jumpy guages and chirpy/squeak
 

I've been loving the last several months with my new to me 911 and have really learned a lot by lurking here on the Pelican boards. What a wonderfully talented group of people here.

Since I've had the car I've noticed that the oil pressure and level sometimes jump around a bit erratically at idle. At any higher RPM I don't see the jumpiness. Is this normal? I've checked the connections at the engine and they seem to be good.

Also, within the last month there's a new squeak/chirp coming from the engine compartment. It's kind of a combination of a squeak and if you were to whistle and hum at the same time. I hear it if the idle momentarily drops below 700 RPM--when it's cold, or after it's warmed up and I take my foot off the gas approaching a red light.

The frustrating thing is when I listen with the lid open, I can't hear it--only from inside the cabin. I realize this is a pretty vague question but I'm wondering if there are common things that work loose and start to make noise. Do worn engine mounts make noise? I've wiggled everything I can see but everything seems nice and toyt, as Goldmember would say.

Thanks for any suggestions.

I had a similar chirp/squeek from the engine area......drove me nuts!

The fix was a .05 cent washer between the lid and the hinge mounting surface, just thick enough to give a little air space between the lid and the body. Give it a try!

Loose fan belt?

Loose fan belt or possibly the alternator is going south. That would explain the squeak and the jumpy gauges, when the voltage goes the gauges start to dance. Cold weather will also exacerbate a loose belt by chilling the rubber and helping it slip. Worst case scenario you'll need to have your alt rebuilt or get another one.

My oil level sender was shorting out internally, making the gauge jump like crazy. But first, you should check and wiggle all relevant electrical connections. for the oil level sender, there are connections in the right rear wheel well, for example.

As far as the noise goes, sounds like something to consider and watch for sources of noise, but on the other hand, don't get real freaked out about minor noises. Turn your radio up.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'd never even considered that it could be the deck lid itself. It would make sense that the sound would stop if I opened it to listen.

masraum: If it were the alternator going bad, wouldn't it also cause the other gauges and the headlights to go wonky too? It's only the oil quantity and pressure guages that sometimes jump, and only at idle.

I pressed on the fan and A/C belts and they *seem* good and snug.

I will double-check the sender connections.

Thanks.

I had a whistle noise when I shut mine off. It was the intake gaskets, they had an area "blow out" and caused a whistle noise when you shut the key off.