I've been out driving my new '99 Formula around for the last couple of days and I've noticed a few noises which I'm not sure about. Usually I can only hear them if the car is sealed: T-tops on and windows up, and the radio powered off. The car has a Borla on it so if I'm laying into the throttle its harder to hear to but basically these are what I'm hearing...

Whine: There is a whining noise coming from somewhere, but I can't tell where. Its usually slightly louder when my foot is on the gas pedal whether I'm accelerating or just keeping steady and gets slightly quieter if I'm coasting. My current thoughts are something with the gears in the rear end, wheel bearing(s), and normal road whine.

Rattling: I heard this for the first time today, mostly while driving along bendy roads. It sounds most like a rattle although a little different but its too hard to try to explain as something else. This sounds more like it is coming from the back half of the car. My current ideas on this are something with the back wheels, rear suspension component(s) of some sort, and rear diff, and/or driveshaft.

I'm not sure if either of those are normal to hear and if I shouldn't worry about them or not

Power Windows: I love having the windows down and T-tops off as much as possible but I noticed that the windows move kind of slowly with the passenger side being slower than the drivers side. Usually the passenger side will go down all the way but when I try to put it up using driver side control it goes up VERY slowly and will not close 100%. If I lean over to the passenger side and use that control it seems to go up the last few centimeters alright. Driver side window goes down and up kind of slow but I haven't seen it stop short yet like the passenger side. Does this sound more like the actual motor needing replaced, the switch on the drivers side to control the passenger window, or some kind of regulator?

I'm taking the car to the shop tonight to get looked at while my warranty is still good if any of you guys think you know what the issues could be from and can give me more info for him that would be great

 

if this is your first fbody, you will come to find out that these cars arent made for luxury.

If you are only hearing small or minor rattles, consider yourself lucky. My car, with the true duals dumped at the axle and the solid motor mounts, rattles like there is no tomorrow. If it bothers you that bad, you could always use some sound dampening material.

The passenger side window is slow because it is powered by the driver side switch. There is a kit that you can buy to fix it, but i really wouldnt worry with it. The extra 5 seconds it takes for the window to roll up doesnt bother me one bit.

As for the whine, it could be a number of things. The rearend is probably the main culprit. Mine has been whining for about 40,000 miles. lol

 

Well the window is a concern if its raining, not so much because it goes up slowly but because it wont shut all the way and I might forget to lean over to the passenger side to close it (plus I have to get out of the car and make sure its up all the way lol)

I'm hoping its just normal noise since the car only has 21,600 miles on it and my warranty is only good for another 8xx miles. I'm mostly concerned about wear if parts are rubbing and most properly seated and tearing up the gears. I might just change the diff fluid but I'm pretty much broke right now.

 

google auto trix, they sell a kit to fix your pass. side window motor.

As far as the gear whine it's normal. If you don't like the whine you can probable fix it by doing a rebuild kit or just turn up your radio. Mine whines slightly after I got on it for a while.

As far as your rattle, it might be your CB hitting something or vibrating against on something.

 

Not sure how you got a "new" Formula. I also have a '99, but mine was made 12 years ago.

The engine whines a bit - a little is normal.

Take off the hatch side panels and that should help you isolate the rear rattle. The spare equipment on the passenger side is a common culprit there.

Your passenger window motor is almost dead, having a faulty thermal cutoff switch inside it. It also sounds like your driver's side is on its way also. Do a search and you'll see this is common. Its also common for the motors to go in pairs.

BTW - The Autotrix stuff is not a "fix." The kit is a band-aid that provides a higher voltage to the motor and allows it to work for you for longer. IMO - Its like polishing a turd. It will make it look better, but underneath, the motor is still ****.

For the windows, I'd recommend NOT having the dealer touch them. Do them yourself, following the shbox method and replace them with the new Dorman designed motors. This will cost you less than an Autotrix kit, will give you brand new motors that have more longevity than the originals, and will give you a lifetime warranty on them if they ever go out on you in the future. The dealer will just take a short cut to get you out of your hair and may install cheap rebuilt motors that could die on you. (Probably the exact day your warranty expires.)

 

*New to me* if you're going to give me grief over that lol

I saw a few different Dorman's on Advanced Auto website but which one is the one I would want? (part #'s please) I have a discount at AA so I might be able to get them a little cheaper than retail but I have to tell them the correct part.

I'm not really mechanically inclined much and we don't many tools which would suit automotive purposes at the house so I'd probably have my mechanic do the install for me.

 

There is only one Dorman Motor that will match up. http://www.dormanproducts.com/p-1053...ymmeid=4755602

If you search for the shbox write up, you can give that to a mechanic. If they go with this method, you may be able to handle the future replacements.

 

Ok I'm glad I asked because that is not the one I was looking at. I read that the window motors or some component in relation to changing them are riveted in and my mechanic knew that already so he said if he replaces them he'll use regular old hardware to make things easier in the future

is the shbox write up on the forums here or an external google search because I haven't been able to find it in google searching shbox

 

Try again. Its the first thing that comes up for me in google: http://shbox.com/page/windowmotor.html

The key is to not remove the regulator rivets in the door. Those are a pita and is unnecessary with the shbox method. (These regulator-to-door rivets are special and can't be subbed with regular hardware.) You drill in key spots to get to the motor-to-regulator rivets.