Everytime I drive my car, it makes me so mad I want to push it off a cliff.

The engine bay is *so* noisy, I can't even hear my exhaust! Often, the underhood clacking, ticking, hissing and whirring overpower the burble of the exhaust. Especially when I'm against a wall or another car, all the high frequency sounds reflect right back into my ear. It's almost painful because the hissing is so high. It makes people, and me cringe.

I know that 1.6RRs tick a bit, but this is not it - when I'm in 4th gear at 20mph, the hissing comes in. The more I get on the gas, the louder the hissing is - it is not rpm dependant, which tells me its not an exhaust leak or loose rocker/lifter problem. Even at idle, I can hear a high pitched "ssshkk sshhkk shhhk shhhkk" sound bouncing off the cars next to me.

It's annoying as hell! I've gone through the engine bay with a hose to my ear, fixing vacuum connections, exhaust flanges, etc etc over the course of 2 years. And today, I am nowhere closer to pinning down that hissing sound as I was 2 years ago. I am about ready to throw my floor jack through the front windshield.

Does anyone else have an ultra noisy engine bay? It's pissing the snot out of me and I would gladly give up my engine for a stock, silent one. I can't even hear my exhaust!

If anyone can help me pinpoint the problem, I'll give them a free gmail account!

 

TB? Intake? Somewhere in the air induction system?

If it is hissing, and it's not an exhaust or intake manifold leak, then perhaps it just a booger in the air intake somewhere.

You said it isn't an "exhaust" leak, but your manifolds also have an "intake" and it "sounds" to me like it could be in your manifolds. JMHO

 

That's my guess too, header gaskets, that made my engine bay loud as hell, replaced them (Found out 7 out of 8 were leaking, but I couldn't tell without removing them) and now my underhood is silent except for the air intake.

 

I guess you shouldnt be in a F-Body.....Should have gotten a quiet HONDA!!

 

.......maybe you have cat wedged under the y-pipe.....they'll usually start hissing like that when they get heated up....

 

If you know what I did to get the car, what I've done to my car, what it's been through, and that I *still* have the car, I'd already say it's a whole lot more than what you've probably done. Don't tell me I don't be in an f-body. whine, whine. I don't think it's too much to ask after all that, to have a properly running car that doesn't make irregular, unnatural noises underhood.

As for the others, thanks for the replies. Is it possible aleaking intake manifold could cause this hiss? I have tiny bits of oil trickling down the back..

sluggoz28: time to find that cat and gut it

 

have you checked to see if your intake elbow is ripped/cracked? What about the throttle body? It sounds like something on the intake tract.

*edit*
glad to hear you finally got the car back

 

my vacuum line going to my pcv valve was cracked an hissing once.

 

my intake elbow was ripped, put on a trick flow elbow and it made an amazing difference

 

damn man! I used to have the same prob... untill I hacked off my muffler! On the serious side, try running this stuff called CD2. There is a 2 types of CD2 bottles, the first is the "stop oil leak" and the second is for "quieting components in the cylinder heads". They are added to the oil and worked fine for me for both the oil leak and the noises. They claim to recondition shrunk seals caused by heat and pressure. I still get a clicking from somewhere ( I think its my injectors, but I'm changing them in a couple of days). Try it, its like $2.99 a bottle, you can't go wrong!

 

Does this stuff really work for oil leaks, how about an oil pan gasket leak at the front lip? I will give it a try if so and if I can find out where to buy.

Mineralwater, have u had any luck yet?

 

Bearings gone in the alternator or ideler maby??

 

Still have your air pump? Maybe one of it's lines are cracked?

 

 

haha, quick to judge and tell people how to drive, I see.

I hardly do 4th in 20mph, i just listed that as an example - higher the load, louder the hiss.

No luck yet guys, I recently fixed an exhaust leak and a large vacuum leak, and the car runs much better, but it still hisses under load pretty badly. I'm starting to think its just how the combination of 1.6RRs and MAC headers sound.