Why Does My Cold Air Intake Whistle?

You have just installed your cold air intake, hoping for that loud rev it gives or that more power and high performance. But what you didn’t expect is a high-pitched sound coming from your cold air intake, so you ask yourself, why does my cold air intake whistle?

There are some reasons behind this whistling sound, some of these reasons come directly while others do not. Keep reading to discover why your cold air intake whistles and how to fix this problem.

Does Cold Air Intake Make A Car Louder?

After installing a cold air intake system into your vehicle you get a louder and more aggressive sound compared to the mild noise you had before. This loudness gives your vehicle a satisfying sound somewhat like a low rumble which can also be caused by exposing your stock engine.

The sound of air flowing to your engine becomes more audible. When air flows through a large diameter tube it produces a deeper sound, but it produces a louder noise when air flows through a shorter tube.

Why Does My Cold Air Intake Whistle?

Before we dive into this, you should be sure that the whistling is coming from your cold air intake and not from your AC. Why does my cold air intake whistle, you ask, there may be a gasket attached to your cold air intake, if this gasket is a honeycomb gasket then it is the cause of the whistling in your cold air intake.

When air flows through a honeycomb gasket it breaks through the compartments of the gasket to produce a high pitched sound. Although some car users have stated that whistling is inevitable and is not at all a bad sound, others have tried to get rid of it. 

How To Fix Whistling Caused By A Cold Air Intake

Since the whistling in your cold air intake is caused by a honeycomb gasket, you will have to purchase a gasket without the honeycomb compartment. This solution can also be applied to your K&N cold air intake system.

Remove the throttle body on your cold air intake and gently pull out your honeycomb gasket, bring in your new gasket which doesn’t have compartments like the previous one. Put it in place and you are ready to go.

Wrestling Sound From Cold Air Intake Filter

Now sometimes it may seem like the noise is coming from the cold air intake, but then to your surprise, you discover that it is your air filter making the whistling noise and not your cold air intake. The whistling sound in your air filter can be caused because it is poorly installed or defective or it can also be caused if your air filter is dirty.

Some air filters come defective when bought and this sound is generated when the fibers of your air filter intertwine. This problem is very hard to detect as your air filter is made of a lot of fibers, so the only option here is to return the faulty air filter and get a new one. When your air filter is clogged or dirty, this changes the vibration of the fibers to an amplitude of about 5,000 Hz on your air filter leading to the production of a high pitched sound.

How To Fix Whistling In An Air Filter

For a brand new air filter that is faulty, your air filer fibers are intertwined, since this mistake is from the manufacturers, all you need to do is make a complaint and get a refund or purchase a replacement. For a dirty air filter, you may need to wash it.

Some air filters cannot be washed and may need to be replaced with a new one, while others that can be washed should be washed appropriately using the correct cleaning solution.

Does A Turbo Whistle?

Yes, a turbo whistle. This happens when your turbocharger kicks in as you accelerate your vehicle and the revs increase, the compressor in your turbocharger quickens resulting in a high pitched sound similar to a police siren being heard. But do not mistake a turbo whistle for a police siren.

Some car users find a turbo whistle infuriating while others find it cool, some users go as far as purchasing after market turbocharger whistling equipment just to get that sound.

Best Kits For Fixing Whistles Caused By A Cold Air Intake

Here are the best gasket and air filter cleaning kit to solve your car whistling caused by a cold air intake.

JRL intake manifold gasket

Key features 

1. It is an ideal size for a lot of intakes
2. It has a diameter of 26mm

K&N air filter cleaning kit

Key features 

1. Includes a filter oil that helps to properly clean the pleats of your air filter 
2. Comes with a power Kleen that easily dissolves dirt.

Conclusion

If you ever hear a high pitched sound that is definitely a whistle. You should check to see if it is coming from your cold air intake, AC or from your air filter so you know the right action to take, if you find the whistle okay then you should probably leave it, but if it annoys you then you can do something about it.

When you ask “why does my cold air intake whistle” there are a few answers to that question. We have covered everything you need to know about car whistling above, so you can check for a solution.