. I went daft and bought every spinny thing to fix the problem(Air con compressor, alternator, power steering pump, water pump) They are all fitted now and heaven sent----no noise. Still don't know what the problem was as the old components look ok.----PEACE.

James.

 

How long has it been since you swapped the last "spinny thing"?

Paddle Faster, I hear Banjos!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please keep us posted as I'm curious to see if this fixes the issue.  As someone else mentioned, I change the oil and the issue goes away for a few weeks and then slowly creeps back to the full whine (even louder than the one from the passenger seat!).

Paddle Faster, I hear Banjos!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't believe it. It's done a Arnie---it's back. If I was honest it never went, but I thought it was better. Nowhere else to turn now. Broke and totally suicidal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a kick in the fanny pack!

 

Sounds like you have spent out to pocket to eliminate all the things that could cause it that Lotus Garage didn't work on.  Now it looks like it's on them to fix whatever they messed up in the rebuild that you paid them to do.

Edited by lotusespritse
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you see those flying pigs. Not much chance of that. The stupid part is, it's undetectable outside the car or even in the engine bay. It's only inside the cabin. :no 

 

So the place you paid to rebuild your engine doesn't back their work?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can you tell for certain the sound when heard in the cabin is coming from behind your head and outside? Knowing where the speakers are on my dash, ear contact with any of them is impossible.Do you have speakers in the rear cabin wall? I know you said that you checked, but disconnect one speaker lead from each speaker. Audio Amplifier output stages can and do rectify AC voltages and send them to the drivers as scratchy and whiney sounds that can either be stable or rev locked in frequency depending on the source of the AC voltage. AC can be found in unshielded and poorly grounded alternators as an example. All the fiddling around etc could be causing changes in the AC signal being generated over time and or ground resistance at one or several points changing due to heating, etc. Simply turning the radio off does not always kill the rectification going on. Beats yanking the power plant until after confirming... These are fibre glass cars after all. Generally have the same electronic issues as glass boat electronics.

Edited by MikieP
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Gold FFM

I said speakers, but only from the point of view of electrical interference which used to manifest as a sound through the speakers. Would go when the stereo was turned off.

Speakers was my first thought when James said it was only audible inside the cabin.

All we know is that when they stop making this, we will be properly, properly sad.Jeremy Clarkson on the Esprit.

Opinions are like armpits. Everyone has them, some just stink more than others.

For forum issues, please contact one of the Moderators. (I'm not one of the elves anymore, but I'll leave the link here)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

James,

From the description it seems you have exactly the same exhaust set  up as me, so I guess that it must be quite loud if you can hear it clearly in the cabin?

It is possible that the sound is being mechanically coupled into the cabin rather than just soundwaves passing through the bulkhead. This can happen because of all the hoses, cables etc that go through the centre spine of the chassis.

Its clear that changing all those parts may have moved something temporarily? You really need the car up on ramp running and get someone to check every hose, cable, pipe etc from the engine, giving a push/pull and see what happens. It could be something simple like a hose expanding and something coming into contact with the aux belt which is then conducted through a pipe inside the chassis?

Edited by redshift
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gonna take a trip to Liverpool Wednesday to see Andy at N.W. Lotus. I was going to do it a while ago but I went a different (and more expensive) route. WATCH THIS SPACE!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

James,

From the description it seems you have exactly the same exhaust set  up as me, so I guess that it must be quite loud if you can hear it clearly in the cabin?

It is possible that the sound is being mechanically coupled into the cabin rather than just soundwaves passing through the bulkhead. This can happen because of all the hoses, cables etc that go through the centre spine of the chassis.

Its clear that changing all those parts may have moved something temporarily? You really need the car up on ramp running and get someone to check every hose, cable, pipe etc from the engine, giving a push/pull and see what happens. It could be something simple like a hose expanding and something coming into contact with the aux belt which is then conducted through a pipe inside the chassis?

 

Interesting, the whine I have is pretty well exactly as James describes.  In my case if I put a stethoscope on the oil cooler or metal fittings the whine is as clear as day, and oil coolers are the only place I can isolate it to.  I'm now wondering if it's coming from somewhere else and getting transferred to the oil lines as it goes through the chassis. Still odd how it goes away after an oil change (temporarily).  Anyway, keep us posted James!

Paddle Faster, I hear Banjos!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Hi everyone. It's been a while but still ongoing. The latest from NorthWest is a real loud noise from one of the oil cooler pipes(this is after somemore big money has been spent on numerous things, including engine mounts, idlers etc., even ANOTHER brand new steering pump!) Where the f**** is it coming from? and why is it obvious in one of the oil cooler pipes?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have your solution. The reason you're oil line is only making noise on one side is that is the pressure side of the oil line. The Factory oil lines are nearly as weak as a coolant hose and thus, they tend to get replaced over time with high pressure hydraulic lines. These high pressure lines have a very hard outer layer. The outer layer conducts noise very very well. The lines run from the engine, through the center of the chassis and come in contact with the chassis at three distinct positions. The first position is at the rear of the chassis through the 3" round hole. The second position is just ahead of the shift gate through a 45 degree incline plane. There is supposed to be a rubber surround around that hole that helps prevent noise. After that the hoses go through a 3" metal tube that's about 5-6" long. The lines are supposed to surrounded by a large amount of foam through the entire tube. So.. how is the noise so all encompassing?? Well, the 5-6" metal tube is welded to the front of the box frame which is directly connected to the body at either side. The sound (as far as I can determine) then conducts perfectly up to the windshield, which becomes this huge speaker to amplify the nasty noise.

So.. how do I solve this?? you can replace the pressure line with the original factory type hose and ensure that all of the foam insulation is in the right spots. Alternatively, you can go to the "home depot" and get 1" copper pipe foam insulation. The foam insulation has two methods of self-adhesive sealing so that when you wrap your oil line with it, it won't come apart.

Now, should you choose this method, you will need to remove the gear shift mechanism completely and fish the whole thing out through the front of the car. So.. attach a wire or cable to the oil line after disconnecting it from the oil filter housing. The reason for this is to make fishing it back through later easier. Once you have removed the oil line you will need to wrap at least 6' of the line with the copper pipe insulation. Then, grease it up a bit with some axle grease.. as it will be hellish to get it back through without lubrication. It will be very challenging to get the hose from the 4-5" pipe to the 45 degree plate without the hose diving to the bottom and getting jammed,... so you will need someone inside the car to help fish it through. Once you pass the first obstacle.. that person will then need to push the hose to the back of the car while the other person tries to guide it through the last hole at the back.. and then.. VOILA!!! You will now have a quiet car..

Modifying esprit's.. now that's fun..

PS... I AM NOT A CERTIFIED MECHANIC.. I Have chosen to help those in need, in the past and must not be construed as being a certified technician.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It could be a harmonic resonance in the cabin, that is something is vibrating alongside the engine pitch. One way to locate it is to use the handle of a claw hammer (rubberised) and press it everywhere in the cabin and try to stop the noise. When (if) you find it, take it out and reinstall it soundly. A good example could be the in-door intrusion bars are loose and buzzing away. Iain :)

Edit: ok, just read about the noise pipe - so there it is, sort if what I was saying :)

Ha ha :)

Edited by Iain S2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Indeed, best and most plausible answer to this irritating issue I've heard. What I'm still not clear on is why it initially goes away after an oil change to return within 500 miles or so - Mark, any idea?

Paddle Faster, I hear Banjos!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Andy at Northwest is convinced it's the oil feed pipe vibrating something rotten. To fix it he reckons the engine has to come out! Suicidal doesn't come anywhere near. With my issue, changing the oil didn't help anything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the engine most certainly does not need to come out to replace the oil line. The only reason it would need to come out is if you strip the fitting at the oil filter housing. If you do strip the fitting, it's located behind the engine mount and the engine will need to be removed to replace the filter housing. Other than that.. it's not a difficult job.

  • Like 1

Modifying esprit's.. now that's fun..

PS... I AM NOT A CERTIFIED MECHANIC.. I Have chosen to help those in need, in the past and must not be construed as being a certified technician.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Indeed, best and most plausible answer to this irritating issue I've heard. What I'm still not clear on is why it initially goes away after an oil change to return within 500 miles or so - Mark, any idea?

I have an idea as to why.. but I cannot guarantee it's the reason for certain. As your oil degrades and as more and more fuel gets into the oil gets thinner. When the oil gets thinner, it conducts the noise better through the hose.

Modifying esprit's.. now that's fun..

PS... I AM NOT A CERTIFIED MECHANIC.. I Have chosen to help those in need, in the past and must not be construed as being a certified technician.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Gold FFM

steering pump, does it make a sound and cause 'frequency sounds' in the steering assist pipes ?

 

...just in case -to undo the auxillary belt and run the engine for a time without overheat issues is a fast try you can do

 

..one of the V8 cars I have seen had the main radiator pipes (the alloy ellbow/ tubes) rubbing against the body edge (next to the bulkhead)  ..caused odd noise on engine load changes and rough road driving

Edited by Günter

*********************************************************************

to name the things if I see them, that's what I call integrity..

*********************************************************************

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, serve personalized ads or content, and analyze our traffic. By clicking " I Accept ", you consent to our use of cookies. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.