eggynatey

I checked the FAQ and searched, but I haven't seen this problem...
I just installed an ebay intake on my P5. It looks great but I do hear something weird under the battery tray or below the wiper motor. It's a ticking sound, about three ticks per second, only when I take off while the r's are low. It's not the Master Cylinder, it doesn't seem to be the intake at all. The reason this is an intake question is because it started making this noise as soon as I installed the intake.
I realize it's an ebay intake and not everyone agrees with putting one on their car, but I've never heard of this problem and other than this one issue I'm really happy with the intake.
Has anyone ever had this problem or know what this may be?

Mach 1

No, I dont know what it is, but Im willing to bet that you will be able to figure it out a lot faster than somebody else who you are talking to on the internet by simply looking closly at the intake and inspecting it everywhere for rubbing, when the motor is running, and when its not running. Rev it up with the hood open until you find the source of the noise.

good luck

eggynatey

I understand what you're saying, and I wouldn't ask if I didn't look/listen around in there first. I was just hoping that someone else might be familiar with this tapping noise and know what I was talking about.
It is definately NOT the intake rubbing or touching anything. I was pretty neurotic about that. I was thinking that the intake has a bracket-- it goes from the battery tray to the MAF unit-- to hold the end of the intake in place. I dunno if there's something under the battery tray that could be rattling from the vibration of the intake, or what. The sound seems to be coming from there, but you can't SEE under there.

Mach 1

Remove the battery tray and take a look........

ZiO

I know what you are talking about... it sounds like a little pump, right. I can hear it with my stock airbox, but i heard it easier when i installed an intake... i cant remember what was concluded before.. maybe that sirnuke knows what this is... i cant remember, but it is nothing to worry about. It is something that our cars do apparently.

eggynatey

Thanks, ZIO.
THATS what I was hoping to hear!
I'd like to take the battery&tray out and poke around down there, but with the battery out, I can't start the car and reproduce the noise.
Sir Nuke! Throw me a bone. Do you agree that this tapping/clicking noise is normal? Thanks again.

chdesign

The clicking noise you hear is a pump. It is a small pump that pumps excess fumes out from behind the throttle body into the carbon canister. If you look on the back of your TB in the rear of it you will see a vacuum line the pump is the little solenoid looking thing that used to reside on the intake piping or that still does if you have a stock intake in place.

eggynatey

Thanks a lot. I'm feeling more and more enlightened....
So... Are you talking about the thing with the metal "tongue" that slips into the rubber part of the stock intake? I noticed on the installation instructions that it mentioned to make sure that pump/thing/noisemaker faces forward and stays level. (I'm using really technical terms,I know ) Maybe I can use some more zip-ties to hold it in place better.

ZiO

Can anyone explain why that has to sit level and forwrd????? i am just curious, cause my intake did not come w/ instructions so i basically 'put it to the side' w/ zip ties.........

eggynatey

I just went out and checked it out, it was definately that pump.
I wrapped some tape around it to muffel the noise, and It worked like a charm. Which leads to my next question. Is it OK to cover it up, or does it need to breathe?
I don't know why, or even if, it matters that it's level and facing forward. I was just really trying to follow the directions to a "t".
(check out the "how-to" section to read the instructions that came with my intake.)

EDIT ---I just took my own advice and re-read the instructions, and it says "purge solenoid must be facing upright" not "level and facing forward" like I thought. Sorry if I scared anyone!

Toru

Isn't that the "purge solenoid" or somesuch thing?

When I put my Ractive in, I cut the breather hose to a reasonable length, took a piece of leftover silicone tube and slipped it over the metal mounting "tongue" on the solenoid and zip-tied the thing to the breather hose at the point where it goes over the breather inlet tube on the back half on the intake.



So it's near where it started out.

And I have never heard a noise from it. Of course, I may just may not notice it?

eggynatey

That's the culprit, and you're choice of places to mount the thing is killer! Way better than hanging from the strut -brace like my hill-billy job. I'm gonna go outside and change mine right now...

Bijou-MP5

Oh...same problem here, I just installed my ebay intake, but when i'm at the parking mode i hear some noise. I didn't tie up the thing in the picture. I suppose tie that thing up to reduce the noise? because I thought it wasn't that big of deal but I guess I was wrong. correct me if 'i'm wrong guys.

eggynatey

I also used the extra bit of hose that came with my intake, slipped it onto the metal "tongue" and zip-tied it to the intake, and the noise went away instantly. I even took my tape/muffler off!

Toru

Glad that it helped!