Hi George,

True, there's always an appreciative audience but the flapping can be heard even over the sound of clapping.

It's engine dependent, for certain. It is a function of throttle position which means it is load dependent. When it flaps, if I back off on the throttle, the volume decreases. I'm pretty sure that a closed throttle eliminates the sound but perhaps it's still there but I can't hear it. That's why I'm suspecting the manifolds.

Idle is typical M30, lumpy-smooth with a hunting lope that sounds just wonderful standing by an open hood. No flapping then, but load is practically zero.

The trouble is that when they turn to look at the noise, they also notice the bird droppings that are deposited every morning since I park under a tree.

Which reminds me of something I read back in '87 when the market collapsed - "What's the difference between a pigeon and a yuppie? The pigeon can still make a deposit on a new BMW".

Adnan