Monday, June 29, 2020

Finally Diagnosing the Mystery of the Whistling Howling Noise LOUD at 70 mph

So obviously I've always been anti-mechanical but cars are interesting in that I didn't realize how important LISTENING is to diagnosing car problems, etc. Here were some tentative causes of the car whistling howling noise sound that I needed to ponder:

1) loose seals around dash air intake (why would only hear at 55 and over mph?)
2) Loose bolts around exhaust manifold or intake manifold (would hear at start up - so test this but I hear nothing)
3) Loose air intake tubing (under the air intake cover) - would hear at any speed?
4) front differential seals are dry (so rubber is rubbing on metal - getting louder at high speed - seal is all dried out).
So I spent most of the day thinking it could be one of the above mysterious Sounds but our new mechanic had claimed the sound was just "loose insulation." So that then brought up the 
5) fan motor - that can get insulation in it. 
But this mysterious whistling howling sound is not just when the fan is on....It's ALL the time at higher speeds.
So finally I discovered what I really thought was the problem. A truck threw a rock at the windshield - last fall - in late fall - and so I didn't drive it much since it was winter. So I didn't really notice the sound since I was not driving on the interstate. The sound is not really loud until after 60 mph. So I didn't notice the sound till the next spring. So that made me think maybe it was the windshield somehow - but I could not believe it yet. So first I had to rule out the below other sounds:
 6)  Idler Pulley whining noise
7) power steering pump
8) transmission
9) water pump
OK I didn't rule out water pump. (water pump noise vid link)  But again this sound is not at start up or idle. It's only once at least 55 mph is achieved....
Oh yeah - so then I had to consider and rule out:
10) crossbars on the roof rack.
 FINALLY I found this vid.
THIS is the sound!!  (video link)

So I had suspected that was the sound when I found these comments about the same car we have:
"hears a high pitched whistling noise at 70 mph +. ...
I just found out that my [replacement] windshield is not OEM. [original engineered manufacturing] I'm taping around the windshield to see if it wasn't sealed good enough."
Just like solving a good real mystery - it suddenly made sense.

 So I just gorilla glued the driver's door Seal back into the hood. I'm hoping that helps with the sound problem. But if not then I will put silicone along the moulding gasket of the windshield - AFTER I do a "tape test."

So the noise started from the new windshield since it is not OEM (original engineered manufacturing). But that driver's door seal got even more loose - so it might be a combination situation. I did check the moulding along the windshield exterior A-pillar and sure enough - it is loose along the bottom. I found this confirming comment:

wind or whistle-type noise from the left and/or right A-pillar area at highway speeds in crosswind conditions.

This may be due to the exterior A-pillar window moulding rocking or not being fully seated.

So both the Ford and Toyota had actual service bulletins for this windshield moulding seal whistle noise!! Amazing!!

What is amazing is that people bring their cars to the mechanic - like I did - and he says - "oh it's probably just loose insulation" - and when it is actually about fixing the problem then suddenly the sound gets very serious - what's REALLY causing it? So instead of asking a mechanic to try to diagnose it - I just watched TONS of youtube virtual reality videos - to hone in on different car sounds. It took me a long time but perseverance pays off!

So obviously I have not tested my diagnosis yet - but all the circumstantial evidence points to it being correct. I literally could ONLY find that ONE video that captured the sound. The cause fit the cause of the windshield being changed. It all makes sense - I saw the moulding is low.

Here's a final great comment someone made that nails the experience:
Wind noise in both lower corners [of A-pillars] over 50 mph, at 65 [mph] gets plain old annoyingly LOUD.
 So when I read that - suddenly it started making sense - and the rest of the evidence slowly built up.

This is great news since it's a lot less serious than all the other potential sound sources.


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