hey, i went to pick up a friend from a car shop and the guy there said my 04 wrx had problems. "it's not supposed to idle @ different noise levels". It's true that it's sometimes loud, sometimes not. i never thought it was a problem though.
any help? thank you!

 

wrx's have a rough idle , almost always rough until warmed up and then it gets a little smoother but it will make different engine noises still.

 

hmm... what about after 20 mins of driving? i just let it sit there and it's loud for a like 30 secs or so. not super loud, but there's a diff.

 

idle also sounds different with ac on.

 

Yeah if the ac is on when the compressor kicks on or off the idle level will change. Also the engine has an auxillary fan because it gets so damn hot, that kicks on and off and changes idle I believe. Anyone else can jump in and correct me...

 

ok. thanks a lot. i'm cancelling my appointment. I have tests that day anyways.

doesn't sound like a big problem.

 

yah that could be the "problem" which really isn't a problem. If it ain't broke, don't fix it

 

do you have a boost gauge? if you do when you sit in the car and the car is idling take a look at the readings your gauge is reading. it constantly fluctuates up and down. that could be what you are hearing. i dont have an exhaust yet but im sure that when you have one, it gets louder and quieter at different times for instance when the fan turns on, the motor will have to work harder to keep from stalling and to compensate for the extra power taken from the motor with another accessory running. im sure its not a problem. the car i had before my wrx was a P.O.S. and every little noise I heard made me nervous. I would hear a cars valves tapping in front of me at a redlight, I would actually pull into the next parking lot and pop my hood to make sure its not mine. Your fine its not a problem mine does the same thing. Good luck

 

i have a boost gauge on my car and yes it does fluctuate but that's on a very minimum level. maybe from 20 vac to like 19-18.

the most noticable noise i hear in the cabin during idle is just with the fan and the ac.