Hello! I am new to the board and look forward to being around for a while.

 

I have a '93 Legacy L with 160,000 miles. It does pretty well, but there is a whistle when it is cold and when the engine is around 1800-2200 RPM's. I searched through about 15 pages of posts w/o finding anything before deciding I'd better get back to work. The guy at the dealer parts counter blamed the IAC (Idle Air Control) valve. Convenient since it costs $283.00. I changed the PCV already. I am getting 27 MPG and think I should be getting better than that. Just did a tune up. If 27 mpg is pretty standard for this car I'm ok with the whistling, but I am concerned about a vacuum leak or other performance degrading problem. Any idea's? Thanks for any help you can offer.

Is there a small hole in the exhaust somewhere?

Is there a small hole in the exhaust somewhere?

Tough to tell. When I have looked for the whistle in the past it just seems to come from everywhere, very difficult to pin down. I suppose I could briefly plug the exhaust and see if the whistle changes...you think?

27mpg is damn good for that car. I'd be lucky to get 25 around town. I can push 30 mpg on the interstate if I'm not hauling arse and stay out of it.

 

As for the whistle. I had a whistle that turned out to be a hole in the muffler. If your muffler is original and looks in bad shape.....it wouldn't surprise me if that's the culprit. Have you had someone sit in the car and you be out side and walk around, trying to find the whistle.

Teach it to sing instead.

Check the airbox to see if its tight, especially at the bottom. If you are running an aftermarket air filter they don't like to seal well. Try a dealer air filter instead and the box should shut properly. Test my theory by pulling the filter out and idle without it installed for a min.....just not long as its letting dust into the engine.

I don't know about singing, but I think if I tap the gas just right I can get it to whistle the theme to "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly".

 

It wouldn't surprise me if it was the airbox. The previous owner lost the factory screws apparently and used plastic strap ties to seal it. I haven't bothered to change the method, I just torque it down real good. I'll get the screws from the dealer or junkyard, get a factory air filter and give that a shot.

 

As for the MPG, I commute 50 miles to work every day for a daily total of 100 miles. All but about 5 miles are on the freeway. I typically stand on the gas, so I guess I'm doing alright.

 

Thanks for all your help!