Low RPM Ruckus. plus a neat thing.

"HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles" (hondasfordsvolvo)
07/20/2015 at 21:26 • Filed to: None

So my 1991 Galant VR-4 has a rather rough, low(5-800rpm) ideal when cold, but typically once it warms up it’ll ideal happily at 10-1100rpm. But what worries me more than that is the noise it makes.

To me the oddest part is that the sound almost disappears at about 2100rpm. It goes from sounding like death to sounding pretty nice. And then it hits boost it sounds like smiles and sunshine, and everything good in the world.

So i took a quite video of the noise. Let me know what you think.

Bonus: I found a neat feature on my car. I was driving for the first tiem since I got the brakes fixed, and I looked down and saw a little thing in the corner of the gauge cluster that said “color change” I pressed it and my exact recation was “That’s so RAD!”. I am however going to keep it green.

DISCUSSION (11)

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
07/20/2015 at 21:35

I don’t know if there’s a project car on Oppo that I’m more jealous of than your VR4. They’re such cool cars, you never see them. 4G63 all the things.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
07/20/2015 at 21:42

your description of the sound had me thinking “oh, crapknockers, rod-knock!” But your video and the accompanying audio makes me think accessory. Does it change when you steer (power steering pump) or turn on the lights (alternator) or A/C (compressor)? It sounds like a bad ball bearing somewhere, (almost exactly like a failing CPU cooling fan) ... Have you checked your turbo bearings? Are all your spark plugs in tight? It could be a pin-hole exhaust leak too... It’s kinda hard to tell on my phone speaker...

MM54 > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
07/20/2015 at 21:50

It’s weird. It could be a function of the audio quality but I’m really not sure what it is. The clatter almost sounds like a blown-to-hell timing chain/guides or something but it disappears like magic a little over 2 grand.

I’m not sure what to tell you other than take a piece of hose and your ear, and try to pinpoint where the noise is coming from.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
07/20/2015 at 21:55

I’m going to start with the accessory belts. not sure if current draw make it change. But steering makes the rpms drop(more than normal) so it could be excess drag in the p/s pump.

A member on the GVR4 forums suggested T belt rubbing, but that t belt is 5 years old I, and that seems like something that would show soon after installation.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
07/20/2015 at 22:01

how long since the engine was run? The timing belt could be “flat spotted” that’s not the right term, but you know what I mean... When a rubber thing (like a tire) sits in one position for a long time it takes on that shape and is slow to return to round/flexible/whatever... That might make it rub against a cover, or make the tensioner vibrate... Maybe?

but that idle drop with steering could very well be indicative of a power steering pump that’s not happy.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
07/20/2015 at 22:02

Well there is only 2000 or so of them left in the U.S. I just hope I can restore mine. Or at least make it run properly.

It is a weird car tho. Most people have no idea it’s anything other than a beat up 90 something Japanese economy car, because that’s what it looks like, to the untrained eye. To a car guy the projector fogs, should be enough to suggest it’s more than your average Sentra.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
07/20/2015 at 22:08

That t bel theory seems logical. They let it sit every winter, and ran it at least once a week in the summer we had a short winter so IDK if it sat for 3 months or 6. It’s not like it’s gonna take a lot to check it out, it’ll be a bitch to replace it if I have to though.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
07/20/2015 at 22:45

Exaust leak? Pft, pft, pft, pft, then when at higher rpm is just one big PPPPPFFFFFTTTTTT so you don’t hear it as much? I’m always game for these mystery diagnosis.

HoorayDisplayNamesAndSuch > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
07/20/2015 at 23:27

Made a Kinja account just to post. :) Check the crank pulley/harmonic damper. It can make a low RPM clunking/clanking sound that goes away at higher revs. Happened to me. (Mine was a bit more metallic sounding but had a similar behavior of going away with revs) The rubber dry rots. It is a common early 4G63 problem but a relatively cheap fix. Be carefull though because if it flys apart at high RPM it can take out whatever is near it.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
07/20/2015 at 23:39

Yeah, I mean you never see the things. Granted, that's becoming true more and more of 80s and 90s cars, but you used to see Galants in general regularly...now I'll see one of those maybe every other month, and not even VR4s.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > HoorayDisplayNamesAndSuch
07/21/2015 at 00:20

That would make since. wouldn’t be the first rubber part I’ve had to replace on this 25 year old Mitsu.