Engine Noise, please listen

well it did this once after a long trip in stop and go traffic...changed oil and went to synthetic, went away for about a week.

Again, stuck in traffic today and it started up again....seems to do only when hot and at idle...when you rev it up it goes away

sounds like something is not getting enough oil to me, cause when you turn it off it kinda almost sounds like it screeches to a halt if you know what i mean.

its kinda constant, but also erratic, like i said it only makes this noise when hot and in stop & go traffic. turn off the bike and let it cool down, (15 min) fire it up, no noise


whats your all's thoughts?

That's not something I've heard before, and would certainly be cause for concern.

Did it ever make that noise before you installed the turbo unit?

(for those not in the know - an MFab turbo kit was installed, used, then uninstalled recently on this bike)

Can you tell whether it's coming from the top end or bottom end of the engine?

Something with the starter drive?

The way it whistles to a stop suggests an air leak somewhere. Is it running badly at all or just making the noise? Check the valve cover for cracks, could be an oil issue too particularly if it went away briefly with an oil change. Check the coolant for oil and oil for coolant. What weight oil did you put in it?

Intake, perhaps? Being you did have the turbo on there, something might not be fully sealed like Dave mentioned. Airbox? Header flange cocked a bit?

SheWolf wrote:

Intake, perhaps? Being you did have the turbo on there, something might not be fully sealed like Dave mentioned. Airbox? Header flange cocked a bit?

Great minds......??????

Exactly!

My dads bike makes that noise, intermitent just like yours as well. Doesnt seem to be affecting anything, and hes only got 800 miles on the bike. Completely stock. I will let you know if we find anything we are about to tear his down for all the usual mods and oil change.

came to work this am, no noise what so ever, purrs like a kitten. my bro asked if the coolant fan was coming on at all, and i dont recall ever hearing it turn on.

intake boot is all tight and seated properly. the whistling sound is more a metallic sound, probably cause of the camera it sounds like that.

going to test the coolant fan this afternoon. anyone know of a different coolant temp switch that triggers the fan sooner?

thank you for your input, i'll keep this updated

Im running 5w30 full synthetic, oil filter and oil where fairly clean and no noticeable shavings or sparkly things in them either

Try running a heavier weight oil. Its warm in Hawaii, Yamaha wants _w40 in warm weather for these motors.

Really hard to tell from the audio....but it sounds a bit like an exhaust pipe or header pipe squeek. I would suggest taking a mechanics stethoscope and probing around to see if you can find the source. Maybe try putting some pressure on the exhaust pipes with a screwdriver while its happening to see if that makes any difference. Just a thought.

A good rule of thumb is: Mechanical problems never get better, always worse
So that means noises that come and go are not connecting rod problems for example
I'm guessing that this is a cam chain noise
I don't know how this tensioner works but if you read the service manual you should be able to find removal procedure see how to lock it for installation, that way you could pull it out and see if it's working properly
Make it's sticky and won't adjust or slipping back and forth

I'll try the pressure on the exhuast too if the noise comes back, but why wouldnt it do it at start up too?

going to change the oil again this afternoon and go from 5w30 to 10W60 bmw motorsport oil.

timing chain noise would be pretty regular sounding too i would think...

so is the sensor on the back of the head by the throttle body the one that controls the radiator fan?

If you take a really long screw driver and put it up to your ear you can move around the motor and listen. You will certainly find the area of the noise to help you narrow things down.. Before you laugh try it.. We use it on solid lifter chevy motors to hear the valve clearance. You can hear each valve as you move down the line.

Easiest way to check for exhaust leak is to plug the muffler outlet, it should stall real quick, have someone plug it partially and listen at the head for a leak, it could be a chirp from a leak
Cam chan tensioners don't often completely fail, they become intermittent and the noise will come and go
Thin oil won't cause significant knocking, there could be a change in sound for sure but it won't go from "holy crap that's loud" to "wow that's quiet"

did you put high temp silicone in where your header meets the pipe?
maybe it is time to redo it, I have had to redo mine once so far.

update:

changed oil, took out paper filter and used yamaha one which is fine mesh style. filled with 10/40 oil, pulled valve cover and cam lobes look perfect, plenty of oil up in the top end, cam chain had tension to it. spark plug looks nice and golden color..

fired it up, let her run til the the chirppy/squeally noise came, rad fan kicked on, reved it up to 2-3k rpm, noise goes away.....drop to idle it sounds like the video..turn it off sounds like it screetches to a stop....

pulled clutch in and out in neutral, no difference in noise, put in gear, clutch in non change, she still squeals....


i f-in stumped, maybe a piston ring im thinking now.....

took exhaust off and re-installed, will see if that makes any diff tom going to work.

usgpru27 wrote:

If you take a really long screw driver and put it up to your ear you can move around the motor and listen. You will certainly find the area of the noise to help you narrow things down.. Before you laugh try it.. We use it on solid lifter chevy motors to hear the valve clearance. You can hear each valve as you move down the line.

sheeeeeeeeaaaat, didnt think of that one, yea we used that method on my jet boat once out on the water, had to adjust the same four valves 3 times in a hour....came to find out half way back to the dock, the cam whipped two lobes and would not restart...Roger, putting my trusty 12" craftsman #3 phillips in the backpack for the ride to work

little squirt wrote:

...took out paper filter and used yamaha one which is fine mesh style...

Steel mesh oil filter element?
What's the part number on the box for that oil filter?
Should start 5D3-

Trouble shooting on the internet is iffy at best--especially for sounds. That said--your noise does not sound regular enough to be an internal engine issue--at least in my opinion. Given what you have said--not present cold--appears hot indicates that expansion is at work. From the sound--to me--it appears to be a vibration issue caused by two pieces of metal chaffing together and then only when one or both expands due to engine heat and they make contact then the engine vibration at idle is sufficient to produce the squeak.
I would go for a piece of rubber tubing or piece of water hose and see if I could isolate the source. I would susspect that one of your mods--such as the exhause is the source most likely in the mounting hardware or making contact with frame parts.
My process is always KISS don't go complex internal engine until all simple explanations have been explored and eliminated. Good Luck.

Akasy wrote:

Trouble shooting on the internet is iffy at best--especially for sounds. That said--your noise does not sound regular enough to be an internal engine issue--at least in my opinion. Given what you have said--not present cold--appears hot indicates that expansion is at work. From the sound--to me--it appears to be a vibration issue caused by two pieces of metal chaffing together and then only when one or both expands due to engine heat and they make contact then the engine vibration at idle is sufficient to produce the squeak.
I would go for a piece of rubber tubing or piece of water hose and see if I could isolate the source. I would susspect that one of your mods--such as the exhause is the source most likely in the mounting hardware or making contact with frame parts.
My process is always KISS don't go complex internal engine until all simple explanations have been explored and eliminated. Good Luck.

That's good advice! Another member here had a DRZ that made a similar noise. He suspected all sorts of engine issues. In the end it turned out to be his exhaust was rubbing on something.

yeah, Trav is talking about me. I had a dinger with the DRZ one day. later that day I had noticed it was making a new chirping sound that I knew was not there before. The way it had sounded, it was coming from underneath the has tank..head area. So, after some internet questioning, I was thinking oil starvation to the head. Before I tore into it, I wanted to make a video so people could hear the noise. I had the wife run the gopro while I was revving the motor. She had noticed, while filming, it looked like a bolt in the rear passenger peg mount was rubbing against the exhaust. Sure enough it was. I had fallen on the right side and it must have adjusted the exhaust pipe location. It reverberated through the pipe and made it sound to me like it was from the engine. Took out the bolt and noise was gone.

She is actually pretty good at diagnosing the simple stuff. I had a GSXR 600 track bike and was having what I thought was a fuel pump issue. I'd lift the tank( pivots up on hinge), and the bike would rev fine. I'd put it back down in normal position, and motor would not rev much past 2K. I had her helping me one day..and she saw what was going on..and asked this simple question: " Is that hose supposed to get pinched like that?" Damn fuel line was crimping every time I put the tank down. Always the simple stuff.

I recently did the first oil change on my WRR..put everything back together and took it around the block( with out my helmet on). Heard this awful noise...what the hell is that?? Having sen posts about it, I already suspected the skid plate. I took it off real quick and went around the block again..noise gone. The noise was always there, I just did not normally hear it with helmet on. Again, simple stuff.

Good luck diagnosing your issues.

very true, i always seem to jump to conclusions and expect the worse.....have the stock exhaust at home, going to throw that back on and take her for a spin....

question, what do i do with the exup flapper in the stock pipe now that i have the graves relay in there? cut it out of the pipe? not worry about it for just the test ride? thanks