Hi,
I own a 2000 Toyota Corolla. I do oil and other scheduled services promptly. It's 400 miles shy of 100,000 miles. In the last couple of days, I notice a kinda fan noise along with a few rattles from the Hood. But the fan noise I used hear was different from this one. This is quite different. When I complete my 25 miles drive, I hear the rattles too but the rattles are not at the start.
One more thing is, a couple of days ago I almost ran my gas tank empty. I had my gas warning light glow almost for the 30+miles before I filled up my tank.
What could be the problem? I just want to make sure before running in to a mechanic shop, I should get some info else the mechanic shop will rip me off even for trivial things.
Could you describe the noise in more detail? Metallic sound? High or low tone? Frequency that seems to be fixed or follows engine speed? Buzzing, whooshing, etc. - you mention that it sounds differently than the other fan, what is different.
Could be nearly anything - from the electric fan blade touching the radiator, to a bad belt tensioner, to a pulley or other bearing going out, something caught in the driveline, heatshield is loose, etc.
Hi,
Thanks for your quick reply. It's kinda whoozing sound. I could hear it a loud when the engine is slow or idle. The rattle comes once in a while, maily after a bit long drive.
Running the gas tank almost empty with warning light glowing would cause any problems like air lock in the fuel line?
Nope, running the tank to that point should not have caused the issue you are experiencing. Though I recommend that you don't push the car too far past E - you'll have plenty of gas in reserve, but that gasoline is also used to keep the fuel pump cool during operation.
Whooshing sound when idling or low, hmm, does it get better or worse if you happen to kick on the A/C or switch it to defrost mode? How about being in gear or not (if automatic, any change when you idle the car in Drive or Park/Neutral). At this age, could be a loose intake hose (leak in the airbox, make sure that airbox lid is on tight) or a leak in the exhaust system.
Give the engine a quick visual inspection - just to rule out anything simple (missing or loose hoses, obvious signs of contact, unsual discolorations, fluid loose, etc.) If possible, see if you can pinpoint the sound with the hood up and see if anything looks unusual.
I have the SAME exact problem...i wish someone would tell me what it is...some mechanic once told me its "la pate de moteur" (french) meaning the engine leg? wtf?
Nope, running the tank to that point should not have caused the issue you are experiencing. Though I recommend that you don't push the car too far past E - you'll have plenty of gas in reserve, but that gasoline is also used to keep the fuel pump cool during operation.
Whooshing sound when idling or low, hmm, does it get better or worse if you happen to kick on the A/C or switch it to defrost mode? How about being in gear or not (if automatic, any change when you idle the car in Drive or Park/Neutral). At this age, could be a loose intake hose (leak in the airbox, make sure that airbox lid is on tight) or a leak in the exhaust system.
Give the engine a quick visual inspection - just to rule out anything simple (missing or loose hoses, obvious signs of contact, unsual discolorations, fluid loose, etc.) If possible, see if you can pinpoint the sound with the hood up and see if anything looks unusual.
I too suspect the Air box. Planning for a visual check by a mechanic too. Will post more.
There is a VSV (vacuum switching valve) that can make a ton of noise, especially if you swapped to an aftermarket intake. Part of the EVAP system, it generally makes an audible ticking/clacking noise.
A loose resonator can also make for a weird noise under the hood as well - the intake snorkel runs from behind the driver's side lamp assembly, infront of the battery, into the fender/skirt area, then up and out to the airbox - lots of potential places for contact with the chassis, or loose connections causing an induction leak.
Post up what you or the mechanic found as the culprit - I'd be interested to see what it turns out to be.
Might be able to get away with just replacing the belt - you can test it by running the car without the belt (temporarily) and see if the noise goes away. Don't want to be driving around like that just start it up and check for noise.
Goodyear Gatorback belts are much quieter/seems to hold up better than the OEM Bando belts.
No the noise didn't go away even if you remove the belt. The bearing is also gone. And at the one end, rubber is worn out, too. I didn't have too much options and I couldn't perform these kinda jobs on my own. I normally do a few other things but this is beyond my reach. The other problem is, I couldn't pin-point what the problem was else I could've shopped around and got a nice deal.
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