Just installed a new K&N typhoon and within minutes of turning the engine over there is now a loud hiss. It appears to be coming from the intercooler.

It's like it's actively sucking air through it.

I checked everything from the intake install and it all seems tight. There's a definite power increase but at idle there is a hiss like i have a leaky tire stuffed under my intercooler.

Any thoughts? I'm gonna get up early to look over everything again and a may reinstall the stock box just to check if it was there before.

It's an 2006 MCS with 40 and change on it. She's new to me and was blessed by Carmax as well as our local Mini dealer.

 

Anybody got an opinion or at least want to point out something obvious. I'll take getting made fun of if it helps of the HISS.

 

If your car is running fine its probably just the intake sound.

 

It's drowned out by the intake sound at speed but here's a video of it just sitting in my garage. It's kinda hard to tell from the video but it sounds like it's coming from the passenger side front of the intercooler.

I'm gonna try the old damp wash cloth method to see if I can get the tone to change.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video....2520807&ref=mf

 

Linky broken.

If the sound continues momentarily after you shut down the car, you have a vacuum (boost) leak in the intake tract. Installing the intake should not have directly caused it, but maybe you knocked off a line somehwere. Check on that metal charge tube that came with the K&N kit. It goes from the filter to the throttle body. Half way down, there is a smaller hose barb on the intercooler side which you attached your crancase ventilation tube to. Double check that there aren't any small hoses disconnected there. As always, you can pinpoint where the sound is coming from by holding one end of a rubber hose to year ear and while the car is running, put the other end in various places around the engine bay. You should hear the hissing sound most clearly at the leak.

 

It does continue momentarily after i cut the engine. Nothing is jumping out at me near that area. The only thing I see there are just a bunch of wiring (ribbed plastic tubes) harnesses.

Is it detrimental to pull the IC off just so I have a better view? I know i shouldn't run the car with the IC off but i just can't see a stinking thing beyond the rubber hose for the crank case.

Thanks for the help. Do you know an easy way to post the video, if just for comedies sake. It's a really loud hiss.

 

It's a pain in the butt to post a video from facebook... here;s the easiest way I found.

When you get to the video, there are options, off to the right: tag, share, etc. Click on Embed. Copy and paste that into a reply here, and delete everything except the link in there (http://www.facebook/v/[something] i think). Put the URL tags around it and you should be good to go!

Turn this: <object width="400" height="300" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/163005357361" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/163005357361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>

Into this: http://www.facebook.com/v/163005357361 (fun vid too )

My 2 cents: it definitely sounds like a boost leak. There must be a hose knocked off somewhere...

 

http://www.facebook.com/v/108250742520807

Eh?

 

Hmm... then it's a privacy setting if you're able to view it on Facebook but not here. Not sure how to fix that one but if you can try to find it by mucking about in the privacy settings area (under settings on the top bar)

 

Before you pull the IC, do the rubber hose trick and pinpoint where the sound is coming from.

 

Pulled the IC this morning. Under it there's the fuel rail and a rubber hose. However attached to that, via zip ties is another hose that has a plastic Y splitter running just behind the IC. This was, rubber hose, split open in a big way. I followed one end, that had a pressure style nut, like if you were connecting a break line, to under the air box where it ended in a 1/8 clear tube that had been cut and was just electrical taped.

I wrapped the split in tape, the one on this mystery hose with tape and there was a diffinite sound reduction.

Any idea what this hose is? It's cleary not factory but is pressurized. I've compared photos and can't come up with an answer.

I don't have a spray system, or an oil catch can, or anything else that would warrent it.

I'll try to get photos up after work. Thanks for all the advice thus far!

 

The last owner must have had a boost gauge on it and just cut the boost tube out. You can get rid of the Y instead of just having a terminated tube-to-nowhere.

 

The RATTLE SNAKE is banished!

Well getting rid of that Y confirmed that i will never put in a boost gauge. Holy Crap was it stinking hard. I'll just imagine one.

I ended up using a few needle nose as clamps and got it back to stock.

There still a bit of a very low hiss, but it certainly doesn't drown out the engine any more. I'll gink a piece of hose from work tomorrow to check further. I've taken out and hooked back up the intake a few times so I'm pretty sure it's not there. But with the sorta shoddy boost gauge install/removal makes me questions if there's not something else fishy going on.

Any guesses, you've been gold so far. Thanks Helix