What The Devil Is This Whine???

[97ToyCar]

http://s902.photobucket.com/albums/a...sCamera172.mp4

I do not know how to load video on here, I was lucky to get uploaded to Photobucket. Please copy and paste the link into your browser if needed to view.

This whine is RPM dependent, does it hot or cold. Gotta be a bearing somewhere...I dunno...but it drives me nuts! Anybody want to guess??

You can hear it plain as day. Even with the hood shut. The higher the RPM, the louder the whine...Sometimes, at really low RPM, it almost disappears...but not quite. You might also refer to it as a continuous low moan...

[Chris Crash]

Hmmm. Can you isolate it to a certain part of the engine?

[97ToyCar]

Driven side of the engine. It's a moving part, for sure...

[Chris Crash]

Hmm. The fact that it's variable with RPM makes me think alternator...

Try the old screwdriver trick. Put it on the alternator and the other end to your ear, and see what you hear. Just don't hurt yourself.

[97ToyCar]

I can try that, but methinks I'll have to pull the alt/crank/ps belt and take another listen. To be honest, it seems like it is coming from the block area behind the alt. Water pump? Heaven forbid, the balance shafts?

[71Corolla]

Pain in the neck, but you need to pull the drive belts and have a listen. The sound is hollow, like it's coming from behind the timing cover. But this type of thing can be really hard to pin down.

Can the balance shafts make such a noise?

[97ToyCar]

I was told that the balance shafts get noisy as they age. I have never seen that type of condition, though.

I'm thinking a noisy WP, or timing tensioner or idler bearing. If it's the WP, I would have thought it would have failed by now. I've had the car almost 3 months. Same goes for the idler and tensioner.

I have heard of replacement timing belts whining...

[Chris Crash]

I hope it's not the balance shafts...when mine went bad, they then blew up and threw a rod through my motor.

[redtigerrocks]

I have the same issue but it only happen after I changed my Alt/AC belt. I'm stuck on the problem, but I don't think its the water pump because I just had mines changed less than 2 years ago.

[LynchburgCSI]

It's a supercharger! No, i'd put my money on an alternator.

[fenixus]

sounds like your camera caught the noise louder right by alternator ... though it doesn't quite exclude the WP (below it) ... try the large screwdriver trick or remove the alt belt and try again listening.

[97ToyCar]

And the winner is.....Alternator, sent in by LynchburgCSI!!!!!!!!

Took the belt off this morning, and warmed her up...noise is gone without the Crank/AC/ALT belt. Now it's so quiet, I hate to put the belt back on

A Great Big THANKS to all who chimed in:

Chris Crash
LynchburgCSI
Fenixus
Redtigerrocks


This board is awesome!!!

David

[97ToyCar]

I put the belt back on, and the whine is back...I forgot to check for shaft play up and down, but it looks like sooner or later, I'll have to make a trip to Texas Starter and Alternator to have the unit rebuilt. I refuse to just replace with a rebuilt from AZ, I don't want to have to pull it back out to swap it again a year from now.

Funny that I did not hear any excessive noise when I spun it by hand. Maybe the front bearing is worn from the downward pull the belt does when it gets tensioned. I made sure there was at least 1/4 to 1/2 deflection when I was done.

[Chris Crash]

Glad you figured it out! Let's see who can figure out what my problem is, haha.

Sounds kinda like a supercharger, am I right? Hehe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiBpz8QLDa4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiBpz8QLDa4

[LynchburgCSI]

Yayyyyy! I love a happy ending.