"Cleaned up" sound file of strange car noise

Hi.

I tried to clean up that recording that I made of the sound the
Hyundai car was giving off (see my last thread):
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=a1be8fd0d9fda946d2db6fb9a8902bda

Th first bit you hear (before the pause) is uncleaned, then the second
is the cleaned up part. It might have distorted the sound a little, so
you might want to listen to the first one a few times until you hear
it and compare. I also cropped it so the sound is present through the
entire time when you can hear something (i.e. excluding the pause
between the two versions).

Can you hear it better now?

 

No.

I downloaded your "improved" clip, doubled the volume again, and cut out the
first part so it just loops over and over and over. It sounds like someone sat
a microphone on a running engine. Other than that, I can not make out any
specific (or even vaguely identifiable) noise.

Our brains are wonderful things, able to isolate a single person's voice while
standing in a crowd with everyone talking at the same volume, but with a
recording like yours, where we don't know which of the 500 noises contained
in the 1/2 second clip are "normal" for your particular engine, and which you've
been listening to for weeks / months / years, it's virtually impossible for US to
pick out any "new" noise.

Sorry, but listening to WAVs on the Internet is not the best way to diagnose this.

 

I couldn't hear anything that sounded like a clicking or creaking (your
description).

I would guess your noise is something from the exhaust system. Either a leak or
something vibrating like a heat shield. Just a wild guess based on what sort of
noise would not record well.

-jim

 

And that's what sucks: there's all that other noise in there, and I
just can't really
get it out. But if you can hear a "knocking" or "clakking" or
"creaking" noise in
there, that's the noise I'm referring to.

How _can_ I diagnose this problem? We took the car to a mechanic at
the car
shop and he was mystified too!

 

And that's what sucks: there's all that other noise in there, and I
just can't really
get it out. But if you can hear a "knocking" or "clakking" or
"creaking" noise in
there, that's the noise I'm referring to.

How _can_ I diagnose this problem? We took the car to a mechanic at
the car
shop and he was mystified too!

********************************************************************************************

At what point are you going to understand that people cannot hear your
problem sounds via the files you provide. Quit trying to clean up the file
and asking people to listen to it again. It's just not working. What kind
of a mechanic did you take your car to? A real garage, or a shade tree
mechanic? Try another mechanic. If a mechanic who saw the car in person
was "mystified", then how in the hell can you possibly expect people on the
internet to figure it out?

 

Mike - you may think that you have isolated and cleaned up the file but
you, and you alone, are the only one to know what to listen to
specifically. If you have taken the car to your local Hyundai dealer
and they have not been able to isolate the cause then I don't know how
you can expect to have someone else who is not even present diagnose a
sound. You are driving an 8+ year old car that was initially a "lower
priced" model, if the car is giving you no other problems be happy and
keep driving it until the "noise" becomes more defined and someone who
is qualified can then tell you what is going on.

 

So what does that mean? Does it mean he heard the noise but couldn't
figure out where it was coming from? Or doers it mean he couldn't hear
any noise that was out of the ordinary? Or does it mean he spoke a
foreign language and couldn't understand anything you said?

 

I know. I guess I'm just frustrated. The guy was at Carquest or
something
like that, I think.

Also, what _did_ you hear in that file, anyways? What sort of sounds?
Could you hear any noises that didn't sound just like the whirr of the
engine
and wheels?

 

I know. I guess I'm just frustrated. The guy was at Carquest or
something
like that, I think.

Also, what _did_ you hear in that file, anyways? What sort of sounds?
Could you hear any noises that didn't sound just like the whirr of the
engine
and wheels?

********************************************************************************

That's funny. Carquest or something like that. You cant' hook anyone here
with that one. Not even good bait. I did hear something in the audio file
though, and I think you should look into it quickly. I heard an out of note
gonkulator and possibly a bad muffler bearing (though I can't be quite sure
of that...). The gonkulator really concerns me though, since that can
result in a complete engine, transmission and suspension replacement within
as short as a couple thousand miles. Sometimes far less. I think I'd run
it by Home Depot. Have the plumbing guy take a look. Gonkulator problems
are often easily addressed with a couple simple elbows and some street
fittings. Can't hurt...

 

Make sure you use plenty of elbow grease on those elbow fittings or
you'll regret it later. Sounds like the blinker fluid needs topping off,
too.

 

So I guess Carquest is too crappy a place, then? The owner of the shop
looked
at it. He was also a mechanic, and he said he What's this "bait" for?
I'm not trying to "bait" anything with it, so if it sucks as bait,
that's not a problem,
as that's not its purpose.

I don't think a gonkulator actually exists. I think that's something
you made up.
I think you are pulling my leg. Nor do I think mufflers have bearings
in them. I think
that too is a HOAX. Are you saying you cannot hear anything that would
be
abnormal, or what?

Again I think you are pulling my leg. I came here wanting real help,
then I hear my
recording is no good, and I tried to fix it up, and that didn't do it,
and now I get this.

<SNIP!>

 

So the "rattling" or "clicking" isn't good enough, then? You can't
hear anything
in there that sounds like that at all? If so then I'm going to give up
on this
particular recording.

There isn't exactly a "local" Hyundai dealer around here. We didn't
even get
this car from a dealer, we got it from a girl in town for cheap.

Other than the noise, there aren't any problems.

 

OK, maybe "HOAX" is a bit much. But yeah, I think you're just
pulling my leg.

 

I just don't recall where I took it to. Hmmm.

 

That may sound strange, but it probably isn't. I think this car doesn't really
belong to the OP. My guess is that he is a teenager with an internet connection
(and maybe a learner's permit) and the car belongs to his parent(s). He is
appears to be trying to be helpful. But one can only guess what the real story
is. Maybe he really wants to help or maybe feels guilty because the noise
started after he jumped the curb and ran over a garbage can.

-jim

 

Your theories are good ones. With his obvious aversion to the truth,
I don't expect the OP to get (or deserve) much help.

Toyota MDT in MO

 

Actually your guess is mostly correct. Like I said, it's a family car,
so yeah, it's not
_my_ car.

The real story is that when we got the car, it had the noise to begin
with. It was used
and not from a dealer. And no, I didn't wreck the car.

 

What is this "aversion to truth"?

 

The real story is that when we got the car, it had the noise to begin
with. It was used
and not from a dealer. And no, I didn't wreck the car.

******************************************************************************************

Mike - I'm going to take one parting shot at making sense to you, before
dismissing this thread entirely. I'm sure you are noble in your pursuit,
but you fail to understand a few critical points. For one - you've been
told that no one can hear what you are saying is a concerning sound. At
this point - it does not matter if you do more audio magic, or not - the
internet is not the right forum for that kind of diagnostic approach. There
are technical reasons why your "cleaning" up a file, only serves to your
disadvantage, and you need to come to grips with that. Since no one yet has
been able to help out with your audio representation of the problem - you
don't have a choice... take the car to a real mechanic. Not Carquest or any
other cheap alternative to a real mechanic. You get what you pay for in
this world Mike and you found that out the hard way at Carquest.

I highly doubt the guy at Carquest was a mechanic. He'd have told you much
more than what you've relayed here, if he was. The guys that work in these
places are more often than not, fully UNqualified to work on cars in any
way. They are parts clerks and damned poor ones at that, most of the time.
Get the car to any reputable mechanic, and embrace the fact that you'll have
to pay to get it diagnosed and/or fixed.

A forum like this can be helpful in guiding you through the repair aspects
of a problem, but even at that - it's a long distince thing. No one can
tell you everything you'll need to know to fix this. If you're not
experienced at fixing cars, then you can't just turn to the internet for
instant answers. You might just have to learn a bit about cars before you
can realize your amition of helping the family out. I think your ambition
is noble but Mike - you can't just turn to the internet and get an instant,
cheap, miraculous fix to a problem that can't even be properly described or
represented.

 

Dear Waste Of Everyone's Time,

What is this "I don't know where I took the car to have it
diagnosed?" As I dislike using quotes inside of quotes, pretend that
the word diagnosed is in quotes.

Thanks,

Toyota MDT in MO