[dvryce]

I've recently purchased an '01 2.5RS with a Weapon-R Dragon Intake on it. I've noticed when I get the car up to around 65-70+ mph I have this intermittent high-pitched whistling or warbling noise. It seems to occur completely randomly, coming and going as it pleases. It doesn't sound like an engine noise to me so I'm thinking that it's a wind noise issue.

This is the first Subaru I've owned however so I was wondering if maybe this is a normal thing, or if anybody else has encountered this problem after replacing their stock intake, and airbox? I'm thinking that maybe having removed all those molded plastic pieces from the engine compartment changed the airflow dynamics of the car which is what's causing this. It's not something I can't live with, but it would be nice if I could make it go away.

Any advice from fellow Impreza owners out there?

 

[ScottiE]

When I had an intake on, I heard no noises like the ones you describe, do you have a general idea of where it is coming from? ?

 

[dvryce]

That's the funny thing about this noise. It definitely seems to be coming from the front end of the car, but it's presence seems completely random. Not triggered by acceleration/deceleration, braking, or anything like that.

I really think it's gotta be either wind noise, or tire noise. Maybe it's just a normal thing and I have really sensitive ears. It's likely that there's really nothing wrong and I'm just listening too hard for problems since I just bought the car on Monday and whenever you buy something new you're always overly-sensitive to looking for problems.

 

[wilddave1]

is it kind of a buzzing noise, my car does that at 75-100 mph. I can't find it either. Sounds like plastic buzzing. It's not the tires, it only seems to do it when there is wind or crosswind.( cars passing or a breeze.) What mods do you have, maybe we have done the same thing.

 

[dvryce]

hmm... yeah I suppose it could be considered a buzzing, and it does appear to be worse during a crosswind, like passing cars and such though it sometimes occurs otherwise too...

I just bought the car used, and the only mod I believe it has is the Weapon-R Dragon Intake. With this installed, the stock airbox is removed, as well as the big plastic silencer thing the stock intake runs into that's normally jammed into the passenger side fender well.

I'm wondering if with these big plastic pieces removed if the way the air flows through the engine on certain occassions is causing the noise.

 

[ScottiE]

How about your sun roof? Are the seals flush? Have you put the stock intake back on and driven around?? I'm sure someone on this board has the stock intake for a cheap price if you don't have it.

 

[wilddave1]

It's not the sunroof, it is definitly coming from the front of the car. I have the stock intake on at the moment, so it's not coming from there. I do have the intake silencer removed, maybe that is where it is coming from.:boxer:

 

[dvryce]

Yeah, it's definitely not the roof. I'm not concerned enough about it to mess with finding a stock intake to put in, as I like the extra power and noise of the Dragon.

My main concern was just to make sure there's nothing wrong with the car, which I don't believe there is because it still runs like a champ... ohhhh how it runs! God I love this car! :drool:

Anyway... I just wanted to see if anybody else had the same problem and/or/if/how they fixed it. It's not really a big deal as most of the time I have music playing while driving anyway, and even when I don't it's not too obtrusive. I'm sure it will become even less so the more I drive.

 

[RS25.com]

I used to have an old Honda Civic that did that.

It was the plastic under-body shield under the front bumper. Someone removed it, lost one bolt, put it back on and voila!

Instant noise-maker.

 

[dvryce]

Well I looked at the under bumper skirt and didn't see any obvious bolts missing, but considering I don't know what it looks like stock I may be wrong.

After driving a while yesterday it occurred to me that the best approximation to the noise I'm describing is what the AC fan sounds like when it turns on when you're sitting at a stop light.

 

[glmwpg]

had same problem here

I actually had a quite similar problem, as with all my cars, I dub noises in the order I find/discover them... "Mystery noise #1, #2, etc" (What can I say.. I owned a dodge previously )

So as far as mystery noise #1 goes for my 98 scooby 2.5rs,
it was a slight whistling/buzzing that normally happened at 50+kms/hr... and could only be heard when windows where down.. What it turned out to be was the air cutting through the crack in the driver's outside mirror, where the mirror "gives" if you brush up against McDonalds solved it by taking electrical tape, looping it back over itself a few times, and stuffing it (not noticable if the mirror is in correct position) in that crack between the actual mirror and it's counterpart that joins the mirror to the car..

may or may not be what you are experiencing, but hey.. never hurts to mention it !

good luck!

 

[TMRRALLY]

I have had new Subarus on the lot that had wind noise from the side veiw mirrors, and the seals around that part of the window.

 

[wilddave1]

I am always driving the car but it sounds like it is coming from the passenger side. I will have to crawl under there and look. I did put the covers back on my vents and scoop and it made no difference. It could be the plastic under the front but I can't see where anything is rubbing.

 

[grubaru]

Do you have the Weapon R with the crappy foam filter? I had one and I got a little bit of whistle from it. I exchanged the filter for an AEM cone filter and continued using the same intake tube. Now, I hear no whistle.

 

[wilddave1]

It's deffinitly not the intake! At least in my case. I have heard the mirror noise too but it is a very different noise. I can't even hear it anymore since i put my intake on.

 

[kickin_81]

All I do is turn up the volume of my music. I'd believe it's wind noise.