# Neuspeed P-Flo Rattling sound v. 2007 Rabbit



## crosshare (Mar 4, 2008)

I installed this short ram intake yesterday and though I love it, it seems to have a rattle to it. 

It doesn't do it when I slowly lay down the gas all the way up to 5000rpms. It's only when I floor it. It sounds great then the rattling starts up from 3500rpms and stops after 5000rpms.

I checked everything. The metal heat shield, first by using foam pipe insulation to damper near the battery and then completely removing it! Then I check all the fittings making sure everything was snug and tight. It's almost impossible to install this wrong and I've yet to get a CEL. 

Any advice? 

Also, this doesn't effect performace at all, it just sounds like a honda civic with a fart can exhaust tip.


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## Salty VW (Sep 2, 2004)

If you left the engine cover off when you installed the intake, you might want to reinstall it as part of your trouble shooting procedure just to rule that out. It could have possibly been pinching something in place preventing it from rattling, or muffling a pre-existing rattle.


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## crosshare (Mar 4, 2008)

Salty VW said:


> If you left the engine cover off when you installed the intake, you might want to reinstall it as part of your trouble shooting procedure just to rule that out. It could have possibly been pinching something in place preventing it from rattling, or muffling a pre-existing rattle.


Yeah, I just did that. Same deal.


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## crosshare (Mar 4, 2008)

Now I've tried everything! Removed the heat shield, removed the engine cover, checked all fittings, took everything off and reinstalled and took upper valve connection and capped it temporarily. 

This is ridiculous. :facepalm:


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## Cptrguy02 (Mar 6, 2008)

*Neuspeed P-Flo Rattle*

Yeah! its the heat sheld. 
Near the bottom in one of the corners, mine was rubbing against a plastic mount, grinded that corner down. Then it was rattling in several other places so i have been bending, twisting, and moving it around so it is no where near anything it can rub on. battery box was one of them. It was even hitting a corner of the MAF plug. I even had the filter rubbing at one point too.


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## crosshare (Mar 4, 2008)

Cptrguy02 said:


> Yeah! its the heat sheld.
> Near the bottom in one of the corners, mine was rubbing against a plastic mount, grinded that corner down. Then it was rattling in several other places so i have been bending, twisting, and moving it around so it is no where near anything it can rub on. battery box was one of them. It was even hitting a corner of the MAF plug. I even had the filter rubbing at one point too.


 Good god, what a mess. I might end up trading in for a carbonio or BSH at this point.


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## TeamZleep (Aug 28, 2007)

That's some bad luck dude. I had mine on my car for 40,000 miles, untouched, with NO noises... At all.


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## Salty VW (Sep 2, 2004)

It could be a tolerance stack up issue. 

I've had mine on for about 5000 miles without any funky noises either.


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## crosshare (Mar 4, 2008)

Salty VW said:


> *It could be a tolerance stack up issue. *
> I've had mine on for about 5000 miles without any funky noises either.


 I'm naive when it comes to the more technical aspect of my engine. What is that?


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## crosshare (Mar 4, 2008)

Removed the heat shield entirely today and it's still rattling. SO, engine cover and heat shield are totally ruled out. 

Now, I was in an accident last year that involved replacing the fender and headlight on the drivers side. What I noticed was one of the bolts to the fender was sheered off. I'm not to pleased about some shoddy work at the body shop, but that may be it. It's the bolt that connects the driver's side fender to the start of the A pillar. Now I'm trying to figure out how to connect the fender with the A-Pillar with a sheered off bolt head. :facepalm:


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## Salty VW (Sep 2, 2004)

crosshare said:


> I'm naive when it comes to the more technical aspect of my engine. What is that?


Every part on your car, including aftermarket parts are built to "tolerances". It would be almost impossible for something to be built to EXACTLY 12.000" every time at an affordable price. So designers call out tolerances for their parts. Somethin' like 12" +/-0.005 (twelve inches give or take .005). On occasion the final dimensions of a group of parts, while still in tolerance will create such a combination that your final assembly won't go together as planned. This is what is often referred to as a tolerance stack up issue. 

It's a bit far fetched, but it DOES happen from time to time.


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## crosshare (Mar 4, 2008)

Salty VW said:


> Every part on your car, including aftermarket parts are built to "tolerances". It would be almost impossible for something to be built to EXACTLY 12.000" every time at an affordable price. So designers call out tolerances for their parts. Somethin' like 12" +/-0.005 (twelve inches give or take .005). On occasion the final dimensions of a group of parts, while still in tolerance will create such a combination that your final assembly won't go together as planned. This is what is often referred to as a tolerance stack up issue.
> 
> It's a bit far fetched, but it DOES happen from time to time.


That being said, is it my SRI or my rabbit general? If it's my SRI, I'll send the damn thing back and go stock for now. If it's the car itself I think I'll crack. :screwy:


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## Salty VW (Sep 2, 2004)

Well, it sounds like you've ruled out the heat shield (my first guess). My second guess would be perhaps the filter hitting on something. Maybe the MAF wire vibrating (now that it's been moved a bit).


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## crosshare (Mar 4, 2008)

Thanks for your help salty. I think I've rounded it down to actual past accident damage that went unrepaired. That driver's side fender has a busted bolt that went unreplaced. SO, on that note, I need to find an EZ out kit to get it out and replace it. Hopefully that's it.


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