I know exactly what you are talking about, when I first got my IX I noticed the same thing. There's a steep grade hill that i have to travel to get to work and I'm usually holding the revs at 3k+ rpms. Coming from the old 4g63 on my 97 eclipse, the rackety "constant knock" noise you were talking about really caught my attention. I thought I had ****ty lifters or that something was wrong with the motor because my eclipse sounded smooth in comparison. I searched on the forums for Evo owners that switched from XIIIs to IXs and all agreed it was normal MIVEC noise.

Oh and BTW, someone should sticky that MIVEC does not change to a higher lift cam lobe like VTEC does. I don't know how many times that has to be explained.

 

Thanks for your help guys.
I will stop by a shop that works on evo's just to make sure that it is OK.
The noise I am hearing is definatelly loud so I am suprised that other Evo owners dO not notice it.
I will have it checked just in case.

 

umm.. all i know..

My IX is completely stock. And when I'm coming down the block I set off all the chirps and Alarms of all nearby parked vehicles.
At idle you hear alot of ticking but that is normal on Mitsu engines. I had the same thing in my lancer.

As for the engine being louder, Yes, IX's are a bit louder than VIII's but just by a little. And No, you cannot feel or hear the MIVEC kick in. Plus, even if you tried u won't be able to cause all you'll hear is exhaust and the spooling of your turbo.

 

You deff cannot feel it kick in. As a matter of fact, one of the main reasons for MIVEC was to broaden the power curves by making more power lower in the rpm band, thus giving smoother acceleration. This eliminated much of the power surge associated with peak boost on our turbocharged cars.

 

I never notice any mivec noise. Definitley nothing like a knocking sound.

 

You cant hear MIVEC "kick in" cause its always kicked in! Its just variable cam timing-its always variable! Ford foci and escort zx2's have variable cam timing.....it is there to optimize power and some companies use it to aid in exhaust gas scavenging....which is what ford does which eliminates the EGR system. Just trying to clarify that the MIVEC system is constantly fluctuating, so there is only ON, NO OFF!

 

All I hear is turbo spooling, but when I was stock, I really thought the engine was noisy. Even my G35 with a supercharger seemed quieter....well, not really..

 

yes, mine is definitely noisey. i started a thread about this the other day. I shot a video of some pulls with my car. You can hear the consistent high rpm knocking you are talking about.

 

to the thread poster.....

since day 1, my IX has done the same thing... almost sounds like the motor is f*d up or something....... ive done alot of reading, and it appears to be very common.....

i hear the noise at around medium throttle, around 3500-5000 rpm, and the turbo is just barely spooling.... kinda like your driving like a grandma, but shifting higher in the rpms..... but when the turbo is spooling, its alot harder to tell the noise difference..... ive definently noticed a difference from other people driving the car... ive gotten to the point where i let the turbo spool up a little, then shift... that seemed to make the lifter noise dissapear.... but when friends drive it, its very noticable....... so im guessing thats why some cant hear it, its all about how the car is driven.

 

+1

Coming from an N/A built B16 Honda engine that screamed like there was no tomorrow, the Evo is quite the silent killer. With stock exhaust, of course

 

This describes the noise I hear in my car to the T.

 

I know what you are talking about, at 3500 rpms I can hear it get louder and i also have an IX.

 

Thanks for posting the video.
It sounds similar but louder. Maybe I can not hear it loud enough cause my wife is sleeping
It comes on at around 3500 rpm and it really does not go away. When you take your foot off the accelerator you hear it really loud until revs go down. Cruising at 90mph or higher (just checking ) it is uncomfortable. Sounds not right.
The car has 500+ miles and since I started opening it up it really shows up.
Anyway- I went to guys working on these cars and they have never heard anything like this coming out of evo.
I am definitely making an appointment with Mitsu service- hopefully there is someone within these well trained technicians that can figure it out.
Note:
When I rev the car in neutral and hold it at 4K rpm or higher this sound is not there.
I will let you know what it is once the car is in service.

 

you might hear a low whining sound but not a knock

 

I have the same knocking sound. Thanks for the video. Now I know I'm not crazy.