Strange whistling noise when warmed up

[mrzigazaga]

Hi

As per the title, nearly to a point where I can drive Delilah...I have had a right battle with alternator brackets etc and have had a fair bit custom made by Wedge owners whom I owe great thanks to, I will do a more indepth read when she is back together with her new interior

So can anyone diagnose the whistling noise, I have since changed the plenum gasket and a few other bits in hope that it would cure it, I just hope it is not the inlet manifold as that will be a right pita..sounds more like it is coming from the distributor?...any ideas...oh and its not the kettle boiling...

Had to re-nip up the rockers covers as I fitted rubber gaskets and have a small oil patch under the car now...Mind as he video loads as it is already loud


Cheers

https://youtu.be/Br3D6Mqp3u0

[Wedg1e]

Does sound like it could be air wheezing in or out of somewhere, but equally it has a hint of dry bearing surface.
Try to find a length of rubber/silicon tubing that you can use as a stethoscope to listen around, you'll soon pinpoint it that way (well, the area at least).

For years my 390 sounded like it had a supercharger whine but it turned out to be the PAS pump...changed it and now I almost miss the noise

[mrzigazaga]

Wedg1e said:

Does sound like it could be air wheezing in or out of somewhere, but equally it has a hint of dry bearing surface.
Try to find a length of rubber/silicon tubing that you can use as a stethoscope to listen around, you'll soon pinpoint it that way (well, the area at least).

For years my 390 sounded like it had a supercharger whine but it turned out to be the PAS pump...changed it and now I almost miss the noise

Yeah you could be right...the pas pump was secondhand and an unknown entity, I will try it with the belt off to see if it makes a difference, seems to only happen like a minute or two before the rad fan kicks in...I did wonder if it were water under pressure but I am positive I would have seen it if it were...

Cheers

[BlueWedgy]

Perhaps try running without the belts on?
Being as you have had alternator bracket fun, is everything fully aligned and running true.

Edited by BlueWedgy on Saturday 13th July 10:22

[mrzigazaga]

BlueWedgy said:

Perhaps try running without the belts on?
Being as you have had alternator bracket fun, is everything fully aligned and running true.

Edited by BlueWedgy on Saturday 13th July 10:22

yeah that will be a good test..The alternator now sits where it would have ..just a tad higher and looks to be true, the pas belt is a bit tight so will slacken it a tad and try it and if it makes a noise still then I will remove it to see if it stops..I also have a rev limiting rotor arm fitted which I was going to ditch ...I think there was some difference to the noise when I revved it but not 100%..

[Tasmin200]

I had that noise when my PCV valve was blocked. I think the gasket on the inlet manifold has blown out due to too much pressure in the crankcase. Try running it without the oil filler cap and the pvc valve. I bet it goes away.

[mrzigazaga]

Tasmin200 said:

I had that noise when my PCV valve was blocked. I think the gasket on the inlet manifold has blown out due to too much pressure in the crankcase. Try running it without the oil filler cap and the pvc valve. I bet it goes away.

Thanks Roy I will give it a go...

[mrzigazaga]

so went to the garage, started up okay, had a little drive up the garage alley and she felt good..parked outside the garage..that noise appeared, the rad fan kicked in and then the idle dropped to almost a stall, I gave it a blip on the throttle linkage and she died...then would not start...even charged the battery up for an hour as that was going flat after trying to start her for 1/2 hour

So now have a dead car, I thought it was fuelling but had a reply back from the Ford guy who said no matter if it is lean or rich she should still start and that something else is going on with it...I did notice a strange sound coming from the airbox which sounded like the air filter pulsing when she did start briefly, the idle was all over the place, I put the 3mm hex key in to adjust the fuel a tad as that is out and noticed the key was bouncing up & down, which it shouldnt do, this mean that the sensor plate is also bouncing up & down, causing the air noise..I have checked for air leaks etc but found nothing, bit of a loss now...I have the factory default setting for the mixture and idle but think there is perhaps something more going on...seems reminiscent of 10 years ao...

[Belle427]

I had something similar on a Chimaera, the noise was coming through the intake possibly the idle valve at a certain position that caused it.
I didn't do anything but it disappeared on its own.

[Wedg1e]

It's not something stupid like the distributor clamp loose? So when you blipped it the dissie moved round, knocked the timing out hence it not starting... probably could cause the fuel distributor plate to flutter as well if it was firing while the valves were still open.

[mrzigazaga]

Wedg1e said:

It's not something stupid like the distributor clamp loose? So when you blipped it the dissie moved round, knocked the timing out hence it not starting... probably could cause the fuel distributor plate to flutter as well if it was firing while the valves were still open.

Thanks Ian...a friend popped by and had a listen with his engineer ears and some hose and found it coming from the oil filter, and I managed to get the fuelling back to normality..now running 1.9-2.0%...had a drive of her, the brake master seals were weeping but have now stopped, that noise actually went away but did come back, I am planning on changing oil & filter and coolant, also putting an 82 stat in as I have a 90 on 85 off rad fan switch and think there may be an 87 stat in there...she has plenty of power, got up to 40 mph...

The broken spring has been fixed and a strut replaced, the other side will be done once I have made the "Special tool" The alternator brackets & belts all good, had a larger adjust made by Roger Bradley, as well as modified seat runners...top bloke PAS pump sorted, rack sorted, Rad fan sorted.

So...12 years later this Wedge is back in my life, a little bit rough round the edges but has not been driven much, hopefully that will change once I have finished the carpets & interior, strange how it was Delilah who got me into trimming in the first place...gave her some nitrile rocker cover gaskets, plenum gaskets, clean & paint how she use to look..paint is a bit tired but will sort that later...cheers
Before:

After:

[Wedg1e]

mrzigazaga said:

The broken spring has been fixed and a strut replaced, the other side will be done once I have made the "Special tool" The alternator brackets & belts all good, had a larger adjust made by Roger Bradley, as well as modified seat runners...top bloke PAS pump sorted, rack sorted, Rad fan sorted.

I've never heard of a broken spring on a Wedge

Special tool? Just get some spring compressors on it man.



How were the seat runners modified?

[mrzigazaga]

Wedg1e said:

I've never heard of a broken spring on a Wedge

Special tool? Just get some spring compressors on it man.



How were the seat runners modified?

Hi mate

The spring was snapped when I got her back...it was easy getting the old one out but a bit dodgy using those type of spring compressors, as we did..there is a spring removal tool in the bible...basically 1/2" threaded bar, around 15" in length, 2 bits of flat metal with holes in, two at the bottom for the strut fixing holes...some washers and nuts..basically wind the spring closed

Someone had removed the seat runners and the seats were as far forward as they could go...I could not get in and I am no longer a fattie ...so bought some from car builder and had some plate welded on with slotted holes to fit the SX-13 seats in, they line up with the Wedge seats position...