Waste Gate Rattle Noise

[cryptolime]

it’s all been tried trust me. This has been a thing since fk8.

just figured i'd ask before i mess with something i shouldn't

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[fredzy]

Just got my car this week and read about this the week before. Last night it occurred to me to listen for it. Put my windows down and I about laughed out loud when I heard it.

I tried 2 different fixes and neither helped much. First was a weight, made it deeper in tone but still there. Second was spring. Seemed to take the edge off but still there. I can live with it but yeah it’s bonkers. Could maybe try a beefier spring, that’s all I had laying around.

 

[optronix]

I have to say that now at 3500 miles, I don't notice it nearly as much anymore. Could be psychosis, could just be quieter.

It is still there, I just have to actively think about it to notice it.

 

[CTRifecta]

I also used to get annoyed with it at first, but 7k miles later I'm used to it. I definitely drive with my window up more because of it. Also I'll just shift into a higher gear now when coasting/decelerating.

 

[ThanksGTA]

Could just be me, but I feel like mine rattles until the engine is warm and then I don’t notice it as much. Usually most prominent right as I’m leaving my neighborhood.

 

[Gansan]

Thanks for confirming this isn't unique to my car. I agree with @optronix, whether others experience this or not, it's certainly annoying in an otherwise great driving experience. I'm curious are there any FL5s that don't exhibit this noise with the windows down (wondering if this is 100% or 25% of cars)?

I've only owned NA engines prior so this was a surprise. This noise is akin to hearing a pebble scrape your rotor all around town. Is there a technical reason electronic wastegate would need to make this high pitch rattle noise? Why doesn't Honda design this characteristic out?

Just my thoughts, but when you're trying to mechanically manipulate something that's super red hot metal, you don't have a lot of choice of connection methods from the actuator to the wastegate. Any kind of rubber or plastic that would normally provide a soft and quiet mechanical connection is out, it would burn up at those temps. You end up with a metal on metal connection that needs some play or else there's too much friction. The parts end up being intentionally loose and can vibrate.

The spring idea is a good one but it would increase the wear of the connection since you're putting pressure on it.

 

[fredzy]

Just my thoughts, but when you're trying to mechanically manipulate something that's super red hot metal, you don't have a lot of choice of connection methods from the actuator to the wastegate. Any kind of rubber or plastic that would normally provide a soft and quiet mechanical connection is out, it would burn up at those temps. You end up with a metal on metal connection that needs some play or else there's too much friction. The parts end up being intentionally loose and can vibrate.

The spring idea is a good one but it would increase the wear of the connection since you're putting pressure on it.

Yeah absolutely, anything in that spot has to be very high temp resistant. The spring fix would be perfect if it worked. I found another spring that was about at the limit of how stiff I was comfortable going considering I don't know the exact stroke it has to handle. It was a more clear improvement but the rattle is still there. I'm gonna yank that jank as soon as it cools down and live with it, lol

I get your point about wear but I bet it would be better off under spring pressure than left rattling. Loose metal on metal + high frequency vibration = disintegration. Anyhow probably negligible either way.

I also used to get annoyed with it at first, but 7k miles later I'm used to it. I definitely drive with my window up more because of it. Also I'll just shift into a higher gear now when coasting/decelerating.

I think for me the rattle will be a sort of efficiency booster. Always encouraging to keep revs low ??

 

[cryptolime]

I did a pull in 1st gear a couple weeks ago and hit the limiter. didn't mean to do that but engine is broken in so shouldn't be a problem. but i realized ever since i did that, my wastegate rattle has disappeared. no more noise!

maybe it just needed to see the entire RPM range to self-calibrate properly.

 

[Shankmeyster]

Mine comes on around 2.5k and hits peak at 3k rpm, then it will also start to do it as you push the clutch in and fade out as you upshift.

 

[xspeedy]

Wastegate rattle has been a thing for so long. Had it on my 07 335i with the N54. Again with an F-150 with the 3.5EB and now I’m hearing about this. Why hasn’t anyone over a decade and a half been able to stop a wastegate from rattling?

 

[Jester04]

Wastegate rattle has been a thing for so long. Had it on my 07 335i with the N54. Again with an F-150 with the 3.5EB and now I’m hearing about this. Why hasn’t anyone over a decade and a half been able to stop a wastegate from rattling?

Its the way its designed, no work around on it unless you make everything rigid.

 

[PointByPatrol]

Ya'll driving around listening to light piano music?

 

[Clark_Kent]

Ya'll driving around listening to light piano music?

I understand people have different tolerances for everything, but the infamous wastegate rattle is an item that has been sensationalized on the forums. I didn't notice it until I read about it here and even then I had to actively listen for it. And when I heard it, it was a relatively faint mechanical "rattle" that can only be produced under certain conditions. I rarely drive with the windows down and I'm either on a call, listening to a podcast, or music is playing. It's not something I ever think about.

 

[PointByPatrol]

I understand people have different tolerances for everything, but the infamous wastegate rattle is an item that has been sensationalized on the forums. I didn't notice it until I read about it here and even then I had to actively listen for it. And when I heard it, it was a relatively faint mechanical "rattle" that can only be produced under certain conditions. I rarely drive with the windows down and I'm either on a call, listening to a podcast, or music is playing. It's not something I ever think about.

I've never heard it. Definitely not going to watch the video, because then I will hear it, and then I'll be doomed to hear nothing but it. Gateway drug to insanity ??

 

[optronix]

I understand people have different tolerances for everything, but the infamous wastegate rattle is an item that has been sensationalized on the forums. I didn't notice it until I read about it here and even then I had to actively listen for it. And when I heard it, it was a relatively faint mechanical "rattle" that can only be produced under certain conditions. I rarely drive with the windows down and I'm either on a call, listening to a podcast, or music is playing. It's not something I ever think about.

I've made the suggestion previously that the volume is louder for some than it is for others.

Also to my experience it was very noticeable in the first thousand miles or so; music, on a call, windows up or down it was there and it drove me nuts. However, it has appeared to be almost completely eliminated over time and I can't remember the last time I noticed it.

But I won't assume that this will be the case for everyone. It isn't very useful to be dismissive of it- it clearly bothers a substantial amount of owners. Hopefully it goes away for everyone eventually; perhaps there is some truth to operating in the higher rev ranges because I also had a fair amount of track-type driving that correlated with the timing the noise started to go away. Not suggesting it's a fix, but it's worth noting.

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