metalic whizzing sound from front of engine area?

[empirefalls]

This morning was about the first cold morning of the season,about 25F,cold,wet.

When i first started the car, i heard a rather loud odd sound from the engine compartment. I stopped my car and restarted it 4 or 5 times, each time i heard the sound. The sound went away after 3 seconds each time. The car started fine,just with the 3 second noise.

I opened the hood and made observations as i had someone start and stop,start and stop the car. Before i describe where the sound came from, i drove the car about 200 miles the rest of the day and never heard the sound again. The car ran fine the rest of the day

The sound sounded like a metalic whizzing sound like a small motor on a toy,the sound may been a pop sound too.

If you look at the photo below, see the exhaust tube(i think those are called exhaust tubes) second from the right, the sound came from either in there or underneath it. Underneath there is a cylinder like object, almost looks like a large cigar. I think it may be a sensor, i may be wrong.

I checked oil that was fine. Spark plugs are at 95000 miles, so i know i need to change them,asap

[tarbasd]

If you are referring to one of the 4 black "tubes" that go to the engine, it is called the "intake". Our cars are infamous for intake air leak in cold; I'm wondering if this may be related.

[ELiTeCReW69]

Hmm corolla's are known for intake manifold problems yes but usually you get a check engine light. At least I have never heard of causing a metal whizzing sound

[mikered30]

I would guess belt or tensioner, but that is the wrong part of the engine. This only happens when cold? Can you spray carb cleaner around the intake? Does your tach "idle hunt"?

[TrdSpeed140]

well from what he said, it was from underneath the intake manifold under the runners for cyl. 3 and 4, from memory I can only think of one thing being under there, the starter motor.

[empirefalls]

The noise occurred yesterday morning, about the second cold,wet day of the season. It did not happen the rest of the day, nor today on start ups

Yesterday morning, i was in the car when i first heard the noise, I thought it sounded like a low pitch,sharp whizzing sound. When i had the hood up it sounded more like like a tapping sound.

Maybe i misheard the whizzing noise from inside the car, i also thought the whizzing sound was coming where the motor belts are. I am wondering?? if it started out as a whizzing sound from the belt area,then turned into a tapping noise under the exhaust pipe.

Again, the car started up with no hesitation,just the about 3 second noise from that area.