Technical 4x4 TA (85hp) Engine sound ASMR - "grass hopper" noise?

[daquirm]

Fellow TA owners and former owners, please lend me your ears

I am trying to figure out if my car's engine sounds like a normal TA, or I should investigate this engine noise(?):

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I took the first recording right after I started the engine, and just let it idle for 20-30 seconds (maybe a little more before I started recording). Up until about 8 seconds in, you can hear a "grass hopper" sound, I could also describe it like you put a tiny piece of metal between the spokes of a bike. The sound disappears on its own right when I move the camera away and back.

In the second video, I tried to reproduce the sound by pushing the throttle pedal and gently revving the engine. The sound I am talking about can be heard at 11s, 15s, 22s, 28s.

I do not know if this related at all, but the 500 TA has/had a rattling noise issue too (unfortunately, the engine sound was not recorded in the video, so ):

 

[Big gerry]

Hi to my untrained ear it sounds just the same as mine as you no when the engine gets warm it gets a wee bit quieter but that’s one of the reasons why I like the TA it sounds total unic to anything else

 

[daquirm]

Hi to my untrained ear it sounds just the same as mine as you no when the engine gets warm it gets a wee bit quieter but that’s one of the reasons why I like the TA it sounds total unic to anything else

Thank you for your response. However, I am not referring to the character of the engine sound (I have no problem with that), but rather a metallic scraping noise that occurs when the engine idles at startup or when I rev the engine (second half of the second video). The scraping sound is intermittent, not continuous. That is why I noticed it - so it is not a simple tone shift.

 

[Big gerry]

Thank you for your response. However, I am not referring to the character of the engine sound (I have no problem with that), but rather a metallic scraping noise that occurs when the engine idles at startup or when I rev the engine (second half of the second video). The scraping sound is intermittent, not continuous. That is why I noticed it - so it is not a simple tone shift.

To me I hear the noise you can hear it sounds that something might be loose that engine sounds a good strong engine

 

[daquirm]

To me I hear the noise you can hear it sounds that something might be loose that engine sounds a good strong engine

Hopefully, it is just some minor issue. I will try to investigate it during the next week. Wish me luck

 

[Panda IIs]

Hopefully, it is just some minor issue. I will try to investigate it during the next week. Wish me luck

Just some thoughts/observations.

I think I hear the noise that's bothering you; my, equally(?) untrained ear suggests to me that it is a rattle rather than anything rotating (which I think would bother me more).

I have a 2013 TA (4x4) and it has various (idiosyncratic?) rattles as you rev it through the range (as things find their resonant frequency and rattle a bit more) none that have manifested themselves as anything dramatic over the years in my ownership.

I did have a, kind of, similar rattle on my Volvo 940. Closer inspection revealed the turbo wastegate linkage was loose. Now turboed TA's have a potential issue with wear on the associated wastegate linkage (there are some threads on here) but I'm not sure if what you are hearing is associated with that??

 

[daquirm]

I did have a, kind of, similar rattle on my Volvo 940. Closer inspection revealed the turbo wastegate linkage was loose. Now turboed TA's have a potential issue with wear on the associated wastegate linkage (there are some threads on here) but I'm not sure if what you are hearing is associated with that??

Unfortunately, I cannot find any videos with audio recordings of the wastegate linkage issue, so I cannot compare...

 

[Panda IIs]

Unfortunately, I cannot find any videos with audio recordings of the wastegate linkage issue, so I cannot compare...

Indeed not, but perhaps you can secure the linkage by holding it with pliers or the like..? Just to eliminate it as a possibility?

 

[daquirm]

Indeed not, but perhaps you can secure the linkage by holding it with pliers or the like..? Just to eliminate it as a possibility?

Oh, right! I guess it is safe to do while the engine is idling and not under load. The thing is though, it is not as easy to access the wastegate actuator rod without removing the engine cover and the shielding. It is more accessible on a 500, based on the videos on YouTube. Panda below:

 

[Panda IIs]

Oh, right! I guess it is safe to do while the engine is idling and not under load. The thing is though, it is not as easy to access the wastegate actuator rod without removing the engine cover and the shielding. It is more accessible on a 500, based on the videos on YouTube. Panda below:

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Ah yes, it is easy to come up with untried solutions as a keyboard warrior! I made the suggestion without access to my TA, on the Volvo you can almost stand in the engine bay - so much access!

However, with the benefit of your great photo could you not thread a piece of wire around the actuator rod and apply some tension (I guess via a bungee if working alone) while you retreat to apply some revs??

 

[Vic20]

Ahh, brings back memories! Sounds normal to me.