New 09 SS, a couple of little worries...
 

Gang,
When my SS starts, it makes a low volume howling sort of noise. It goes away after the car warms a little and it drops off the "choke" to a normal idle. I notice this when I warm it up in the garage for a minute or so (RE the brake / vacume problem). Any clues or similar experiences?

Secondly, when I park car after a drive it smells bad... funky sort of smell unlike I've ever had on a car (not brakes or a lining smell, nor does it remind me of electrical problems). Converter? Turbo / exhaust?

I only have about 500 miles on my car so far. Thanx, Gary

cars just new, ecotecs are natorious for wierd noises

Welcome! I know the SS engine does make a lot of weird noises, but I don't remember a 'howling.' I think I've reat that a funky smelling exhaust is normal, but I tend to avoid snorting exhaust pipes since they all smell funky to me. Try gas from a different station and see if that makes a difference. Different refiners use different additives. Lately I've been auto-starting mine (go figure) so all the cold noises are over. Just hearing that sweet singing of the turbo spooling up.

Enjoy the ride, and if someone around here can't help you or point you to someone who can, nobody can. :cool:

There have been problems with the brake/vacuum, read up on those threads and see if if that helps. As far as the bad smell. Does it smell like rotten eggs? If so it's probably the cat but after only 500 miles I would not expect that at all.

I know the noise and it is only when it is first started and I only hear it our side. That is a normal Ecotech sound. I have heard it on mine and several others. It ccould be somthing as the air in the intake howling?

As for the smell. I have only noted almost amounia smell from the exhaust on many of the new cars with Direct injection.

Not sure if it is just the cleaner burning of the new injection or the newer style converters.

Not sure if these are the sound and smell you have but if it is I do not see anything to worry about. Eco's are known for noise and the new cars are known for strong exhast smells too.

Note you will also get soot in the tail pipe. It will coat the exhaust tip. THis is also normal on the 2.0 Eco and 3.6 HV V6 with Direct Injection. They all do it.

The howling is your intake. When you start the car go to the passenger side of the car and listen by the fender and you will hear it

Thanks you confirmed what I was thinking it was.

The smell was normal on mine and a neighbors SS for about 1500-2000 miles. Never knew what it was. Not the converter as his was a 5sp. It went away for both of us and never smelled it again.

Mine did the same, assumed it was some misplaced foreign matter (paint, grease, ??) that was being burnt off. Went away after about 500km.

I figured the howling was the turbo. I start the car and it sits at about 8lbs of Vac. And when i blip it you can hear it spool, after about 60seconds idling it will drop and growl goes away IE turbo is at a 20lb vac. Mine makes the same noise