Need help. Whine inside cabin

B6/7 S4/RS4
#1

Ok, so quick update, we installed the JHM intake manifold, spacers and Aux radiator and oil cooler over the weekend. Its running now. However i have a whine that is associated with my RPM’s. If i rev the car up the whine goes with it.

You cant really hear it from outside. You only hear it in the cabin OR if you put your head down by the passenger front wheel area. When driving its very noticeable when im coasting/decelerating from speed. It actually sounds like a failing pump of some sort, BUT i cant figure out where or what it would be. Again if your outside you dont hear it. Its coming from the Aux radiator area that i removed. I initially thought it was the new oil cooler and the sound of the oil circulating but JHM says it doesnt make noise.

The car seems to be running fine (other than my previous issue of 02 sensor and rough idle when cold). My buddy thinks it could have been vibrations from the thermostat hitting the new JHM bracket. We put some rubber between the two (couldnt start the car because we broke the upper coolant hose last night so i have to replace it.

Im leaving for QDM tomorrow morning so if its not the vibrations from the thermostat and bracket i want to know what i should look at before leaving. ill try and upload a video in a bit.

#2

Here is a link to a video i took while driving.

https://youtu.be/8WhPP8SKjD4

#3

Make sure it isn’t your speakers first.

#4

Euro i dont think its the speakers because yesterday im pretty sure i could hear it around the passenger wheel and if i open the hood and put my head down on top of the intake snorkel i feel like i heard it as well. (just very faint)

I will go check when i get out of work though at the speakers. I just find it kind of wierd that the speakers would all of sudden do that when it was never an issue before and i didnt mess with anything speaker related.

#5

i don’t think its the speakers, transmission? but you didn’t tinker with that

#6

We did put the car in service position but the only thing changed are the intake manifold, spacers, TB, and Aux radiator delete the oil coolers.

I didnt have this whine/hum beforehand. I first thought maybe the belt and tensioner (maybe put it on wrong?) but wouldnt that be audible up front? This sound appears to be coming from in front of the passenger footwell area.

Again to me is sound alot like a failing power steering pump when you turn it and you hear the pump making noise. However my issues is that you hear this and it is associated with the RPM’s.

#7

Would the fuel filter or pump be making this noise?

#8

That’s strange. It does not sound like my fuel filter did, I don’t think my filter whined so in sync with the RPM. Also if you get down on the passenger side kind of between the front and rear door it would be very obvious if it was in fact the filter.

Not sure what a failing fuel pump would sound like. It does sound an awful lot like a power steering whine lol but that wouldn’t really make sense if it’s on passenger side and you’re not turning. So maybe it is the fuel pump ??? That would be louder towards the rear.

Since it seems coupled with the RPM would seem to indicate something driven off the chains or acc belt. Does it whine when revving in park or only when moving?

Maybe you lost pressure or have too much fluid in one of the systems (oil/coolant/PS/trans) if you deleted aux radiators/coolers and are running one of the pumps off it’s curve.

#9

Fold down the back seats and see if you can hear it louder then

#10

Is the fuel pump mechanical on this engine? I didn’t think it was DI. If its not and it only a low pressure pump in the tank it can’t be the fuel as it would change noise that is related to engine rpm.

#11

Check you PS fluid level

The fuel pump is electric, it wouldn’t whine with the RPMs

Could be a vacuum leak still, how is idle. I’d check the fluids and drive it to see if you get a cel

#12

I’m thinking its vacuum related too. Did a line get pinched, pulled, or damaged maybe?

#13

Ok small update, i did have a vacuum leak and will update a serious issue i had when i get the chance to try and solve the issue with my seller.

BUT it is not he power steering fluid. I did have a vacuum leak and after the smoke test im not leaking and this is still whining. Ive noticed that it is right around the passenger wheel well and in front of the passenger dash. It almost in the area where the aux radiator i deleted was. It whines with the RPM’s and after driving the car hard sound very bad.

The car is driving as is has been other than the whine. We are gonna look at it again as i appear to have a small oil leak from the JHM blockoff plate area (hoping this is causing the noise).

Will update

#14

Could use some help. The whine is still present. Im beginning to wonder if its my alternator and/or tensioner. Im not sure what else would cause the whine. Its loudest when sitting in the car with the windows up. It can be heard outside of you put your head around the passenger wheel well area.

I have the JHM 6 rib but i dont have he auto tensioner. Possible that its the tensioner? The noise is driving me insane because we cant figure it out.

#15

I won’t read the whole thread, but if you don’t seat the manifold perfectly, and dont tighten it down properly, it can result in a whistle. Not sure if it’s that, but it would be pretty obvious so I assume this isn’t it. But just in case.

also there was a TSB about B67 S4s manifold bolts backing out.

Go log your car maybe and see how it is running. If you want help on that use beemercer’s how to, and then post your log to audilogs.com (I think that’s mistro’s page…PM him for help if need be). We can see how fast your car is vs. other cars we’ve logged.

#16

A bad idler pulley or incorrectly torqued tensioner will create a whine

#17

Yes this.

#18

Yup, bad idler pulley will sound like a slide whistle while you’re driving. Ran into this issue shortly after purchasing my car.

#19

That sounds similar to the whine I have after I installed my Forge oil cooler on my RS, although your’s is a lot worse. I have not resolved it yet. Been told it is resonance in the system, but it sounds isolated to the lower passenger side as well, where the oil lines connect to the engine. Will be looking further into it late July.

#20

Not going to be much help besides to tell you that you’re not alone. I’ve had this for a while now. It started after a brake job I did, so I thought could be related to some air in the hydraulic system. I tried re-bleeding the brakes and was not able to get rid of it. Did you mess with your hydraulic system at all when you did all this work on your car?

I also have the JHM IM, but that was installed for a while before the whine started. I’ve also re-torqued my IM bolts and that didn’t help. It’s very strange that you can’t hear it from the engine bay but you can from the inside of the car. Also, to add to the mystery, mine is more audible some days then it is others.