Volkswagen Beetle

Crosswind · September 29, 2013

Hey guys, sorry to be bumping this old thread but I have a question to ask.
I own a 1967 Volkswagen beetle and my car has this consistant "whisling" sound from the exhaust, almost similar to a kettle's whisle when its boiling water.

What could be the cause of this? I checked many youtube videos and in every video i saw of 67 beetles, the sound is a lot different from the exhaust and there is no "whisle" sound.

a lot of people commented that that sound is not normal for a beetle when i asked, then again I thought it cant be because when i took the car to the garage i was told that the noise is perfectly normal and its the "unique" beetle exhaust sound. i have heard the same whisling sound from other beetles aswell, can someone tell if this is a common problem in Sri lankan beetles ? or theres a problem with the engine?

exhaust leak?

NZer · September 29, 2013

Some beetles have this exhaust note and its completely normal.

Komisiripala · September 29, 2013

It could be a leak through a small aperture, causing a whistle. Dunno whether it's normal but I've been in a few beetles of that era which did do this. The odd note is a vivid memory

GTAm · September 30, 2013

I always thought that they had a whistling sound..... !? Maybe the VW workers were whistling while they worked on them, the car may have caught the "bug"

Supra_Natural · September 30, 2013

Hey guys, sorry to be bumping this old thread but I have a question to ask.
I own a 1967 Volkswagen beetle and my car has this consistant "whisling" sound from the exhaust, almost similar to a kettle's whisle when its boiling water.

What could be the cause of this? I checked many youtube videos and in every video i saw of 67 beetles, the sound is a lot different from the exhaust and there is no "whisle" sound.

a lot of people commented that that sound is not normal for a beetle when i asked, then again I thought it cant be because when i took the car to the garage i was told that the noise is perfectly normal and its the "unique" beetle exhaust sound. i have heard the same whisling sound from other beetles aswell, can someone tell if this is a common problem in Sri lankan beetles ? or theres a problem with the engine?

The whistling exhaust note is normal As far as I know, it's like the car's signature sound....

ABR · September 30, 2013

Thanks for the replies guys.. I recorded a short video of the sound because I'm still not 100% sure about it.. Maybe I'm too obsessed with having everything original with this car.. i just want to be sure theres no problem with it before i can take it out on the roads.

edit -

link removed

Edited October 3, 2013 by ABR

maheshw · September 30, 2013

well the sound is very closed to original vw sound & i feel its ok....

Supra_Natural · October 1, 2013

Thanks for the replies guys.. I recorded a short video of the sound because I'm still not 100% sure about it.. Maybe I'm too obsessed with having everything original with this car.. i just want to be sure theres no problem with it before i can take it out on the roads.

Actually, you may be onto something... that sound is a bit different from the standard Vee dub motor... I'm not sure what exactly is causing it though, It MIGHT be from the fan, or something from the exhaust as you suspect. Best thing to do is show it to a proper VW mechanic, not a general workshop.

Jaliya48 · October 1, 2013

One beetle I traveled in sounded exactly like yours. It was a 2sri example. What is your car's manufacture year and/or registration?

Edited October 1, 2013 by Jaliya48

Komisiripala · October 1, 2013

that's not the exhaust. some belt maybe? alternator freaking out? definitely a mechanical metal rubbing sound. you can hear the exhaust whistle at the very end when you rev her up. like supra said. i too smell a rat. get it checked out before something catches fire

ABR · October 2, 2013

thanks for the replies all, getting this sorted out soon..

ABR · October 2, 2013

Took the bug out for a spin, experienced a lot fo misfiring, not sure if its because car is almost out of fuel or what. no problem with the spark plugs, all of them were replaced.

Misfiring is similar to this (NOTE - this is not my car)

i can upload a vid of the car idling if necessary. how can i fix this problem? any help is appreciated ..

Edited October 2, 2013 by ABR

MrCat · October 2, 2013

Perhaps check the little condenser attached to the coil?

ABR · October 2, 2013

Perhaps check the little condenser attached to the coil?

new aswell, no problem with it.

maheshw · October 2, 2013

saaad original exhaust is missing ???

ABR · October 3, 2013

edit - nvm, problem sorted

Edited October 4, 2013 by ABR

mnaka · October 5, 2013

The baffles in the tail pipes makes the whistle sound, typically, only the ones with loose baffles will whistle, original factory tailpipes actually had fiberglass packing inside them and when time goes this packing will get distorted then again the whistle appears, remove your tail pipes and see the sound difference