# 2001 Subaru Forester "grinding" noise at 2000 RPM

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-subaru-forester-grinding-noise-at-2000-rpm/33598>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [July 18, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-subaru-forester-grinding-noise-at-2000-rpm/33598 "2009-07-18T18:42:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![powderskier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@powderskier](https://community.cartalk.com/u/powderskier)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-subaru-forester-grinding-noise-at-2000-rpm/33598/1 "2009-07-18T18:42:32Z")

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I have a 2001 Subaru Forester with around 116,000 miles on it. Recently (the last 6000 miles or so… but most of that was on a cross-country road trip), it has been making a kind of grinding noise when the engine accelerates from around 1500-2000 RPM. I’ve never heard the noise above 2500 RPM. It doesn’t matter what gear I’m in (it’s a stick shift), and I can even hear the noise when I rev the engine with the car stopped. It sounds to me like it’s coming from somewhere around the backside of the engine/clutch area, but I can’t tell for sure. This is still the original clutch, so I was thinking it might just be related to the clutch wearing out, but I haven’t noticed any slipping or anything.  
  
  
  
 Any ideas?  
  
  
  
 thanks!  
  
 -ben

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**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-subaru-forester-grinding-noise-at-2000-rpm/33598/2 "2009-07-18T19:43:29Z")

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Since this noise occurs whether the car is moving or is standing still, I strongly suspect that it is coming from a loose heat shield. Heat shields, which are merely thin pieces of sheet metal designed to shield some parts of the car from the intense heat of the exhaust, do have a way of loosening as a car ages.

Don’t let anyone talk you into removing the offending heat shield(s), as they are there for a specific purpose. Instead, have it/them secured with screw clamps or some other method of reattaching them properly.