New small engine noise with cochlear implant

[Michael Weber]

I've been deaf to frequencies above a couple thousand hertz for decades. Got a cochlear implant last year and this is the first summer I've used my little Snapper rider (10 HP) since getting it. Now that I can hear high frequencies (relatively) I'm wondering if the sound I hear from the engine is abnormal. It's a high frequency ringing sound when the engine is running and is worse at high engine speeds. It could have been making that noise for years and I wouldn't have noticed. I have no high frequency memory and am wondering if this is a sound of impending doom Just don't know if it's a normal small engine sound or not. If not, what would be the likely source of the noise. It's pretty old, but starts reliably and seems to run fine. It's a B&S engine.
Thanks, Mike

[Jim Matthews]

You might be getting "beat" interference at the sample rate of your implant.

Does your implant have a defeat setting?
Consult your audiologist.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2504636/

[Mark Walden]

You also might try a resistor type spark plug to cut down on the interference.

[Jim Becker]

Once he's back online in a few weeks (traveling...), Ken Fitzgerald (moderator here) is a great resource to talk about CI and the various aural things. He's had his a couple years now and regularly posts very interesting observations on another site.